The Baby Isn’t Yours

“Oh, me…?” Allen’s voice trembled as he asked.

Even the hand holding the baby Hatchling seemed to be exerting force.

Kalia belatedly added with a pitying face.

“Oh, is that a bit too much to ask? Even if it has turned into a baby, asking someone to take care of a dragon is a bit much, isn’t it? For someone who is alone, such a request may be too much.”

“Oh, no, not at all!” Allen quickly shook his head at her words.

His heart strangely pounded at the small warmth wriggling in his arms.

The fact that this child was the strongest species, a dragon, and that he was alone didn’t seem to matter at all.

He just felt restless.

Could he take care of this small creature, who was looking up at him with an anxious face, while holding onto his sleeve?

There was anxiety hidden in his trembling heart.

Nevertheless, Allen had a strange premonition that he wouldn’t be able to let go of the hand holding the baby.

“No, it’s okay. If it’s okay with Kalia, I’ll take care of it well.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, as you said, if I’m taking care of it inside Kalia’s mansion, there shouldn’t be any danger.”

Since there were servants who took care of the mansion as a whole when they returned, all Allen had to do was watch over the baby and play with him.

Even so, for some reason, Allen’s heart was restless.

“Kyaoo.”

Drea looked up at Allen, bobbing her head in his arms.

At that moment, Allen felt something frozen in his heart melt with a sharp sound.

He murmured to comfort the baby.

“I’ll take good care of you.”

Kalexia, who had been watching him intently, suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky.

Since they were inside a building, it didn’t seem like he was really looking at the sky.

His gaze seemed to wander to a different space than this one.

He said as he hugged Kalia and Gaia.

“I should go back to the forest.”

“Yes, thank you for coming.”

“Gaia, I’m not in a hurry, but if you ever need to find me, send this messenger bird from the elemental realm. If you call out to me like you just did, my heart won’t be able to take it before the bird even arrives.”

Kalexia handed the blue messenger bird to Gaia.

“Then I’ll go.”

Before entering the gate, Kalexia hugged Gaia and Kalia again.

He felt a strong power in his firm and comforting touch.

After letting go of the two children, he patted Simon’s shoulder once and went inside the gate.

Simon looked at the disappearing gate and felt the warmth of Kalexia’s hand on his shoulder, as if sensing something heavy. 

* * *

‘That green seal, of course.’

Walking out the door, Kalexia remembered the seal that shone on Sasha’s forehead.

He had never seen it before, but somehow it kept giving him a sense of incongruity.

And the moment he saw it glowing on Hatchling’s forehead, Kalexia knew dimly what it was.

‘…Is that it?’

Blood Mark.

The same mark that appears to those who can influence all beings.

The boy who was said to have finished the Holy Demon War a long time ago was known to have that mark.

He swallowed a laugh as if it were absurd.

Come to think of it, Sasha’s existence itself was close to ‘impossible’.

What is the probability of being born with the blood of all beings?

Being a child born through such absurd odds, there was no way his fate would be easy.

‘Then we must end the war we are preparing for even more thoroughly.’

To ensure that the child doesn’t experience any misfortunes or hardships in his growth.

To prevent Kalia and Gaia from being sad.

More thoroughly.

Kalexia opened the door to his hut with a rigid face and entered.

Then Tokan and Hoa, who had been circling, stood up to greet him.

“Father!”

“You have arrived.”

Kalexia, who had already known that his children were gathered in the hut through a messenger bird, wasn’t surprised. He sat down in his seat and looked at his children.

“What urgent matter brings you here in such a hurry?”

In response to Kalexia’s question, Hoa looked at Tokan with a tense face. She swallowed a dry cough and took a long deep breath before speaking.

“I had a dream.”

A dream.

At the mention of that one word, Kalexia’s eyes narrowed. It was Hoa’s dream about being chosen by the long-tailed birds that protect the fairies. It meant that there was a dream related to the danger that the fairies would face.

“It must be a dream of a long-tailed birds.”

“Yes.”

Kalexia had a feeling that it wasn’t a pleasant dream. He straightened his posture and sat up straight.

Hoa sat facing her father, clenching and unclenching her fists for a moment. The story of her dream was still vivid in her mind, pouring out of her mouth.

