The Last Dragon Emperor

Chapter 2 – A Knight's Pride (Part B)

The heavy evening bell echoed mournfully across the academy grounds as Greg finally stepped out of the ruined dormitory into the cool night air. Behind him, the cruel laughter of the noble apprentices had finally faded, swallowed entirely by the biting wind that drifted aimlessly through the stone corridors.

Yet, the stinging humiliation of their insults clung to him far more stubbornly than the physical bruises Roland had left on his body during the arena match.

His mother's stolen pendant consumed his every waking thought, rendering everything else in the world utterly insignificant.

The frantic, pattering sound of footsteps hurried down the cobblestone path behind him. "Wait!" a breathless voice called out.

Greg stopped and turned slowly to find the young servant girl standing several paces away. She was clutching her woven basket of folded linens so tightly against her chest that her knuckles had turned stark white.

Her chest rose and fell in uneven, panicked breaths as she glanced nervously over both of her shoulders, terrified of being seen.

Though the courtyard bustled with students heading toward the dining hall for the evening meal, no one paid a mere servant and a mana-less orphan any attention.

Still, she lowered her voice to a frightened whisper. "I... I saw what happened to your things."

Greg felt his posture soften, and he offered her a small, reassuring smile. "You don't have to be afraid of speaking to me."

"I am afraid," she admitted, her answer coming so quickly and honestly that it caught him slightly off guard. "If those nobles find out I told you anything..."

She couldn't bring herself to finish the grim sentence, but Greg understood the unspoken threat perfectly.

Servants occupied the absolute lowest rung of the academy's strict hierarchy; even novice knight apprentices could order them around with impunity, while the noble-born mages treated them as little more than invisible, disposable furniture. He had lived among people with that exact mentality his entire life.

"You won't get into any trouble because of me," Greg said gently, ensuring his tone carried absolute sincerity. "I promise you that."

She stared at him for a long, searching moment before giving a tiny, almost imperceptible shake of her head. "That's exactly what worries me about you."

Greg's brow furrowed in genuine confusion.

The girl swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she finally voiced her thoughts. "After everything they've done to you today... Why are you still so kind?"

Greg didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he looked toward the western sky, where the fading light of the setting sun painted the heavy clouds in brilliant shades of crimson and gold. "My mother used to tell me something when I was very small," he murmured thoughtfully.

"What was it?" she asked, her fear briefly replaced by curiosity.

He smiled faintly at the distant memory. "She told me that if I ever stop believing tomorrow can be better than today, then the people trying to break me have already won."

When his eyes met hers again, the servant girl simply blinked in astonishment. In all her time working at the academy, no one of a higher station had ever answered her questions with such profound, resilient hope before.

"My name is Mira," she whispered.

"I'm Greg," he replied.

"I know who you are," Mira said, and for the very first time that day, someone smiled at him without a trace of mockery. It was a small, nervous expression, but it was undeniably genuine.

The smile faded, however, as she remembered why she had followed him. "I saw Roland Ashcombe take your silver pendant."

Greg's heart skipped a beat in his chest. "Where did he take it?"

"He laughed as he held it up." Mira hesitated, clearly dreading having to repeat the cruel words. "He told his friends, 'Let's see if dragons can swim.'"

Greg felt the remaining blood drain completely from his face as the horrible realization struck him. "The old well?"

Mira nodded grimly. "They threw it straight down into Blackstone Well."

A heavy, suffocating stillness settled between them as the absolute dread of that location washed over Greg's mind.

Every student at the academy knew the terrifying stories surrounding that place. Blackstone Well had existed on these grounds long before the academy itself had ever been constructed, and no one actually knew how deep the shaft truly reached.

Workers who had descended too far down the stone walls in the past often returned half-mad, claiming they had heard ancient voices whispering to them from the suffocating darkness below. Other explorers had simply never returned to the surface at all.

"The headmasters sealed it off years ago," Mira said softly, her voice laced with warning. "The old ropes left down there keep breaking under their own weight. You really shouldn't go looking for it."

Greg thanked her with a solemn nod of his head, turning his body toward the oldest section of the academy grounds. Then, without another word of hesitation, he started walking.

"Greg!" Mira called out, causing him to pause mid-step. "If... if the pendant isn't down there..." Her voice cracked with genuine concern. "Please promise me you'll come back up anyway."

He looked back over his shoulder and offered her that same quiet, resilient smile. "I will."

Whether he actually believed those reassuring words himself, he honestly wasn't sure.

Blackstone Well stood entirely forgotten behind the oldest, most dilapidated section of the academy's outer walls.

Ancient, thick ivy had swallowed most of the weathered stone structure surrounding the opening, while massive, twisted tree roots clawed their way through the cracked flagstones as though trying to drag the entire well beneath the earth.