RE: ZERON I will return for you, even if it takes a million

chapter 15 : The ice dragon, frexia

​When I opened my eyes again, I was floating in the middle of a vast void, and the Time Sword was closer to me than ever before. It pulsed with a blinding radiance, emitting a light so piercing I was forced to shield my eyes.

​When I finally blinked them open again, I found myself standing in the hallway, staring at the door of our rented room. The air felt stale and still, a sharp contrast to the cold nothingness of the void.

​My knees buckled. Though my physical wounds had vanished, my energy was completely spent. The exhaustion and the trauma of my death hadn't faded; I found myself gasping for air, lungs burning. I felt the rough, splintered wooden floor beneath my palms and knew this wasn't just a dream. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

​"I’ve come back from death... again," I whispered, staring at my trembling hands.

​After a moment to catch my breath, I scrambled to my feet and threw open the door. Inside, I saw Lavender, the children, and Ora preparing to leave for the day. Sunlight streamed through the thin curtains, casting long, dusty shadows across the room.

​"Lavender!"

​They all jumped at my sudden, frantic entrance.

​"Master Aren?" Lavender asked, pausing as she was braiding Ava’s hair.

​I didn't know what to do. The agonizing grief of seeing Lavender and the children die was still raw in my chest. With every step I took toward her, the memories of their final moments—the terror and the silence—flashed before my eyes like a recurring nightmare.

​I was so overwhelmed with joy just to see them breathing that I couldn't help myself. I ran to Lavender and pulled her into a fierce, desperate hug.

​"M-M-Master Aren? W-What are you doing?" Lavender stammered, her face flushing with confusion.

​"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry I couldn't protect you. Please, forgive me," I choked out, my voice cracking.

​I broke down, weeping as I apologized over and over. I knew she had no idea what I was talking about, but those were the words I needed to say—the words I never got to utter in her final moments.

​"What on earth are you doing, Aren?" Ora snapped, her voice laced with irritation. "It’s too early in the morning for this display of affection with this cat-girl."

​I took a deep breath, composed myself, and eventually confessed everything that had happened: Lazarus’s ambush and my death at his hands.

​As expected, they were stunned. I lowered my head in shame; I didn't offer excuses because I had accepted the fact that I had been utterly defeated.

​"I tried everything, but in the end, I failed and died again. I’m sorry for being so weak."

​Lavender immediately placed a hand on my arm, her touch gentle and calming. "I don't know what happened in that other time, but I know you did everything you could. Please, Master Aren, don't lose hope."

​I shook my head, unable to look her in the eye. I felt like I was betraying her trust. She looked to me for protection, yet I had been powerless to save her.

​Ora let out a long, weary sigh. She looked like she wanted to scold me but held back, perhaps out of a rare shred of pity. "We can't change what we can't control," she said. "A human's power is naturally limited compared to other beings, but that doesn't mean we just give up."

​"You shouldn't lose faith in yourself," she continued. "Use those memories and that experience to become stronger."

​She was right. I couldn't afford to wallow in self-pity. The only thing I could do now was work harder to ensure that the future I had just witnessed never came to pass.

​"Tell us exactly what happened," Ora commanded. "We need to find a way to prevent it."

​I spent the next few minutes detailing everything I knew. In twenty-four hours, Lazarus would strike in the forest during our training session, bringing high-grade tigers and elite subordinates.

​Ora frowned. She wondered how Lazarus had found us so quickly, considering we were far from Hayem and five days had passed. If they had been following us from the start, why wait until tomorrow to attack?

​I didn't have the answer, but one thing was clear: they could track us, and we had to prepare.

​Ora did give me a small nod of approval for managing to kill the assassins on my own. Even if it wasn't enough to defeat Lazarus, she saw it as significant progress.

​Then, I remembered the other catastrophe.

​"There’s something else," I said. "Before I went to the forest to find Lavender, a tragedy struck the town."

​"Tomorrow, the bandits are scheduled for execution in the plaza. At that exact moment, an Ice Dragon will appear and level the town."

​The room went silent. "An Ice Dragon? Here?" Lavender whispered. "I thought dragons only lived on the other continents."

​"The dragon that appears tomorrow is one of our primary targets," I explained. "One of the seven members of the Black Scorpion: Frexia."

​Ora’s eyes widened. She hadn't expected Frexia to be in this town. According to her knowledge, Frexia was infamous for destroying every location she visited. It was only when the government of Irysh began hunting her that she joined the Black Scorpion.