The dream was so cruel and gruesome, but Kalexia wasn’t shocked as he already knew about the danger through Patrick’s letter. Instead, Hoa’s dream fueled his already intense desire for revenge.

And then…

‘The water used to extract the essence from the roots of the primordial tree in a silver vessel.’

Kalexia was shocked.

A long time ago, he had heard a story from someone about how the ‘roots of the Primordial Tree’ could be used as a poison against the fairies. But even Kalexia didn’t know how to use it as a poison.

“To float the leaves on the water in a silver vessel and drink it.”

Only one person was able to remember such old knowledge so vividly.

When the story of the elders of the forest came up, a cold shiver ran through Kalexia’s eyes.

He had ordered Ganini to keep an eye on him.

Until a few days ago, there had been no special movements, but it could erupt at any time and anywhere.

“Human child…”

Tokan reacted to the words ‘human child’ that came out of Hoa’s mouth.

His jaw tensed, as if he were gritting his teeth.

He breathed out an uncomfortable sigh and briefly explained the situation about Ahim to his father.

“As a matter of fact, on my way here, I picked up a human child from the forest of Akan’s palace. I was late because I had to detoxify him from the demonic energy that had made him unconscious.”

Kalexia and Hoa locked eyes.

It was as if they were sure that the child she had seen in her dreams was the same one.

“Then bring him here right away.”

“It’s impossible.”

Kalexia’s eyes narrowed at Tokan’s words.

He easily stated the reason why it was impossible.

“…He disappeared.”

“That’s right. So I came out to find him and ran into Hoa.”

Kalexia stood up from his seat.

“Then we don’t have time to waste. Hoa, you go tell Furiosa and Nua. Tokan, you and I will go find the child.”

Kalexia stepped outside and blew a whistle, calling a white falcon.

“Gnome, go call Ganini.”

Just before Kalexia and Tokan were about to move, Hoa grabbed them both.

“Wait! It’s not over yet… there’s still something to tell.”

Hoa pulled out the fruit that she had been clutching tightly and handed it to her father and brother.

“This is the fruit that Lou threw at me in my dream.”

Kalexia looked at the bell-shaped fruit that lay in his daughter’s palm.

His eyes narrowed.

Hoa’s hands trembled.

“Do you know what this is, father?”

Kalexia didn’t answer, but his eyes were calm, as if he had guessed what it was.

“And there was a message with the fruit.”

“Message?”

Who could the message be from? Who could dare to enter Hoa’s dream that shows the long-tailed birds, where only those with the ability to travel between dreams and reality could enter?

At that moment, Kalexia’s complexion changed.

He thought of the one person he knew who had the ability to travel between dreams and reality.

Hoa nodded heavily.

“Wake me up, daughter.”

At Hoa’s words, Kalexia groaned.

“…Leah.”

It seemed like his long-sleeping wife was finally waking up.

Kalexia’s heart trembled heavily.

* * *

After hearing Hoa’s story, Tokan devoted himself even more to finding the boy.

The deep forest was huge, and the outer forest surrounding it was even more vast, but it didn’t matter.

To the fairies, the forest was entirely their territory, like a human’s mansion.

He sent spirit creatures that used their sense of smell in all four directions.

And he himself headed towards the house in the deep part of the forest.

Knock, knock.

“Master, are you inside?”

It was late.

If it were his usual self, Tokan wouldn’t have made such a rude visit.

But now wasn’t the usual time, and it was a matter concerning a small life, so it didn’t matter if it was a little rude.

Knock, knock.

But there was no response beyond the door.

It was just before dawn. Why was the hut empty at this time?

‘…I don’t want to have these suspicions, but…’

Despite that, he had a bad feeling.

Just as he was about to knock on the door once more, he heard a sound from behind him.

“Tokan, what’s up?”

Tokan turned around at Kanal’s voice.

Kanal approached him with a relaxed face as if he had just returned from a walk in front of his house.

“What brings you here at this late hour?”

As Kanal lazily asked, Tokan narrowed his eyes. A golden light flashed in his pupils.

“Where have you been at this late hour, Elder?”

Kanal didn’t flinch as he faced him.

He smiled and said, “I came to set up a trap.”