Ayren walked through the village streets as the sun began to rise over the mountains. It was too early for anyone to be awake, but he simply couldn't stay anymore in the tent as Loon was sleeping in just his way.

The swordsman's red eyes scanned the tall trees, watching as the slender branches and leaves swayed gently in the soft breeze, which also caressed his long hair.

The image of Loon sleeping on a magical pond his mana summoned under his body. The shiny blue around him that was keeping his body almost floating around little bubbles it was such a beautiful and mesmerizing view for Ayren. He really couldn't get it.

He couldn't get how Loon looked like a God, but managed to get himself imprisoned for such a long time, it was also making him mad for no actual reason.

Without realizing it, Ayren gritted his teeth at the thought of the Emperor having his way with him. He had never liked that man; in fact, he hated him. The Emperor was intertwined with Ayren's dark past, a crucial piece in his relentless quest for revenge.

How could a creature like that be treated like a prisoner?

He shook his head; Loon was a fool, probably he was immortal but definitely lost common sense... Who would even get attached to humans?

Ayren was literally on the extreme opposite side; he did hate whatever would make people believe they had a sort of relation with him.

Ayren had only one big bond, with death brought by his sword, that's it. He couldn't even think of a way for him to be attached to someone as he was always refraining himself from killing whoever would annoy him.

He was the legendary swordsman; in his dark past he was someone nobody was daring to look in the eye because he would represent not only himself but also the order of the Empire.

The Empire he did serve for so long that did turn its back and cursed him to what he is now; a shadow that brings death most of the time whenever it wanders.

"What are you doing?" Leo was standing behind him, he noticed someone's shadow and decided to follow, fearing for his village to be in danger as the guards were also pathetically asleep.

They weren't warriors but Ayren couldn't tell if the son of the chief either was stupid or self-confident.

Probably the first option.

Ayren halted and smiled wickedly, casting a sidelong glance at the man, who had clenched his fists. "If it isn't the suicidal wanderer," the swordman taunted, crossing his arms. "I was merely taking a walk; I have no intention of causing trouble this early in the morning."

"Oh, why haven't you left already?" Leo asked and Ayren smirked, amused by his annoyed tone. It looked like Leo wanted to push his madness on purpose just to see how fast he could slash his throat.

Ayren laid a hand on the forehead, trying not to lose control as his impulse to draw his beloved sword was already lingering, and laughed.

"Don't worry..." Ayren said with a smirk. "I will soon." As the two approached the village gates, he noticed a shadow near a tree. "Huh?" He drew his sword, and in an instant, Leo's eyes widened as he saw Ayren's speed carrying him to the shadow's location.

Ayren's sword glimmered, reflecting the light in his eyes as he struck the tree, bringing it crashing down.

He glanced around, but the shadow had vanished. Something in the air felt off, as if the quiet was merely a facade.

Leo charged forward with his rusty sword, and Ayren let out a sigh. "Your pants are distracting me," he remarked, leveling his sword at the man, who struggled to hold his breath. "Either die or manage your breathing properly; I'm trying to listen."

"To listen to what?". Ayren sighed as he couldn't feel the aura anymore. He was sure there was someone spying on him, but who and why.

"Nothing." Ayren said to then look at the man "Get back to your village, I will get my few things and leave" he said to then move leaving Leo, who for a moment stayed to look at the tree that was slashed, wondering how much Ayren was strong.

His speed, those red eyes and that red-golden shining aura around his sword... Who was Ayren? He surely needed to ask more about him, but even his father would avoid exposing too much of his knowledge. It felt like Ayren's past was covered or maybe just forgotten because anyone who'd known him was killed by him.

Ayren sighed as he was standing in front of the tent, wondering if Loon was still sleeping in that state.

It was troubling him a lot. His aura was something that would hit him differently sometimes when not on guard.

Just as Ayren was about to touch the fabric of the tent, it was pulled open from the inside. He blinked in surprise as Loon appeared, lifting the fabric with his hands. The dragon's eyes glowed with a stunning blue, slightly obscured by the rising sun's rays. He wasn't wearing the final layer of his hanfu, leaving his arms completely bare and accentuating his slender waist.

"Huh?" Loon's voice was deep like he actually was just awake. His eyes locked into Ayren's one as he tilted his head to a side "Oh, Ayren" he said to then walk a bit further.

