A melodic magical voice suddenly filled the station's air.
"This is an announcement for all passengers," the voice echoed, seemingly coming from everywhere at once. "It appears a hero is battling a dragon nearby. In accordance with official warzone policies, all transportation contracts are hereby nullified. We are forced to stop at an alternate location."
As the announcement ended, the voice disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving behind a tense silence.
Yumi frowned, her eyes scanning the surroundings for the sound's source. "What does that mean? I understand the words, but they make no sense!"
Zen beside her suddenly tensed. His normally calm eyes were now alert, carefully scanning the environment.
"Zen, what—"
Before Yumi could finish her sentence, Zen abruptly pulled her hard. With trained, quick movements, he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"Hey! What are you—"
*BOOM!*
With incredible strength, Zen leapt out of the still-moving train. His body shattered the train wall like paper, taking Yumi with him. They spun through the air, Zen skillfully positioning himself as a shield.
They landed hard on the ground, dust flying around them. Yumi gasped for breath, her heart pounding wildly.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Zen nodded, slowly standing up. "I'm fine. But it seems we're in the middle of a warzone."
In front of them, the train they had just left was now in ruins. Black smoke billowed from the wreckage.
The train ahead of them suddenly came to an abrupt stop, its iron wheels screeching loudly.
"We should check there," Yumi said, her eyes full of concern. "There might be survivors."
Zen nodded, his eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings. "Stay behind me."
As they approached the train,
Amid the still-smoking wreckage, a small group of survivors emerged—only those seated at the rear had survived the mysterious attack. The dust-covered, terrified faces gave Yumi some small relief.
*"Where did that attack even come from?"* Yumi turned her body, her sharp eyes sweeping the surroundings. It didn't take long before her gaze landed on the giant figure in the sky.
"Look over there!" she shouted, pointing southwest. "A red dragon!"
The red dragon writhed in the air with its massive membranous wings extended. Its dark red, scaly hide reflected the sunlight.
Zen narrowed his eyes, scanning the area around the rampaging dragon. "So this is what the announcement meant. Where's the hero?"
"There!" Yumi tugged Zen's arm, pointing to a small figure floating near the dragon. From a distance, they could see exchanged flashes of attacks—the hero's fireballs collided with the dragon's breath in midair, creating small explosions that destroyed rock formations below.
The aerial battle resembled a complex dance of death. Every attack was followed by evasive maneuvers, every clash of force sending shockwaves that shook the ground beneath.
Zen sighed as he watched the spectacle of power. "This will be problematic. Even escaping isn't a good option now."
Yumi glanced at him skeptically. "You say that, but your face shows no concern."
Ignoring the comment, Zen pulled out the crystal map from his pocket. The holographic map projected illuminated routes across the area. "The capital is still too far. The nearest town is Quellis, about 15 kilometers north."
"Walking there while avoiding that battle is impossible," Zen muttered, his eyes shifting to the dense forest behind them. "We might need to hide in the forest first."
Yumi suddenly glared at him sharply. "Hey, why don't you just kill that dragon?"
Zen frowned. "Why should I?"
"What do you mean why?" Yumi exclaimed, her eyes wide. "That dragon almost killed us! Wouldn't it be quicker if you finished it off?"
"That dragon already has someone handling it," Zen calmly replied, pointing at the still-fighting hero. "My mother said not to interfere in others' business in a foreign world without strong reason. Besides, the hero would get angry if we interrupted his fight."
Yumi fell silent. Zen's logic frustrated her, yet it was hard to refute.
Then suddenly—
"You damn bastard! Don't you dare run from me!!!"
The furious voice came from above. The hero was now chasing the retreating dragon, firing volleys of fireballs that missed and instead rained down around Zen and Yumi.
"Yumi, watch out!"
With quick reflexes, Zen pulled Yumi several steps back while muttering a protection spell. The fireball exploded right in front of them, burying the group of survivors standing behind in a sea of flames.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Yumi screamed at the hero, her voice filled with fury and anguish.
The hero descended slightly lower, his handsome face now clearly visible—cold blue eyes, flowing blonde hair, and a condescending expression. "Hah? Who're you? I don't have time for weak trash like you. Just di—"
The sentence was abruptly cut off as the hero's body convulsed midair before dropping like a puppet with its strings cut. No blood, no wounds—just a person suddenly dead mid-sentence.
Zen had stopped his heart.
"You... killed him?" Yumi whispered, her face pale.
Zen gave a brief nod. "But it's not over yet."
Above, the red dragon—now free from its opponent—turned its snout toward them. Its mouth opened wide, gathering flickering fire energy. The air around them suddenly turned scorching hot, leaves on trees drying out and smoking.
Yumi felt her hair stand on end as the dragon prepared to unleash a fiery breath that could turn them to ash in an instant—
The red dragon let out a rumbling growl from its throat, gathering fire energy that distorted the surrounding air with heat. Its dark red scales reflected light like iron heated in a blacksmith's forge.
Yumi felt cold sweat trickle down her temples as she watched the creature prepare its fiery breath. "Zen, what are you going to do...?" Her voice trembled.
But Zen stood firm, his normally calm eyes now flashing with determination. "Seems you really like playing with fire," he murmured in a flat yet challenging tone. "Let's see whose flame burns stronger."
Suddenly, a drastic change occurred in Zen's eyes—his black pupils slowly transformed into pure white, like snow. Yumi realized she was holding her breath as she witnessed the transformation. The air around them suddenly felt electric, making the fine hairs on Yumi's arms stand up.
The dragon hesitated no longer. With a swift motion of its head, it unleashed a giant stream of bright orange flame toward them. The heat was so intense that the grass around them instantly withered and turned to ash.
Zen didn't flinch. His hand rose gracefully. From his palm erupted a thick, ruby-red flame, brighter and more intense than the dragon's fire, surging forward with astonishing force. The two streams of fire collided midair, creating an explosion that shook the ground beneath their feet.
"Close your eyes!" Zen warned, positioning his body to shield Yumi.
The explosion sent a shockwave that shattered nearby rocks into tiny fragments. But what was more shocking was Zen's fire—it proved stronger, his ruby-red surge slowly pushing back the dragon's flame, creating a reverse flow that inched closer to the beast.
The massive creature let out a mix of a growl and a surprised screech as it realized the foreign fire wouldn't extinguish upon contact with its own. Swiftly, it attempted to dodge, flapping its massive wings to retreat. But it was too late.
Zen's living flame struck the dragon's body with deadly precision. Upon touching the red scales, the fire expanded violently, engulfing the entire beast in moments. The dragon's agonized screams filled the sky as the colossal creature writhed helplessly, its wings flapping uncontrollably.
"Zen... how..." Yumi whispered, unable to believe what she was witnessing.
The dragon fell from the sky like a burning meteor. Its once-mighty body was reduced to a blackened, still-smoking skeleton when it crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom. Rocks scattered in all directions, creating a small crater amplified by the extreme heat from the remnants of Zen's mysterious fire.
Zen slowly closed his hand, and instantly, his white eyes gradually returned to normal.
"We need to leave," he said flatly, as if he hadn't just slain a creature. "That explosion definitely drew attention."