Notes:
() - Heroine's thoughts, Blue Text - Flashbacks
Ray - Son of the Dragonkin Clan Chief - Main Story
Chapter 1 - The Blue Sky and the Reunion
Kingdom of Pirates, Ancura*... As I was looking up at the blue sky, the sun was shining brightly...
T/N: Rosso and Douglas' kingdom
By using the "heavenly stone", the dragonkin clan was revived just as Ray has wished for... When the heavenly stone was purified and Ray's wish has been used at the same time, he turned into his dragon form and flew off into the sky.
(Some scary things have happened since that incident with the stone, but... If those important to me have all disappeared, I... ...Will I be able to handle it by myself?)
Thinking about his past that affects me even now made my chest tighten strongly. The vast ocean with crystalized looks in front of me was beautifully calm as if nothing has happened.
(It has already been a few weeks since the heavenly stone has been purified...)
To make sure that I've returned to the world, I scooped up some of the ocean water with both of my hands and it spilled through the gaps of my fingers soon after. As I felt nothing in my empty hands, I heard some footsteps in the sand from behind.
MC: ...?
When I slowly turned around, a dumbfounded gaze was looking down at me...
Ray: ...Why are you here?
MC: Ray...!?
When I blinked while I was crouched down, Ray's tall shadow fell upon me.
(Who would've thought that he'd return.)
As I quickly got up and dried my hands from the water, he slightly furrowed his brow.
Ray: What's with that look? Is it an inconvenience that I've come back here?
MC: That's not it, uh... Welcome back.
After I said that, Ray lightly widened his eyes.
Ray: ......Weirdo.
Suddenly, his tired expression instantly turned into a disappointed look, but... The sharp expression that he showed for just a moment remained in my mind for some strange reason...
Chapter 2 - Remaining Memories
As time passed by peacefully, the waves were calmly coming back and forth repeatedly...
MC: Ray, why are you here?
Ray: ...I was looking for you.
MC: Eh?
When I lightly tilted my head to the side from his unexpected response, Ray moved his gaze towards his own feet.
Ray: These shackles, they're a punishment for what I've done. It wouldn't be strange for me to be executed immediately, but... This is where I draw the line.
The shiny anklets around his ankles that sealed his magic like shackles, they were something that humans put on him because of the way he treated them.
MC: Ray...
When he lost his friends by the hands of heartless humans in the past, he committed great sins for his goals.
MC: But, why did you show yourself before me?
Ray: ...I thought I could get rid of these shackles when you, the Traumerei Princess, has forgiven me. While wearing these shackles, I should go around the world with you and see what's in it... That's what I've been told.
(I see... So, that's why he was looking for me. Then, when he went off somewhere in his dragon form at that time... Ray must've tried to atone for his sins.)
Ray: Even though it would've been best to kill me right away, it ended with me being released to the world with my actions restrained... Humans are truly naïve.
When Ray murmured that with a sigh, he looked up at the sky.
(Even though Ray doesn't forgive himself easily for what he has done, he has accepted his punishment... ...Does that really make him a scary person?)
What I know now is only his ruthless side that made him take action for his goals and sad past that he's been burdened with... While he continued to look at the white clouds, I did the same and looked up at the blue sky as well.
Ray: ...I was curious if there aren't any remains of the heavenly stone's power in the world.
Ray said that softly as his voice blended in with the sound of the waves. When my gaze went back to looking at him from aside, he was still looking at the clouds that were passing by.
Ray: Actually, if I did end up destroying everything, I would've settled down in the ocean. That's... something I can't do anything. The dragonkin are a peaceful and prideful clan after all. It's not that I want to go back to being called monsters that are nothing, but majestic.
He continued speaking detachedly with a serious look.
Ray: I don't have anything left, except for my unforgettable pride as a dragonkin.
As he was looking at the clear sky, I felt his unwavering strong will from his expression that hasn't changed since we've first met, but... At the same time, it showed a kind of sadness due to him losing his place.
Ray: Well, it's not like anyone's going to remember me if I die.
Ray smiled self-mockingly.
(True, people's memories do gradually fade away. But...)
