CHAPTER 322: CHAPTER 321: SONA CITY

High above the wastelands, the wind howls past Alix as he rides on Zevran’s back. The dragon’s wings slice through the clouds, each beat echoing like thunder through the vast open sky. Below them, the land stretches endlessly—green plains burned to ash, rivers turned muddy from battle, and the faint outlines of ruined walls far in the distance.

Alix narrows his eyes. "That must be it," he murmurs. "The city."

Zevran glances back, his smaller, sleek head glinting under the sunlight. "Do you wish me to descend, Master?"

"Yeah. But return to your small form first."

The dragon lets out a faint hum, and in an instant, his massive body shimmers—shrinking down until he’s barely the size of a kitten again. He lands lightly on Alix’s shoulder, curling his tail around Alix’s neck like a scarf.

Alix hovers in the air for a moment, his own mana flaring softly beneath his feet. Then, he descends.

The closer he gets, the stronger the smell of smoke and blood becomes. The once-tall walls of the city are shattered—great cracks run through the stone, and one entire section has completely collapsed. Ash drifts through the air like black snow. Fires still burn in the distance, flickering orange against the grey ruins.

When Alix passes over the broken gate, his boots touch the ground softly. The streets are a chaos of noise and movement. Monster-kind of all races—scaled, furred, horned—rush through the streets carrying stretchers and hauling debris aside.

An ogre kneels beside a fallen soldier, pressing a glowing stone to his chest. "Stay with me, damn it! Don’t you dare die on me!"

Nearby, a winged monster struggles to lift a piece of collapsed wall, her claws bleeding. Two smaller goblins pull together to help, groaning with effort.

Alix walks past them quietly, his gaze steady. His eyes reflect the flames and ruin around him.

Zevran lifts his head slightly, golden eyes scanning the destruction. "This city has seen battle recently," he mutters.

Alix nods. "Yeah. And from the looks of it, not a small one."

He passes a wounded serpent-like monster lying on the ground, scales torn and bleeding. A troll medic kneels beside it, whispering a low chant as healing light spreads over the wounds. The serpent opens a tired eye as Alix walks by, then lowers its head slightly in faint respect.

"Hey—watch your step!" a voice calls out.

The air is thick with tension and pain, yet beneath it all, there’s determination. Despite the ruins, none of them are giving up.

Alix stops for a moment, looking at the ruined walls. The claw marks etched deep into the stone are massive—larger than any normal beast’s. "That wasn’t done by normal beast," he says quietly.

Zevran flicks his tail, eyes narrowing. "A beast king’s doing, most likely. Its aura still lingers here."

Mero floats lazily beside Alix, his translucent form barely visible to anyone else. "Master, you want to stay here?" he asks, his tone casual but curious as he glances around the wrecked city. "This place looks half-dead."

Alix shakes his head slightly, eyes scanning the destruction. "No," he says quietly. "I’m just looking around."

He steps over a broken cart, the wood still smoking, and pauses near a group of monsters clearing rubble. The sound of groaning stone and crackling fire fills the air.

A beastman with heavy gray fur and a missing arm limps by, dragging a pile of shattered bricks with his tail. Alix reaches out slightly. "Hey," he calls, his voice steady. "What happened here?"

The beastman stops, breathing heavily. His single eye flicks toward Alix, studying him for a moment before answering. "You must be from outside, huh?" He wipes the sweat from his brow, his voice rough. "The beast king attacked the city yesterday."

The monster spits into the dirt, frustration in his tone. "Came out of nowhere with a pack of subordinates. Tore through the outer walls, even the city lord is dead."

Mero crosses his arms, floating in front of Alix. "Sounds like the kind of trouble that will spreads. Every beast king trying to claim more land now, probably ordered by that bastard."

The beastman nods grimly, not seeing Mero but catching Alix’s glance toward thin air. "If you’re smart, stranger, you’ll move on before they come back. We don’t know if the next attack will be the last."

Alix hums softly, looking at the cracked wall again. The claw marks still pulse faintly with residual mana—powerful, savage. "I see."

The beastman shrugs and turns away, limping back to his work. "If you’re here to help, head to the north side. That’s where the healers are short-handed."

"I’ll keep that in mind," Alix says quietly.

----

Alix leans back in his seat as the flying carriage glides smoothly through the clouds. The view outside is serene compared to the chaos he left behind—vast skies, streaks of sunlight cutting across the horizon, and the faint shimmer of mana trails left by other passing carriages.

He exhales softly, resting one arm on the window frame. "Flying on Zevran’s back felt... good," he murmurs, glancing toward the little dragon perched by the window lazily. "But this is faster."

Zevran lets out a small, disgruntled puff of smoke. "Faster, yes. But boring."

Mero floats upside down above the seat, arms crossed and smirking. "You just don’t like sitting still. You liked showing off your wings too much."

Zevran snorts, golden eyes narrowing. "I do not show off. I simply prefer the wind to this box."

Alix chuckles quietly, tapping on the floating map in front of him. Cities and routes glow across the map. "I wanted to visit every city in this area," he says. "But it looks like that’s not going to happen anymore."

Zevran tilts his head, studying the map. "So where now?"

Alix’s finger stops on a single point. "Sona City," he says. "It’s right next to the border of a human kingdom. Close enough to human territory that things will be... interesting."

Mero grins. "Ah, so you do want trouble."

Alix smirks faintly, eyes still on the map. "No. I just want to see how both sides live when the line between them is that thin."

The carriage hums softly as it adjusts direction, the mana stones beneath it glowing brighter. Clouds rush past the window, the faint outline of mountains visible far below.

Mero stretches his small hands, curling up near the edge of the seat. "Humans and monsters fighting again," he mutters. "Some things never change."

Alix leans back, eyes still tracing the moving clouds outside. "Now that I think about it," he says, voice calm but curious, "you’ve lived for so long, Mero. Do you know any reason why humans and monsters can’t see each other eye to eye?"

Mero tilts his head, floating upright again. "Hmm, that’s a question I haven’t heard in ages." He crosses his arms, drifting closer. "Although, I’m not that old to have seen it firsthand. But from what my old master told me... it’s always been that way."

Zevran looks up, tail flicking lazily. "Always, huh?"

"Yeah," Mero nods, his tone turning faintly distant. "In the ancient era, humans were far more dominant. Their population, their control over mana, their technology—it all grew too fast. Monsters were stronger individually, but humans learned how to hunt in groups. They hunted monsters for our materials—bones, scales, mana cores. To them, we were just resources waiting to be carved up."

Zevran growls softly, golden eyes narrowing. "So the usual. Greed."

Mero smirks faintly. "Pretty much. And once that pattern starts, it doesn’t stop. Even when both sides grow strong enough to stand equal, the hatred stays. Passed down like a curse."

Alix listens quietly, fingers tapping against the armrest. "So it’s nothing new," he says finally.

Mero adds. "Some monsters started doing the same once they grew powerful enough. War never really ends—it just switches who’s on top."

Alix looks out the window again, his reflection faintly visible in the glass. "Then maybe it’s time someone changed that," he says softly, almost to himself.

Mero’s translucent eyes flick toward him, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Heh. You say that like you plan to."

Alix doesn’t respond. He just smiles faintly, gaze distant.

The carriage glides silently for the rest of the night, the stars shimmering above them like scattered shards of glass. By the time dawn breaks, the clouds part to reveal the sprawling outline of a fortified city below—walls marked by battle, towers reinforced with mana crystals, and banners fluttering weakly in the wind.

Alix said. "Finally."