​"I don't have data on her origins or her motives," Ora admitted. "All I know is that she possesses the Freezing Heart, a Celestial Item capable of absolute cryokinesis."

​She warned me that Frexia would be one of our most difficult targets. Her ice is as hard as diamond, and as a "Dragonaire," she possesses five times the strength of a normal human.

​"What can I do against her?" I asked.

​Ora sighed. "In a straight fight? Nothing. You can't even scratch her scales with a normal sword. Facing her is suicide. Our best bet is to flee this town immediately."

​I was taken aback. Our target was right here, and her first instinct was to run. I wondered if there was another way—perhaps we could convince her not to attack.

​Ora laughed at my suggestion. "Not every being in Zeron is as naive as Lavender. You can't expect a dragon to follow you like a tame kitten like this cat girl."

​Lavender looked down, embarrassed. "I apologize for my ignorance."

​"Hahaha, don't take Ora seriously," I told Lavender. "That's just how she talks to everyone."

​Ora explained that Dragonaires are naturally prideful and rarely submit to anyone. Their temperament ranges from cold to aggressive because they view themselves as superior to all other races.

​I had heard the legends of the Dragonaires—beings who once ruled the world. I didn't think I could beat her in a fight, but something inside me hoped that she wasn't truly evil.

​"But we don't know for sure if she’s malicious," I argued. "Maybe, like Lavender, we can help her. Maybe we can actually talk to her."

​Ora was skeptical. To her, the risk was too high. She didn't want me to die again and force the Time Sword to pull me back from the brink.

​"Speaking of which... give me the Time Sword," she demanded.

​I summoned the blade and handed it over. Without warning, Ora threw the sword against the wall and began shouting at it.

​"You cursed blade! I am not happy with you! If Aren dies early because you're eating his lifespan, I'll never get back to my own time!"

​"And why do you only send Aren back?! I created you! I should be the one getting the favors!"

​I picked up the sword and tried to calm her down. I told her she shouldn't be angry at the blade; it had saved us. I also confessed that during the last reset, I was the one who had commanded it to go back further than usual.

​Ora kicked me in the shin when she heard that. "Are you insane?! Do you have any idea what the price is for resetting time beyond your limits? You’ve only secured one member of the Black Scorpion. What happens when your lifespan runs out?"

​I apologized, but I explained that in that moment of death, I desperately wanted another chance. I wanted a chance to kill that demon, Lazarus.

​Ora sighed, frustrated. To her, relying on the Time Sword was a reckless gamble. However, she couldn't deny its utility. She asked me if I was serious about dying young, because that was the only path this led to.

​I looked down, thinking hard. "I don't want to die," I finally said. "But as long as I have a chance, I will do what is necessary to succeed."

​Ora wasn't satisfied, but she realized I was set in my ways. She posed a question: what was more important? The mission to secure Frexia, or saving Lavender from Lazarus’s attack tomorrow?

​I looked at Lavender. She could see the weight of the decision on my shoulders.

​"Master Aren," she interjected. "I know your mission is important. I don't want to be a hindrance. Please... don't worry about me."

​"I can't just leave you," I sighed. "I consider you and these children family."

​"Family?" the orphans whispered.

​I smiled at them, patting their heads. I told them how I grew up an orphan too, and how happy I was to have them with me. The children beamed and hugged me tight. "We’re happy to be with you too, Master Aren!"

​Ora rolled her eyes, though she seemed less sharp than before. She reminded me that she had warned me about getting attached, but she wasn't heartless. She would give me a chance to handle both.

​"Fine. But prioritize the mission first. You need to find out if Frexia can even be reasoned with."

​Ora suggested we try to talk to her and understand her motives. But she warned me: if the conversation goes south, we run. "Your attacks won't even tickle her, even with the Time Sword."

​"I know," I said. "For now, we need to find out why she’s with the bandits in the first place."

​Something felt off. In the previous timeline, she had obliterated the soldiers in an instant. If she possessed that kind of power, why would she allow herself to be captured and scheduled for execution?

​Ora pondered this and agreed. It was strange for a Dragonaire—beings with the status of royalty—to be a common bandit.

​However, even if we decided to talk to her, we had a major problem: how do we reach her while she's in a high-security cell?

​I couldn't just break in, even with my five-second time freeze. That wasn't enough time to bypass the guards and the prison locks unnoticed. I racked my brain for a plan. I had to speak to Frexia before the executioner's blade fell.