Five years ago.

In a high mountain in the southern part of the empire.

"Your Highness!" One of the guards shouted anxiously, "Please get away from it!" ”

"Let's go, Dimi," Victor, who was beside Dimi, shook his head, "there's nothing to see here." It's just a dying old dragon. ”

This cave located in the belly of the mountain is the hidden "Dragon Prison Cave" of the Empire. Last year, the old silver dragon suddenly went crazy and killed people, and was easily captured by the Prime Minister of the Empire, the "Lord of Demon Binding" Friedrich, and imprisoned here.

Dimi waved his hand at the two of them.

"It's okay, I just want to talk to it," Dimi said, "you guys go first." I'll be back in a moment. ”

Victor and the guards looked at each other, and there was a look of helplessness in their eyes. Now that Dietford's younger brother has passed away, Dimi is the heir to the throne in first place, how can he be so casual? But Dimi had already made up his mind, and they couldn't stop him.

"Please stay safe." The guard admonished.

"Don't get too close to it," Victor said, "The Chancellor's 'Demon Lock' can bind it, but if you get too close, it won't protrude a claw......

"I know." Dimi said.

Victor and the guard had to withdraw.

In the huge rock cave, there is only one man and one dragon left.

……

"Hey, dragon."

Dimi sat down beside the dragon on his own. The skull and claws of the mountain-like silver dragon were locked in black-purple chains, and they were motionless, only the eyelids rose and fell slightly.

"You're not still asleep, are you? Forget it, it doesn't matter. Dimi said.

"Human child, if you're here to talk......" the dragon said slowly, most of its scales were still smooth, except for the wrinkles on its skull, "then you can get out." ”

"What if I am your admirer?" Dimi said playfully.

"Get out," there was a hint of anger in the dragon's voice, "are you here to laugh at me?" ”

"You have been in the cave all the year round, and you may not know it," said Dimi, "but there are not many dragons alive in this world." Many children dream of seeing a real dragon like you. ”

The old dragon hesitated.

"But you're not one of them," it said, its cloudy amber eyes seemed to clear, "and I can see that you have no reverence for our people. ”

"If it had been a year ago," said Dimi calmly, "I might not have been glad to see you." At that time, I followed my father, and the Empire was wandering around, trying to find a wild dragon. ”

The old dragon was stunned.

"What's going on, kid?"

"A black dragon...... "Dimi said softly," "a little bigger than you, attacked the village." My father died. ”

The old dragon let out a low roar.

"My father told us to flee and shot the black dragon in the eye with an arrow. The black dragon fell from the sky, but my father also received a fatal blow," Dimi lowered his head, "They say my father is a hero. He was supposed to live. ”

"I ...... I'm sorry. The silver dragon let out a deep voice.

"It wasn't you who killed my father," said Dimi, "and the murderer's black dragon has been ambushed." ”

"I ...... Killed a lot of people too," Yinlong seemed to fall into memory, "There are soldiers, there are women, and there are children as old as you......"

Dimi listened silently. There was sentimentality in the dragon's tone.

"You have a reason to take revenge on me, child," said the dragon, his voice booming, "like those whom I have slain, they also have parents, brothers, and children, and they are all entitled to take revenge on me......"

Although he was mild-mannered, he was probably here for this, the dragon thought.

"I do hate you for committing such atrocities," Dimi shook his head, "but if the family of every deceased wants to 'take revenge' on someone unrelated in this way, then there will be no peace in the world." I just wondered: why would a noble and upright silver dragon like you commit such a heinous crime like the brutal black dragon that day? ”

The dragon was silent. After a long time, just when Dimi thought he wouldn't answer again—

"It's time," the dragon said slowly, "I...... Don't want to die. ”

Dimi listened silently.

"I ...... It is a dragon born in the age of the clouds," said the dragon, "and like you mortals, our souls are inscribed with the curse of old age. Like you humans, we have a limit to what we can live for. ”

"A hundred years of life." Dimi said.

Even some legendary mages can change their bodies, and I have never heard of any human being who can live to be more than one hundred and fifty years old.

"Yes," said sadness in the dragon's cloudy eyes, "but we are different dragons. If there is no curse, we true dragons are born without the concept of death. It is the ancestral dragon that existed at the beginning of the opening of heaven and earth, and its lifespan is long and endless, and it has also fallen into a deep sleep for a long time. ”

"But now you have a lifespan." Dimi said.

"Do you know that kid...... I wait for the dragon species, how much lifespan do I have at this time? ”

"Uh......" Dimi couldn't answer for a while. Long-lived species such as dwarves and elves still live a little longer than humans in this era. But originally, they were only a mortal race. Dragon?

"Then guess how old I lived?"

"Uh...... Two hundred years old? Dimi casually quoted a figure that he thought was about the same.

"Ninety-hundred-sixteen years," said the old dragon rumbling, "it has been ninety-hundred-sixteen years since I broke the shell from the dragon's egg. ”

"This ......" Dimi was stunned, which did not match the common sense he knew.

"It's nothing," said the old dragon, "that what you have learned is right, and my lifespan is true." From the age of one hundred and fifty, my soul began to weaken. By the age of two hundred, under the influence of the curse of aging, my soul has entered the old age. ”

"But you're alive."

"My kindred, one by one, the souls are aging to the extreme, the curse is getting deeper and deeper, and they can't even sustain their thoughts, and their souls completely disintegrate, so naturally they are dead. But I won't admit defeat...... I think that as long as I don't fall asleep and keep thinking, my soul won't disintegrate......"

"It takes amazing willpower."