"Good morning." Ayren said to then cough and move past him, to enter the tent under his curious glance.

"I am glad you haven't left." Loon said, crossing his arms to then get surprised by the swordsman, who covered his arms with the upper coat.

"You're an immortal, keep your figure high if you want to be respected in this village of fools." Ayren said as he was dressing him up, under his puzzled stare.

"I just woke up and I wanted to clean my clothes." he tried to move but Ayren kept his hold on the fabric covering the shoulders of the dragon "Ayren?"

Ayren left the grab and he laid the hand on his own front, feeling totally hopeless in front of the apathetic stare of Loon "Why did I even wait." he whispered to himself "Just to get more annoyed." he then looked at him "Well, do as you please, the sun is rising."

Loon looked at the sun and smiled a little "I told you I would have woken up in time." he smiled and Ayren nodded "But you still were awake since some hours before I could open my eyes."

Ayren looked at him, surprised, as the dragon was closing his eyes for a moment. His arms were crossed, and his long black hair was still a little bit messy. "How did you know?" the swordsman asked.

"Do you think I do not see as I am sleeping?" he asked as his pointy ears for a moment moved, making Ayren curious "I felt your aura at a distance so I figured it out you weren't in the tent with me." he answered with an obvious tone.

Ayren sighed. "You have sharp senses and incredible mana, yet..." He tapped his forehead. "You're so weak at the same time."

Loon looked at the finger on his forehead with his blue eyes under Ayren's annoyed stare "Well, goodbye, try to survive as a free immortal the time I need to get away from your sight." the swordsman said to then leave the tent.

"Hey wait..." Loon said, his eyes widening as Ayren extended his arm in front of him, intercepting a flaming arrow aimed at Loon's chest. "Ayren!" The dragon's blue eyes darted to a group of seven men on horseback, all clad in long purple tunics, charging toward the village.

"INTRUDERS!" Leo shouted, calling some of the men of the village as Loon was gnashing his teeth at the view of Ayren sighing annoyed, totally unbothered by the fact he has been hit by an arrow.

"That's what I am talking about.". Loon looked at Ayren whose eyes were already shining of a scary red, as the man was extracting the arrow from his arms "If you stick with me, you're going to see this every day." he said as he drew the sword, while his arm was bleeding, and it felt like he was getting just more charged by its wound. He was using the wounds on his body to enhance his own strength.

Loon looked at those men entering the village "Who are they?"

Ayren smirked "Treasure hunters I guess." he replied "They probably heard that the village was getting magic harvest and now they want their part." he explained to then tilt his head "Are you going to feel guilty?"

Loon remained silent, watching in horror as tents burned and treasure hunters shouted with glee, reveling in the chaos. Some villagers desperately tried to extinguish the flames on their partially burnt clothes.

Ayren glanced at him and sighed. Loon's eyes widened when he noticed Ayren laughing at the sight of men halting their horses in front of them.

Of course, Ayren and Loon would stand out for their clothes. Loon looked like something valuable apart from the long hanfu, or even his jade horns, while Ayren had a fine black tailcoat and a jade pendant hanging from the neck.

"Hand over your pendant and the half-dragon!" a man shouted as he dismounted from his horse, brandishing his sword at them. Loon glared at the man, who wore a gleeful smile, likely imagining the riches he could fetch from selling Loon's horns on the black market.

The men stopped smiling once they noticed Ayren's sword, and the eyes of him shining of a scary red locked on them.

"W-wait... The report said he would have been away before our raid." one of the men said.

Ayren charged against the men, attacking fiercely as he was getting more into the fight with his adrenaline getting pumped up by whatever movement as the bleeding arm was pulsing from the pain of the fire arrow.

"Just give us the creature! We didn't come to fight! You're not part of this useless village anyway!" A man tried to speak as he was trying to parry Ayren's strikes, to then feel it piercing his stomach.

"You're right, I don't care." Ayren slit his sword through the throat of the man, making the others step back as they noticed his stare not even flinching once some blood dirty his cheeks."But I was still taking my leave." he laughed to then keep his head with the free hand "Ah..." he felt his head numb like he wanted to enjoy at the best the chaos of the villagers shouting for the water wells to calm the flames of the flaming arrows and the men trying to protect their families."It would be quite rude for me to ignore this battle," Ayren said with a grin, his laughter echoing as he noticed their fearful expressions. However, his amusement faded when he sensed a strange aura beside him.

