CHAPTER 1012: EPILOGUE 19 - A TURNING POINT (1)

Claire’s POV

The moment I stepped out of the cave, a faint rumble crawled up through the soles of my boots. At first, I brushed it off, thinking it was just an aftershock from the earlier quake—but the trembling didn’t stop. It grew stronger, deeper, until the entire ground seemed to pulse like it was alive. Pebbles rolled down from the cave walls, dust trickled from cracks above, and then—one of the larger rocks near the entrance split clean in half.

"What the hell is Shredica doing in there?" I muttered, half worried, half annoyed.

Before I could even take another step, a deafening boom erupted from deep inside the cave. The sound was so powerful it shook the air itself. My ears rang as the entire ceiling tore open like paper, and something enormous exploded out of the darkness—launching a blast of wind so intense it almost threw me off my feet. I stumbled, shielding my face with my arm as a wave of dust and debris slammed into me.

For a few seconds, all I could see was gray. The air was thick with smoke and crushed stone, and the sound of falling rubble echoed like thunder. When the dust finally started to clear, I squinted through the haze—and froze. My eyes went wide, my breath catching in my throat.

A wyvern. A massive one.

It towered over the ruined cave, its body covered in jagged scales that shimmered gold and silver under the sunlight. Its wings spread wide, easily large enough to block out half the sky. The air vibrated as it let out a thunderous roar—one so powerful I felt it in my bones. The mountains around us echoed the sound back like a chorus of monsters.

And then, through the blinding sunlight, I saw it—no, her.

Shredica.

I couldn’t help but let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking my head. "Hahahaha, you’re really something, Shredica..." I muttered, still watching her in awe.

This girl really went and tamed a wyvern like it was a damn horse.

***

Shredica’s POV

"Good job getting the last piece, Shredica," Veronica said in that calm, composed tone she always used. Her sharp eyes lingered on me, studying me like I was a chess piece she’d just moved into place. "With this, we might finally achieve what we’ve been aiming for—the summoning of otherworlder heroes."

The summoning. The legendary spell. Two ancient tomes, written in different ages, that when combined could call beings from another world. The process wasn’t simple—it would take two days of nonstop recitation, and even a single slip-up could ruin everything.

"We’re really grateful for your determination in retrieving this book, Shredica," Commander Lilia said, her expression softening into something like approval. Her gaze reminded me of how adults looked at a child who had just done something impressive. "You’ve done wonderfully. With this, I might finally regain the royal family’s as well as the Milham’s citizen’s trust. The Holy Kingdom’s attacks, and all the other threats surrounding Milham, have made my position unstable. But with this... I can turn things around."

Her voice carried pride and desperation mixed together, like someone who’d been fighting to keep their power for too long.

"Should we proceed immediately, then?" Veronica asked, her tone flat but her eyes sharp.

"Yes, we should." Commander Lilia nodded without hesitation. "Let’s start preparing. We’ll need a skilled reader to recite the entire text perfectly. One mistake, and everything could collapse." She turned to me, her eyes briefly flicking toward the courtyard. "Oh, and Shredica—make sure your beast stays put. She’s scaring the soldiers."

I followed her gaze, seeing the wyvern standing outside. Its tail flicked lazily, but every motion made the ground tremble. The soldiers were pretending not to stare, though their trembling legs gave them away.

Commander Lilia walked ahead with confidence together with Laurel, her boots clicking against the stone floor. I exhaled quietly, adjusted my uniform, and followed alongside Veronica.

***

Myrcella’s POV

"S-Summoning of heroes from another world?" Johanne’s voice cracked slightly as she spoke, her eyes widening in disbelief.

We were sitting inside her manor—a quiet, elegant place surrounded by trimmed gardens and high stone walls. It was a gift from her father, and she shared it with Tris, who was sitting nearby, looking just as stunned.

"Yes," I said softly, lifting my teacup and taking a slow sip before setting it back on the saucer. "The Magic Knights have been searching for those ancient pieces for years. Now that they finally have them, they’re not wasting a single second. They’re already preparing the ritual."

I sighed, glancing toward the window. "Honestly, Commander Lilia is someone I’ve wanted gone for a long time. Ever since she took office, the Magic Knights have started to rot from the inside with corruption and favoritism. But after pulling off something like this, after showing results this big... it’ll be hard to strip her of her position."

Johanne frowned. "It seems like things inside the castle are more complicated than I thought. Are you sure you’ll be okay, Princess?"

"Well," I said, letting out a small chuckle as I leaned back. "It’s getting harder to breathe in there, I won’t lie. But... I think I can handle it." I smiled, though there was a weight behind my words.

"That’s good," Johanne said, sighing in relief. "By the way, I heard you’ve been making progress on your plan—to let cadets graduate and become Magic Knights regardless of their class. Everyone’s been talking about it."

"It’s only a small step forward," I admitted, smiling faintly. "Thankfully, the one of the academy’s administrators aren’t as stubborn as they used to be."

"I see. But still, progress is progress," Johanne said with a nod.

"Exactly," I replied. "Even if it’s slow, it’s still something. Every step forward counts."

Even if things weren’t moving as fast as I wanted, the fact that they were moving was enough to keep me going.

"Leon seems busy with his own work, huh?" Tris said, crossing her arms.

"Yup. He’s been trying to unite the Great Forest," I said, smiling a little.

"Isn’t that practically impossible?" Tris asked, tilting her head.

"Well, it’s Leon," Johanne said, smiling knowingly. "He has a way of doing the impossible."

"Yeah," I said with a small laugh. "Leon can do just about anything. I’m sure he’s managing just fine."

In truth, I wasn’t worried about him at all. Whatever he was up to, I was sure he had it handled.

Two days after that conversation, I received word that the ritual had already begun. The summoning was underway—one more day, and it would be complete.

And somehow, deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that once it was done... nothing in this world would ever be the same again.