When I slowly turned towards him, I looked at the side of his face and spoke.
///Choices///
- I'll remember (☼)
MC: ...I'll remember.
Ray: ...What?
Ray's refined brow twitched.
- That's not true (☽)
MC: That's not true.
Ray: Are you only pitying me?
MC: No. It's because I want to remember you, Ray.
///Choices///
MC: When you brought forth "Blue Sky Island"... The clan called the dragonkin that were living peacefully in the sky. I'll remember them.
Ray: ...
Ray moved his gaze from the clear blue sky to me. He looked at me with a heavy gaze as if he was trying to figure out my true intentions...
Chapter 3 - The Path from Here On
As the sky was changing from evening to night, Ray was looking straight at me...
MC: I'll remember them.
Ray: ...I see.
When Ray slightly broke into a smile, he turned around. With his back facing me, he started walking away as he lightly waved his hand.
MC: Where are you going?
Ray: If you can't remove those shackles, then there's no need for me to stick around you day and night.
MC: Eh, but...
(Was he okay with that from the start?)
When he stopped his feet, he turned around as his braided black hair fluttered.
Ray: Did you think that I was going to do something again?
(Come to think of it... Why can't I leave Ray alone?)
Despite how I was feeling deep down, I couldn't grasp the strange emotion as sympathy well.
MC: To make sure that nothing is going to happen anymore... I'm going to watch over you, Ray.
Ray: Ha, if you're just going to spout out words out of pity, then shouldn't you have a more plausible reason to do so?
When those words drifted about in my head, he approached me and laughed at a slightly close distance.
Ray: If you want to come with me, then do as you like. Ah, but... That doesn't mean you should take me lightly. You need to protect yourself with your own body. I'm neither a prince nor a knight. So, don't expect me to treat you like a princess.
(Even though he's letting me to accompany him...)
After he told me those sharp words very clearly, I felt the heavy wall that surrounds his heart.
///Choices///
- That's... (☽)
MC: That's...
Ray: If you're only coming along because you're worried, then that's fine. Do as you like.
- I understand (☼)
MC: I understand.
Ray: Then, that's fine. Do as you like.
///Choices///
After saying just that, Ray turned his back on me and started walking again. While he was leaving footprints on the beach, it didn't feel like those footprints were leading towards his past.
(From what I can tell from only looking at him right now, it's possible that this isn't everything of Ray. In that case, I... I want to see the path that Ray is walking on from here on.)
When I quickly caught up to Ray's wide back, the two of us made new footprints on the beach.
Ray: I'm not going to do anything bad, so go ahead and watch.
MC: ...
I couldn't tell if he was really atoning or that he was going to carry out his revenge, but...
(I want to know Ray more, so I'll believe in his words.)
Feeling a small wish being made in my heart, I continued walking on top of the dry sand...
......
After that, we continued going around various kingdoms to check if the heavenly stone has completely vanished... When we arrived at the Kingdom of Weapons*, there weren't any abnormalities and all the people were spending their daily lives peacefully.
T/N: Prytwen, Caliburn, Amano and Thor's kingdom
Child: Mommy!
Mother: Hey! You got all dirty again...
Child: Ahaha, sorry!
While silently watching the town from the top floor of a building, we saw a child running around carefreely.
(Fufu, he sure is lively.)
As I smiled from the view of such a peaceful daily life, I got the feeling that he was smiling a little beside me. When I moved my gaze from the town to Ray, there was a somewhat nostalgic look on the side of his face as he was watching the child...
///Choices///
- What's wrong? (☽)
MC: What's wrong?
While feeling a slightly warm atmosphere around him, I tilted my head to the side.
Ray: It's nothing...
- That child sure is energetic (☼)
MC: That child sure is energetic.
Ray: Yeah, he's so noisy.
Despite that he said that exasperatedly, his gaze towards the child didn't feel cold.
///Choices///
Ray: ...Brats are the only things that aren't different between humans and dragonkin.
Right at that moment, he bit his lip.
Ray: I'm the same as those people that took my family away from me...
As he was watching the child playing in the sunlight, he looked like he was reminiscing about the past... Although, I saw that he was suffering at the same time...
