168. Liya’s Dream
Night fell, and the autumn wind wove a tapestry of desolation and solitude, gently brushing against the windowpane of the small wooden cabin. The forest rustled in the wind, leaves falling one after another, the roof emitting a soft sound.
Rain began to fall from the sky, the droplets lightly tapping against the glass.
The faint light of the fire in the hearth flickered, casting a warm shadow through the window, illuminating the wooden walls, as if it were a moment frozen in time.
Before the fire, a dragon mother and daughter sat on the floor.
The mother was a mature woman, wearing the cheapest robes of the dragon race, while her daughter wore a dark green vest, which they had bought from the market last week.
The little dragon was only 120 centimeters tall, and now only five years old.
If there was anything they had in common, it was their identical pink hair.
The streets outside the window were deserted, the air filled with the smell of burning.
The daughter hugged her mother tightly, as if she were afraid of something, and the mother’s expression was complex, her hands trembling slightly, but she still gently patted the little dragon’s back.
“Little Liya, are you asleep?”
Her voice was almost inaudible, even drowned out by the crackling of the firewood.
“Mama, I’m almost asleep.”
“Mmm…”
“I’m scared.”
“Mama’s here, don’t be afraid.”
The mother’s hand patting Liya became gentler and more rhythmic.
Suddenly, as if sensing some movement, the mother casually extinguished the fire, picked up her daughter, and ran into the inner room. Before she could close the door, a burst of firelight washed over them, instantly igniting the street.
“Roar—!”
The dragon’s roar was like thunder, shaking the earth.
Then, countless fireballs rained down from the sky, turning the entire city into a living hell.
Even though the large windows were boarded up, the scorching dragon breath still shone through the cracks, illuminating the mother’s anxious face. She gently covered Liya’s small ears and her mouth with her other hand.
A month ago, the dragon civil war had broken out.
Three days ago, they had begun to use force to conquer.
For a time, the dragons who opposed Defiant Dragon were ruthlessly exiled and slaughtered.
Liya’s mother was one of the dissenters, standing on the side of Princess Calysia, the master’s mother.
They had originally planned to move into the territory, but the war had broken out so suddenly.
The magnificent dragon city was swept by war in an instant.
Even the “remote” towns were no exception.
They didn’t dare to make a sound, because even a trace of a living being would be detected by the dragon race’s elites and sensory dragon warriors.
At this moment, all they could do was hide.
“Boom—!”
Then, another explosion.
Terrifying lightning magic lit up the night sky, and the only hundred-meter-high building in the town was instantly reduced to ashes, its debris scattering, the stones falling from the sky like rain. And Liya could only hope that those stones wouldn’t hit their small house and expose their scent.
The war between dragons was so cruel.
The mother had to protect Liya.
Fortunately, Liya was very good. Even in the face of such a terrifying scene, she wasn’t driven by instinct to cry or scream.
But just then, the mother’s eyes widened. She sensed a powerful magic approaching.
Although she held out a sliver of hope.
But a dragon of that level should have already seen them…
The mother’s eyes were firm. She gritted her teeth and said softly:
“Liya? Liya…”
“Mama?”
The little dragon looked up, peeking out her head.
Seeing Liya’s cute little face, the mother’s expression unconsciously melted into a smile:
“Good girl, you’re so brave.”
“Little Liya, I have to ask you to do something now. In 30 minutes, on the circular slope 300 meters from our house, two older sisters will be waiting for you. You go with them first, and you must be obedient.”
“Then what about Mama?” Liya looked a little anxious.
“Mama is a high-ranking dragon. No one can defeat Mama. We’ll see each other tomorrow~” the mother said with a smile.
She picked up Liya, opened a small escape passage in the corner of the room, gently put her down, patted her head, and looked at her with firm and gentle eyes.
“You must live. We have a promise.”
She was about to cry, but gradually calmed down under her mother’s comfort.
“I have to live… live by any means necessary.”
“That’s right, good girl~”
The mother kissed Liya’s forehead, stuffed a few candies into her pocket, and then, transforming into a pink flash of light, she broke through the roof.
Liya didn’t look back and rushed out of the tunnel.
Then, the sound of magic clashing was like thunder.
A black magic spell that splashed from the collision exploded above her head like a missile.
“Boom—!”
“Ah—!”
Liya screamed subconsciously.
She suddenly opened her eyes, threw off the covers, her whole body covered in a cold sweat.
The sound echoed in the empty bedroom. Moonlight shone through the glass onto her beautiful face, her full chest peeking out from under her nightgown, amidst her slightly messy pink hair, reflecting a pale luster.
“Ah, haa…”
Liya tidied her hair, looked up, and her heartbeat gradually calmed down.
“So…”
This wasn’t the first time she had had this dream.
A dream of the past.
But since returning from the Goddess’s ruins, it had become more frequent.
Liya’s mother was once one of the strongest dragons.
Then why did she lose that night? And not even have a chance to escape?
Suddenly, the second half of the dream began to echo in her mind.
The tall dragon figure appearing in the rainy night gradually overlapped with the shape of Dragon Slayer.
Some truths that were incomprehensible in her childhood gradually surfaced.
“Dragon Slayer…”
Liya clenched her fists and muttered under her breath.
“Little Ya?”
A small figure emerged from the quilt beside her, and a tail brushed against her calf.
It was White Miry.
She looked at her with her ghostly blue eyes, full of concern.
Her body was a little cold. Noticing this, she pulled the little dragon into her arms again. White Miry’s body was very small, like a child’s, and easy to hold.
“Little Ya, did you have a nightmare again… It’s been like this lately.”
White Miry’s voice was a little colder than before, but Liya liked her this way.
The two had been living together since the Fred incident, sharing the same bed. This period was definitely the most wonderful time for Liya.
“I’m fine.”
Liya feigned composure and stroked White Miry’s hair.
She looked up at the clock, and the hand that had been stroking White Miry’s head gradually moved to her horns, pressing harder and harder, then releasing, leaving a small bone dragon with a twisted expression.
“Liya is playing with me again.”
“Hehe…”
Liya broke free from the quilt, changed her clothes, and said half-jokingly:
“It’s getting late, time to go to work, our Lord White Scale~”
White Miry puffed out her cheeks and said softly:
“Sooner or later, I’ll turn you into an undead…”
