Bright sunlight pierced through the blue surface of the water.
Luce swam swiftly toward it, Mikhail slung over his side like dead weight. It was a hindrance, no doubt, but he couldn’t very well abandon the guy who’d jumped in with him—especially since the idiot couldn’t even swim.
Thankfully, after a few strokes aided by the strong current, they reached the riverside. Only then did Luce lift his head above water and finally gasp for breath.
“…Puh! Haah, haah.”
The cold air hitting his face was so welcome, it nearly brought him to tears. Having once been a dragon, he had never experienced the preciousness of oxygen. Feeling it now with every fiber of his human body, he marveled at the strange years he’d lived, not even knowing why air was necessary.
Luce pushed his soaked body up and hauled Mikhail’s unconscious form above the surface. Gasping, the former dragon was already at his limit from the exertion, and now he had to take care of this deadweight too.
Tsk. With a sharp click of his tongue, Luce raised his torso just enough to quickly scan the area. He couldn’t rule out the possibility that they were being followed.
“……”
Fortunately, there were no signs of life around.
They had fallen from a cliff—wherever that was—but it would’ve been hard for anyone to pursue them all the way here. Only then did Luce let out a long, drawn breath and begin dragging Mikhail onto a boulder beyond the riverbank. Both of them were drenched from head to toe, making them far heavier than usual.
Having lost his dragon strength, Luce now possessed the body of an ordinary human of his age, so the effort was naturally exhausting.
Swik, swish—the gravel beneath their feet scraped and shifted with each step.
Even now, Mikhail remained completely still, leaning against Luce’s shoulder with his eyes closed. Luce looked around and spotted a rock flat enough for a human to lie on, then lowered Mikhail onto it.
With a tap, he patted Mikhail’s cheek with the back of his hand.
“Hey.”
Mikhail’s tightly shut eyelids didn’t even twitch. Luce let out a low hum after confirming there was no response.
It was probably due to lack of oxygen—figures, since the guy couldn’t swim. It wasn’t exactly a topic he was passionate about, but Luce knew enough about the human body from bits and pieces he’d picked up. He gently tilted Mikhail’s head back, lifting his chin toward the sky to open his airway.
“……”
Still nothing.
With no other option, Luce pinched Mikhail’s nose lightly and took a deep breath. He then pressed his lips against Mikhail’s, transferring his breath into him.
Hooo—
He blew deeply, watching Mikhail’s pale lashes for any sign of movement. But they didn’t so much as flutter. Luce slowly pulled his lips away to give him room to breathe on his own.
“Mikhail?”
From his wet hair, a single drop of water fell—plop. It hit the dry stone and left a round, darkened mark. More followed, dotting the surface like raindrops. Luce steadied his breathing and tilted his head slightly. Then, carefully, he held a hand up to Mikhail’s nose.
He felt nothing.
Was he… dead? Just like that?
Withdrawing his hand, Luce frowned as he stared down at Mikhail’s still body lying in the gravel. He couldn’t make sense of the situation. Slowly, he lowered his head and pressed his ear to Mikhail’s unmoving chest.
No sound—the one he should be hearing if the man were alive.
“All this trouble, just to die like this? Why?”
Luce lifted his head to the sky and murmured the words as if addressing someone. He genuinely wondered whether the great Ordinas was watching this scene.
“Wasn’t it supposed to be him?”
Luce pointed a finger at Mikhail, lying motionless on the ground.
“Wasn’t he the chosen hero who’s supposed to save the world or something?”
Maybe there was still some divine revelation from Ordinas coming. Maybe someone—anyone—would arrive to save Mikhail’s life.
Those ridiculous stories came to mind. The kind where a passing priest or mage would suddenly appear and rescue the hero in his hour of need. Maybe this whole thing was just an elaborate setup by Ordinas to make the moment more dramatic.
Luce pressed his lips together and sat silently for a moment. But no matter how hard he looked around, there was no sign—no person, no miracle—capable of saving Mikhail. They had just been fleeing, after all. This wasn’t the time or place to shout for help.
Only now did Luce raise his voice again.
“Whatever you’re planning, if this keeps up, the whole world’s going to fall apart. There’s no one around here. No one!”
Waiting around for a divine revelation from Ordinas was pointless. Every second counted. Luce glanced down at Mikhail’s calloused palm.
Still too small… for someone destined to save the world. He needed help—someone else to lean on. But there was no one beside him.
“…No one but me.”
There was no one else—just him.
“Damn it.”
Realizing this, Luce climbed lightly on top of Mikhail’s body. He interlocked his fingers and placed both hands just below Mikhail’s chest.
Drip, drip. Water trickled from Luce’s wet hair. There was no other way. This was the best he could do with a human body that couldn’t use magic. He kept his arms straight and leaned his weight fully into the compressions, pressing hard on Mikhail’s chest.
“One, two, three…”
He counted under his breath.
Tsk. Luce clicked his tongue as he continued the steady rhythm. He couldn’t help remembering how Mikhail had shouted, “If this is fate, I refuse to follow it,” as they fell from the cliff together.
Not exactly the time for grand declarations, considering his life was on the line.
“Eighteen, nineteen…”
Luce lifted his hands off Mikhail’s chest and once again tilted the man’s head back. He parted Mikhail’s lips and blew deeply into them.
He watched as Mikhail’s chest slowly began to rise, his brow furrowing in concentration. Even though he was performing first aid based on knowledge picked up here and there, Luce had no idea if he was doing it correctly.
He briefly pulled away and filled his lungs with the crisp forest air. Then, sealing their mouths together again, he blew forcefully, driving his breath deep into Mikhail’s lungs. But Mikhail’s eyes remained closed.
“……”
Was he really dead?
Luce’s arms, which had been moving urgently, slowed to a stop.
It didn’t make sense. If this was truly the fate Ordinas had decreed, then what was the dream he had in Basamiel? In that dream, Mikhail had stood like a fully grown man on the front lines, wielding Fellen Deeps’ sword and battling hordes of monsters.
This… wasn’t where he was supposed to die. That much was certain. But no matter how he looked at it, there was no way forward.
“Shit!”
He slammed his fist against the rock beside Mikhail in frustration. If he could just use magic, this would’ve been over already. But of all times, he had to be trapped in a human body—now, in this situation.
Grinding his teeth, Luce rubbed his closed eyelids hard with his fingers. The words of the ancient dragon echoed in his mind.
“I won’t force you. But at some point, without even realizing it, you’ll be swept into the flow of this world.”
The fist resting on the stone trembled with barely restrained rage.
“Is this the flow of the world? What the hell do you want from me? If this was going to happen, why take away my power?!”
If Mikhail were to die here…
Luce’s tightly clenched eyes twitched and then suddenly froze.
His heavy eyelids lifted slowly, revealing ordinary brown eyes—the proof that he was now just a powerless human. There was nothing more he could do.
“I’m the only one who can save Mikhail right now…!”
And then—
Fwaaah—
A delicate wisp of wind brushed through his bangs. At the same moment, a glimmer of gold shimmered in Luce’s eyes. Tiny flecks of golden light whirled faintly inside his pupils, swirling like a slow vortex. But Luce himself didn’t notice the sudden glow.
He rose to press down on Mikhail’s chest again with both hands—
“Khak, kuh…!”
“Mikhail?”
Mikhail, who hadn’t shown even the slightest reaction until now, suddenly coughed violently. He gasped for air, choking and spitting out water from his lungs with ragged, desperate breaths.
“Mikhail! Are you awake?!”
Luce hastily brought a hand to Mikhail’s cheek and bent down low, watching him intently.
Oh my gosh did he get his power back