Chapter 4 - First Familiar Face
The orange sunlight blended in with his black and white hair...
MC: Ray, did something happen in the sky that made you descend to land?
Ray: Kind of. To conceal ourselves as dragonkin, we would sometimes come here by changing our forms with magic... The brats on the island wanted to see some flowers from the land and were asking to read some books.
Despite saying that as if it was bothersome, he watched the happy child with a gentle look.
(...It doesn't look like he dislikes that entirely, so it could just be my imagination.)
When I looked away from the side of his face that had a look of both nostalgia and kindness, I spoke.
///Choices///
- It's good that you're taking care of them (☼)
MC: It's good that you're taking care of them.
Ray: Why would you think that?
As he furrowed his brow, Ray looked back at me.
MC: Because you don't just want to play with them... You go and risk the dangers for the children's sake, right?
- You're so kind (☽)
MC: You're so kind.
Ray: You... Is that what you think from what you heard just now?
Ray narrowed his eyes in disgust.
MC: But, that's because you came to land with the use of magic for the children's sake. That's what I think.
///Choices///
(If it weren't for those heartless people that killed Ray's friends... Ray would've continued living peacefully in the sky right now. And we wouldn't be able to meet like this...)
His home that has drifted off somewhere, it can't be found even if you look up at the evening sky, but... Spending so much time with Ray like this has made me see some unexpected faces of his.
(...It doesn't feel like he's just a scary person.)
Just as I thought about that one side of him that I've encountered, Ray lightly touched his own brow as if he was thinking about something...
Ray: ...You shouldn't put so much trust into me.
MC: Eh...
The next moment, he suddenly grabbed my hand and pushed me against the wall. While his hands held me down forcefully, Ray looked down at me with a cold gaze from beside my face.
///Choices///
- Be perplexed (☼)
MC: Ray...?
Ray: You're slow to react despite being put in this kind of situation.
Ray smiled coldly at me as I was perplexed.
- What are you doing? (☽)
MC: W-What are you doing...
Ray: I told you, you shouldn't be trusting me.
Just as I was about to speak in a panic, Ray's face got closer.
///Choices///
Ray: You're a human and I'm a dragon. Poachers tricked my entire clan with their lies because they wanted the dragonkin's mysterious scales, but... That doesn't mean I can tell when a human is lying.
HIs faint deep voice grazed my ear. As the sun was setting, a dark shadow was made on Ray's stiff face.
Ray: Dragonkin... Don't tell lies. Powered by happiness and pride, there are others that don't choose to live by taking something away... I didn't expect you to understand that from the start.
When he became silent and looked at the child with a gentle expression, he gave me a completely cold gaze.
(It's possible that Ray didn't hate humans from the start. Living by taking something away, it wasn't Ray himself that made him do it... It was his sad past.)
The pain in my heart hurts more than my hand that was being held against the wall. As it felt like his eyes were giving off a warning to not pry into his heart anymore, I felt his inept kindness...
Chapter 5 - A Wish That Was Made
His icelike gaze pierced through me strongly... As he seized me with his large hands that were cold like the outside of his heart, I held it without thinking.
Ray: ...? What are you doing?
MC: Is it okay for me to want to know what I don't know? Giving up on understanding you before getting to know you... I don't want that.
When I returned a serious gaze, Ray furrowed his masculine brow firmly.
Ray: ...I really can't understand humans. What'll you do if you got to know me for a bit? If I say that I want to bring back my clan, will you help me? Or will you stop me from killing?
MC: I would look for another way instead of hurting others, so that you would stay clean.
Ray, who has lost those that were important to him and his reason to live, his loneliness was surely stronger than I thought...
(That's why I want to look for a peaceful way, so that Ray won't hurt himself or others.)
MC: Ray, you should try enjoying this world once more. Looking forward to taking a step towards tomorrow... That's the kind of life I'm looking for.
As our skin was touching each other, our body warmth combined with each other. When his cold hand slowly became warm like mine, I became relieved.
Ray: Even though... it was fated for me to have met you guys from the start?
Ray asked that softly. Although, that question sounded impossible.
MC: But, we're communicating like this. If something like that didn't happen... I wouldn't want that.