His red eyes fixed on Loon, whose gaze radiated a stunning azure glow as he cradled the golden orb in his palm. Everyone froze, captivated by the droplets of water that drifted from the orb, suspended in mid-air without touching anything. It seemed as if Loon was drawing life mana from the surroundings, intertwining it with his own.

Ayren charged against some of the men, who held their bows aiming at Loon. In no time they fell to the ground, wounded and close to death.

He cleaned his sword on their bodies to then sigh and noticed all the villagers staring at the Azure dragon that slowly formed in the air from the water drops Loon summoned.

"Why is there so much chaos..." Loon murmured, guiding his hand to make the orb hover around it. He then closed his eyes. The dragon, as if an extension of his will, soared into the sky with a roar before vanishing into the clouds.

Ayren, along with the others, looked up as the rain began to pour. The villagers smiled and jumped for joy, relieved that their homes were no longer ablaze. Flowers and lush green grass sprouted, transforming the devastation of the fire into a vibrant and beautiful rebirth, thanks to the magic rain infused with life mana that would safeguard the splendor of the land.

Loon was soaking wet, but all he was doing was staring at the little water drops that were gathering in his palm. His stare looked away from reality, from whatever was happening around him once again. He looked untouchable yet fragile. Was that a glance of his true powers? Of the reason he was the only God still not ascended to Heavens?

Ayren sighed as he charged to the last men, recalling their attentions. But they were of course no match to him. Once they were all dead, Ayren got back to Loon. "What was that?" he asked and Loon sighed.

"I couldn't just stand and watch them hurting the others.."

"This is exactly how the Emperor managed to manipulate you." Ayren commented before getting inside the tent under Loon's surprised stare "You give me headache, this is the..." he untied his coat, leaving a side eye to the dragon, who was closing the tent behind him "I lost count of the times I actually helped you out.

"I didn't ask."

Ayren untied his shirt and hung it on the chair nearby the fire. Loon in that moment opened his eyes once he noticed the swordsman's naked torso with bandages around.

Ayren sat and after stroking his own wet hair, he left a glance to the dragon "Should I have made you get hit by that arrow?" he asked with an obvious tone to then look at the wound caused by the flaming arrow "Those idiots wanted to poison y..." the swordsman shut his own mouth as he felt like he was missing something.

Purple robes, and everyone had a belt with a badge with a snake symbol on. They were weak but one of them had those poison arrows which were meant to attack Loon.

Or him...?

It was hard to think they were there for Loon, theoretically nobody knew about the half dragon. To Ayren's eyes, Loon's existence for many years had been forgotten, so why would he be a target once out of the sanctuary?

Were they maybe spied on? That was also impossible considering Ayren's high guard.

But why were they aiming at Loon in the first place? Were they really just black marketeers looking for riches to sell?

Ayren got for a moment stuck in his thoughts, as Loon raised his eyebrow. The dragon kneeled before him who was sat on the chair half naked.

As soon as he felt hands on his arms, Ayren's stare locked on Loon, who was looking at him "Do not use your mana, you did enough already."

"But you got hurt again..."

"I am fine, before you I had worse wounds, and I survived with no problems. I can't die." he said with a grin under Loon's calm stare "On the other hand, you made my clothes soaked wet."

Loon blushed and got even more uncomfortable once he felt his hands on his pointy ears "W-what are you doing, hey Ayren!" he said as the swordsman was keeping his face still, focused on looking at his visage.

"Hm... As an Immortal... You look definitely like a lost cause. You're kneeling before a mortal, and you're making your wet clothes even more dirty for the contact on the ground." He sighed "Do you even remember what it means to be an immortal or an high society member?"

Loon gazed at Ayren, gently placing his hands on his cheeks, catching him off guard. "Ayren..." he said, tilting his head to the side. Ayren found himself almost mesmerized by the sight of Loon's blue eyes illuminated by the flames, creating a stunning contrast of colors in his irises that felt almost magical. "Why do you always say you can't die... What's your past?"