"Our noble dragon species," the dragon roared, "the will is already higher than you mortals!" I persevered, three hundred years, four hundred years, five hundred years......"

"Are you crazy?"

"One by one, my companions died, some went mad and were killed, and some chose to sleep and commit suicide in despair. But I still don't want to give up. I began to study time spells to delay the time of my soul. Since that mortal Elrios can cast a time freeze, there is no reason why I can't. ”

"A thousand years ago, that Elrios caught a five-headed dragon and placed it at the gate of the five roads of the capital's 'Pure White City', it turned out that he didn't catch it? The five dragons were greedy for life and afraid of death, and took the initiative to take refuge in him? ”

"Who knows," the dragon scoffed, "I've been to see the five dragons, they were born before me, but they're still alive." If I had a similar spell, I wouldn't ......"

"But you still failed." Dimi said lightly.

"I didn't fail!" The old dragon said angrily, "In the last four hundred years, the time of my soul has been delayed by half!" It's close, it's close, I'll be able to ......."

"That's why you attacked the village?" Dimi said.

"Because of the lack of materials," said the dragon, "research is getting harder and harder, and the curse is getting less and less efficient...... I easily found a village willing to support me, but it was only two generations ......"

"They didn't pay you a tribute on time. So you're going to kill them? ”

"That's my ration!" The dragon said viciously, "The curse was especially strong that day. I thought, you can't even make offerings to me, so let me have a good meal, and my soul can be used as research material......"

Suddenly it stopped talking. After a while—

"Looks like I'm really crazy." Calm was restored, it said.

"Frozen souls are legendary spells. Elrios might still have that kind of scroll left. You're so afraid of death, why don't you go to Elrios? ”

"Noble True Dragon, how can you grovel to mortals!"

"You've been captured by us."

Yinlong was speechless.

"I don't have the right to judge what happened to you," Dimi said, "but I still have a question......

"Promise me a request, and I'll answer you." The dragon said.

"What? Do you want me to let you go? ”

"No," said the silver dragon, "I want you to ...... Kill me. ”

Dimi looked at it in surprise.

"The legendary spell of your 'Demon Bound Lord' has the effect of 'awakening the gods'," said the old dragon, "even if I want to fall into a deep sleep and choose death, I can't do it, I can only suffer here infinitely." I've used too many methods to conceive my soul, and I estimate that it will take ten years before I can completely disintegrate......"

"So you're trying to get me to kill you?"

"I have no hope of eternal life, and for me, who cannot survive or die," said the old dragon, "a quiet death is the greatest gift." ”

"The whole body of the true dragon is a treasure. As long as you live, you'll be useful to my empire," Dimi shook his head, "I can't kill you without permission. ”

"You ......"

"It seems you'...... I really don't remember the glory of the past," Dimi sighed, this was the first time he had met the real dragon, but the result disappointed him, "Since you don't want to continue answering my questions, then I'll go." I will ask your Majesty to end your suffering as soon as possible. ”

Dimi turned and walked away. He really couldn't bear to leave a living dragon here to draw blood and peel scales day after day, which was indeed cruel in the eyes of a thirteen-year-old child. But no matter how sympathetic he is, he will not take it upon himself to this dragon that has lost its former glory.

"Wait!" The dragon roared behind him, "Child! What exactly do you want to ask? I might be able to answer you! ”

Dimi stopped abruptly. Dimi himself didn't care much about this issue, but it was something that his biological father had been thinking about since he was alive, and since he had the opportunity, he wanted to ask.

"Do you know," he asked softly, "that life is long and endless, and that under the curse, madness is an inevitable end?" ”

The old dragon paused for a moment.

"Is there any one of your kind who has lived as long as you, but has not lost his soul or self like you, but is still the same?" Dimi asked.

The old dragon fell into a brief silence.

"The most powerful legendary dragon species, crystal dragons, iridescent dragons, glass dragons...... Except for the ten dragon species, almost all of them have disappeared along with the gods of the past," the old dragon said, "The remaining ten dragon species, not to mention the five-colored dragons with fierce nature, and the metal dragons who like to get along with the mortal race either die naturally or are close to me, and if the lifespan reaches more than two hundred years, and it remains unchanged until death, I only know one ......"

Dimi looked surprised.

"He is the last orphan of the Golden Dragon Clan. After the continent rose to the clouds, most of the golden dragons disappeared with the gods, and only the dragon egg became the last golden dragon in the world. He was an adult when I was born, and a hundred years ago, it was still alive and well, and as noble and sane as it was when I first saw it......"

"Where is it confined to?" Dimi had a wistful expression.

"It's gone," the silver dragon whispered, "dead in its own cave." When I went to see him twenty years ago, he was lying in his cave and was dead peacefully. ”

Dimi was stunned.

"I see," he whispered, "thank you." ”

……

When Dimi found the dragon's "cave house", it had already been emptied for the adventurers of the Mercenary Guild.

Perhaps, Dimi often thought that the silver dragon was just lying. But......

Even if there is only a glimmer of hope. Perhaps in this world, there really are great souls that cannot even be smoothed out by time.

After he became a Mystic Warrior. After he became the official crown prince. He still dreamed more than once:

No matter what setbacks they endure, the all-encompassing, mighty golden dragon stands above the endless sky—

------------------------

"It's ......," the girl's face changed slightly.

Dimi's body erupted with an astonishing momentum. There was a faint glint of golden light in the young swordsman's eyes. His expression was gentle, but it gave people a pressure not to be angry and self-threatening.

【How to ......】Xiaowei was shocked.

[Impossible......] Lin Na understood first, [That's ......]

Behind Dimi, there is a faint shadow of a golden dragon.