(If Ray ends up misunderstanding each of my words, he might get fed up and go off somewhere...)
I felt uneasiness in a corner of my heart, but I was calm while thinking deeply right now.
(But, I don't want Ray to walk on the wrong path.)
When I wanted to tell him how I felt so badly, I...
///Choices///
- Continue speaking (☼)
MC: That's why, I want to know more about you, Ray. What I know... is that I want us to think about it together.
From here on, my lips moved as they said what I thought was right before. As I wasn't looking away, Ray looked back at me with an unreadable expression.
Ray: ...What's truly clean.
MC: That's all that matters. Because I...
- Hold his hand more strongly (☽)
I put more strength into my fingers that were touching his warm hand. As it felt like I was trying to hold him back, one of his brows twitched.
Ray: What's your reason for going that far to say something like that?
MC: I...
///Choices///
-Flashback-
Ray: ...Weirdo.
-Flashback-
I remembered that astonished look on his face from when we reunited.
(Ah, that's right. I...)
MC: I may not be able to grant your true wish, but... I want you to smile from the bottom of your heart, Ray. I want to see your real smile.
Just as I told him that, I realized that a wish has been made in my heart for so long... As I slowly conveyed my feelings that have fallen in the center of my heart, I looked at him as he was enveloped in the sunlight...
Chapter 6 - What Appeared Was
As he slightly widened his eyes, I looked at him seriously...
MC: I want to see your real smile.
Ray: You...
Right at the same time he said that, Ray's grip around my hand loosened up. The next moment, we heard a monster groaning from afar.
MC: !?
Ray: ...
Guard: A monster is approaching the castle walls! Take refuge immediately!
When a guard said that in a panic, the townspeople started running away.
Ray: Could it be the effects of the heavenly stone?
MC: ...I don't know. Monsters have appeared in the surrounding area of this kingdom since long ago after all.
Ray: Looks like we have to go check.
After Ray glanced towards where the roars were coming from with a stern look, he moved his gaze towards me. The moment our eyes met, he lightly picked me up...
MC: Ray!?
Ray: It's a pain, but we'll be much faster by doing this. Clench your teeth, so that you won't bite your tongue.
As Ray held me, he moved forward by lightly jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
///Choices///
- Scary (☽)
MC: ...
Ray: Don't struggle, just stay still.
When I felt a little scared from the scenery changing so quickly, Ray held me tighter in his arms.
(Could it be that he's trying to keep me from falling...?)
- Entrust yourself to him (☼)
(Wouldn't it be best for me to entrust myself to Ray right now...?)
As I quietly tried to calm myself down from being surprised so suddenly, Ray spoke unexpectedly.
Ray: What, I thought you were going to panic, but you've become so quiet all of a sudden... Did you bite your tongue?
MC: I-I'm okay.
///Choices///
(Ah...)
Ray's tied up long hair swayed greatly as he jumped. When I remembered the time when I thought I wouldn't see him again... The last thing I saw was something like a dragon's tail.
......
Underneath the red sky, there were the sounds of weapons clashing... Guards that have went outside the castle wall were fighting the monster to protect the town.
Ray: ...The heavenly stone's power isn't the cause of that, it's just a beast.
When the monster saw Ray, he narrowed his eyes in disgust.
Ray: I don't know if this'll count as atonement, but... If it'll get these pain in the ass shackles off quickly.
Readying his trident, Ray confronted the monster with a strong look in his eyes.
(I want to help him, but there's probably nothing for someone powerless like me to do in this kind of situation...)
Just when I started thinking of a way that wouldn't let me be a burden, I noticed a trembling child that was holding some flowers while hiding in the rocky area that was near the monster.
Child: Uu...
MC: That child...!
(It's the child that was running around in town...! I need to save him.)
When I saw the trembling child, I ran over to him without thinking while the monster was looking away from the rocky area. Just as I was one step away from the rocky area that the boy was at, I felt the monster's presence right near me.
MC: !
(No way, the monster is behind me...!)
Ray: Hey! ...Dammit!
The moment I closed my eyes in fear, I heard Ray's angry voice and the monster's roar at the same time...
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