Chapter 2: Promise
1448 Words
At the top of the hill, beneath the shade of a massive old tree, a single girl sat alone.
Her knees were drawn close to her chest, her back pressed against the rough bark.
Silent tears slid down her cheeks as she lifted her face toward the night sky, staring at the scattered stars as if wishing they could erase everything she didn’t want to remember.
I had a feeling she would be here.
“I knew I’d find you in this spot.”
The moment I spoke, her shoulders trembled.
“Don’t come any closer!”
she snapped, quickly wiping her face.
“I’m still mad at you… I don’t want to see your face right now.”
She was forcing herself to sound angry, but I could tell.
She was just trying to hide how hurt she really was.
That was only natural. Liane had always been close to her mother—closer than anyone else in the town.
And I was the one who stopped her from chasing the outside world.
On top of that, I was a boy.
Of course she wouldn’t want me to see her crying like this.
So instead of arguing, I walked around the tree and sat down on the opposite side, leaning back against the trunk. I tilted my head up, looking at a different part of the sky than she was—close enough to be with her, but far enough to give her space.
A quiet silence settled between us.
“…Arthur?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you were just worried about my safety,” she said softly.
“Thank you.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for,” I replied.
“You’re like a little sister to me already. Of course I’d protect you.”
There was a pause.
“…The way you say little sister kind of hurts.”
Before I could respond, something hit my head.
“Ow!”
A small rock rolled across the grass.
“That actually hurts, you know,” I muttered.
“So what do you want me to call you, then?”
“…A friend, maybe?”
“Friend?”
I repeated.
“I don’t think that’s right.”
She went quiet again.
“You’re more important to me than that,” I continued.
“And besides, I promised your mother I’d take care of you.”
Her voice sharpened.
“So you’re only doing this because my mom told you to?”
“No,” I answered immediately.
“Not at all.”
I hesitated, then spoke honestly.
“I like taking care of you. Somehow… it makes me happy. Especially when it’s someone as cute as you.”
Another rock flew straight at me.
“Ewww! Stop saying weird stuff!” Liane shouted, hugging herself with a bright red face.
“I’m not marrying you! A dragon and a human can’t even have children—they’d die!”
My face heated up instantly, and I turned away before she could notice.
“I know,” I said quietly.
“But even so, I’ll stay with you. As your protector.”
Her eyes drifted toward the sword resting beside me.
“Training again?” she asked.
“You’re already good enough in swords for someone who doesn’t even remember why. Let me take a look of your hand.”
“Probably muscle memory,” I replied. “Ouch don’t pull me hand so casually.”
Golden light then covered my hand.
Healing magic. Liane is a dragon with the ability to heal.
With her powers wound and body fatigue is gone in an instant.
This powers of her is very helpful and it helps a lot of dragonfolks in the town.
These healing powers of her reflect the true kindness within the nature of Liane.
“What are you smirking? Its creepy.”
“Who are you calling creepy… I’m training my best to be the best swordsman… And if I’m going to protect you… I need to be strong. Stronger than a dragon!”
“Pfft—!”
She burst out laughing.
“Dragons are world-destroyers, you know!”
“We’re the strongest beings alive! When I finally master my dragon form, I’ll fly away from this town and never look back.”
She laughed, but her eyes burned with determination.
“Still dreaming about the outside world,” I said.
“Of course,” she replied without hesitation.
“I don’t want to stay somewhere I can’t return to anymore.”
Her voice softened.
“All the happiness I found here… it just turned into bittersweet memories. And the only way to move on is to run away.”
The wind rustled through the leaves above us, carrying her words into the night.
I clenched my fist.
If running away was the path she chose…
Then I would follow her—even if it meant standing against the entire world.
Liane slowly stood up, her eyes fixed on the endless, star-filled sky.
She raised her finger and pointed straight ahead, as if marking a destination only she could see.
“No matter what obstacles stand in my way,” she declared,
“I’ll go outside this town. And I’ll find new happiness there.”
Her voice didn’t waver.
She had already made up her mind.
She wasn’t just dreaming anymore—she was determined to run away.
I wanted to tell her to stop.
To tell her that staying here was safer. That accepting reality was the smarter choice.
But I was still just a kid myself.
I had no right to lecture her about the future, or about what was right and wrong.
Maybe if I were more mature, I would have told her that living quietly in this town was the best path.
Yet…
For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to say any of that.
Instead, I found myself wanting to support her.
This was probably the moment.
“Then… wait for me.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Liane froze and turned toward me, clearly caught off guard.
“…What do you mean?”
“I’ll train,” I said.
“I’ll get stronger. Strong enough to protect you in the outside world. When the time comes, let’s venture beyond this town together.”
My voice was serious. I meant every word.
For a few seconds, Liane said nothing.
Then—
She smirked.
“Hey, why are you laughing?! I’m being serious here!” I snapped.
“Hahahaha… it’s nothing,” she said, still laughing softly.
“Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I can’t protect a dragon.”
She looked at me with wide eyes.
“…I’m so happy,” she said quietly.
“So happy that I almost wish I were a simple human.”
She took a step closer.
“So you want to run away with me?” she teased.
“Well, I am pretty, so of course you’d want that. But fine—I’ll wait for you.”
She leaned closer, her voice dropping.
“Just don’t make me wait too long. Let’s run away together… to the vast world beyond this town.”
Step by step, she closed the distance between us.
She was so close now that I could clearly see her face.
She was right.
She really had grown beautiful.
I instinctively closed my eyes.
“Hahahaha!”
“You really thought I’d kiss you?”
Her laughter echoed warmly.
“The always-serious Arthur looked so cute just now. I wish I had a camera to capture that.”
My face burned.
I really had thought she would.
Well, maybe having children wasn’t possible…
But a kiss from the girl I wanted to protect should be fine, right?
“Well… sorry,” I muttered.
“I won’t assume things anymore.”
I reached out my hand toward her.
“Let’s go home. I can still heat up your dinner.”
“Ugh, I still hate vegetables,” she replied.
“I’ll just eat the meat.”
We both stopped.
Something was wrong.
Ahead of us, the sky glowed an unnatural red. Thick smoke rose and spread into the clouds, staining the night.
I swallowed hard.
A bad feeling crept into my chest—something heavy and irreversible.
Something that felt like it would turn our lives upside down.
“What’s happening to the town?” Liane asked.
“…A huge fire?”
“I don’t know,” I replied, tightening my grip.
“But let’s go.”
Without another word, we turned and ran.
Straight toward the town—
toward whatever fate was waiting for us.
- Writer
