40. Interlude 1
Events from several years before Shiro transferred to Filidia.
"Adra, tonight we're finally getting out of this village."
Iberia presses in on Adra.
"Yeah, I think we're pushing past our limits now."
Adra replies.
Adra and Iberia are two dragons who dwell in the Dragon Mountains.
Adra is the Black Dragon—entirely black, with a lean, muscular frame, stretching about ten meters in length.
In contrast, Iberia is the White Feather Dragon—covered head to toe in soft, fluffy white fur, measuring around seven meters, slightly petite by dragon standards, of course.
The Dragon Mountains are the refuge where dragons fled after the ancient "MagiCentral Miasma Cataclysm," which birthed the Demon Tree Sea. The mountains lie to the north of the Demon Tree Sea. Since then, a small dragon village has formed here, where a few remaining dragons live.
Dragons draw mana directly from the Dragon Vein—a flow of magic through the earth—converting it into magical power. But the Dragon Vein's outlets in these mountains are small, and the mana quality is poor.
Adra and Iberia, relatively young among dragons, are dissatisfied with this. They've grown frustrated, unlike the older dragons who refuse to leave the village. The two desire to see the wider world.
For two rambunctious, childhood friends, there is no other choice.
That night, after deciding to leave the village, the two slipped out in silence, avoiding the other dragons. They flew south toward the Demon Tree Sea, drawn by the rich, abundant Dragon Vein vents they could sense.
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"Adra, we're getting close—this area seems right."
Adra calls out to Iberia.
"Got it."
Iberia replied, and the two decided to land.
The ground Adra and Iberia descended upon was a vast, devastated wasteland, its center marked by a colossal crater where the Dragon Vein vents pulsed strongest.
In truth, this place was the epicenter of the ancient Magi Central Miasma Cataclysm—but neither of them had any way of knowing that.
"Kinda rough here… but the Dragon Vein flow’s incredible! What a delicious mana stream!"
Adra shouted, excitement crackling in his voice.
"Indeed!"
Iberia chimed in, equally delighted.
The two young dragons reveled in the fresh, powerful surge of mana pouring from their first true Dragon Vein source.
After siphoning mana for a while, they casually nibbled on fruits from nearby trees, plants, and mushrooms. Dragons, it turned out, were surprisingly omnivorous—quite fond of anything edible, not just mana.
"Strange… way too many mushrooms here."
Adra muttered, briefly noticing, but as young dragons with little culinary discernment, they quickly forgot the thought entirely.
◇
The dragons then took flight toward another location where the Dragon Vein vents pulsed more strongly.
When they’d stayed at an ancient ruin in the eastern reaches of the cursed forest known as Magi East, spores from mushrooms clinging to their bodies had taken root. Now, the fungi were spreading—but no one had noticed.