Ayren looked at the dragon and sighed. He grabbed his hands as his red eyes locked into his blue eyes, making Loon tilt his head again like a curious cat, and Ayren felt like he wanted to die in that moment for the thought lingering in his mind.

"Ahh..." Ayren chuckled at himself, feeling a mix of insanity and frustration over his thoughts. He then stood up and turned his gaze toward the fire.

"Legendary swordsman!"

The chief stepped into the tent, followed by a few villagers who halted in their tracks upon seeing Loon still kneeling in front of the chair where Ayren's shirt and upper coat lay. Meanwhile, the swordsman stood half-naked before the fire.

"Oh my, I see why you've requested for a tent and not two" the chief had a weird amused face as Loon stood up confused by that comment "Ahem... Thank you for your help!"

Ayren closed his eyes, trying to channel the last bites of patience he had left not to cause a bloodbath, to then turn and look at the chief "Why did you get in our tent?" he asked, trying to ignore those idiots' confused stares between him and Loon.

"We wanted to thank you! And give you some supplies for your trip... before the whole mess happened. We did still protect the supplies!" The old man smiled happily as he proudly showed the chest of food with some villagers giving him some praise under the hopeless gaze of the two.

"You better request some help from the resistance." Ayren spoke as he got back to look at the fire. Something was troubling him, or was making him deeply confused. Loon was feeling it, but didn't know how to approach at the moment.

"Resistance?" Loon inquired, prompting Ayren to give him an obvious look in response.

"Not all like the current Emperor." he explained with an obvious tone to then look at the chief who sighed heavily.

"No outer territory likes him... The way he doesn't care and leaves us in poverty... even though..." he looked at Loon and smiled "We could afford the help of the resistance."

"Sell the horses of the men I killed," Ayren stated, crossing his arms as he felt the eyes of several women on his bare torso. Some gazed in awe at the bandages covering his old wounds, while others seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the sight. The swordsman's physique was that of a warrior forged through years of training. Despite his piercing gaze and demeanor resembling death itself, to some foolish onlookers, he might have appeared as a handsome grim reaper.

Loon noticed it too and sighed. He coughed, as he positioned himself in front of Ayren, who got for a moment confused by the silent move of the dragon.

"Since you're traveling, we will give one to you, as a payment for the protection of the village" the chief smiled and bowed a little "You will find it at the entrance of our village, ready to ride."

With that said the villagers left the food to then get out of their sight. Ayren laid his hand on Loon's shoulder, who was still in front of him to partially cover his bare torso "They're gone, immortal."

"You're a legendary swordsman." Loon crossed his arms as he turned in front of him, making him smile like he was feeling some annoyance in his tone "How can you let yourself to be seen like that?"

Ayren chuckled softly. "I'm nothing more than a servant to the life I've been cursed with. Do you really think I care how people perceive me? They chose to invade, and just so you know, I didn't take any life because someone here has a soft spot for even the tiniest fly getting hurt."

Loon kept his stare serious under Ayren's provocations. The swordsman looked into his eyes and sighed "What a type. You're the first immortal I meet, and you managed to kill the curiosity, just a big headache, that's what you are."

"Don't worry," Loon said, looking away with a frown. "You won't have to see me again since you're leaving." Just then, a large brown robe was draped over him. He felt Ayren's hands adjusting it, pulling the edges of the hood around his hair. "Huh... What?"

"We're heading to Aresta's city, but you need to keep those horns and tail hidden during the ride," Ayren said, realizing how close he was to Loon's face. He sighed deeply as he noticed the dragon looking at him with confusion. For some reason, Loon always looked adorably surprised by his gestures.

"We.... We?" Loon smiled and Ayren felt frustrated at that sight. He looked away and

grabbed his shirt that definitely was still wet, but he honestly didn't want to wait anymore to get away from that stupid village "We're going? Together?"

"I guess that's what we mean." Ayren spoke in a casual tone, not looking at him, as he appeared to be someone entirely different—smiling and radiating a positive aura.

Ayren did hate it but couldn't help but enjoy it as well.

"Huh. Why am I doing this to myself..." he muttered as he stepped out of the tent, noticing that the rain had ceased. His gaze fell on Loon, who was smiling. It seemed as though the sky and heavens often mirrored Loon's emotions.

Because that smile... Ayren could tell it radiated as brightly as the sun's warm rays, joyfully shining through the clear blue sky.