Chapter 20: The Painful Truth

The underground chamber beneath Kaname’s house was silent, save for the faint hum of the sealing crystal at its center. A dim black-violet glow pulsed within it — the last remnant of a dragon’s soul she once believed to be pure evil.

Kaname stood before it, cloak swaying in the cold air. Her expression was calm, but her grip on the staff trembled.

“Obsidian,” she called sharply. “Show yourself.”

A low chuckle echoed from within the crystal, followed by the ripple of dark mist forming the familiar silhouette of the Black Dragon. Its crimson eyes gleamed with mockery.

“Well, well… if it isn’t the clever witch herself,” he hissed. “To what do I owe this sudden visit?”

“Enough games,” Kaname snapped. “I want answers. Who is this ‘Envy’? And why does her name make even you tremble?”

The dragon’s smirk faded, replaced by something darker — not fear, but hatred.

“That name…” His voice dropped, reverberating like thunder. “Don’t speak it so casually. She’s the root of everything — the one who took everything from me.”

Kaname’s brow furrowed.

“What are you talking about?”

Obsidian fell silent for a long moment, as if weighing whether to speak. Then, with a sigh that carried centuries of exhaustion, he began.

“Kaname… for someone who calls herself the wisest witch in Nevantrax, you still understand so little. You think I’m some beast born of hatred, a curse given form. But the truth is far more painful — for both of us.”

“Painful?” Kaname repeated, her voice tightening.

“Yes.” The dragon’s gaze softened, shadows flickering like dying embers. “Because the woman I loved most in this world… was human.”

Kaname blinked, disbelief crossing her face.

“A woman? You, a dragon, loved a human?”

“Laugh if you want. But she was the first to make me see beyond destruction.” The mist shimmered, forming a vision — a young woman with golden hair, her eyes glowing softly with healing light as she treated a wounded villager.

Kaname’s breath hitched.

“Who… who is she?”

“Her name,” Obsidian said quietly, “was Naomi Alyana.”

Kaname froze. The name struck like a blade to the chest. Her staff nearly slipped from her grasp.

“A-Alyana…?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You mean—Naomi Alyana, my sister?!”

“Yes.” The dragon’s eyes closed. “Your sister. She was the only one who saw me not as a monster, but as something capable of good.”

Kaname stumbled backward, her mind unraveling.

“That’s impossible. Alyana would never—she—she couldn’t…”

“And yet she did,” Obsidian said with quiet certainty. “She taught me what humans call compassion. She made me believe in peace.”

He looked down, his tone heavy with grief.

“But that peace didn’t last. When the Golden Dragon, Envy, learned that I had chosen a human over her, she burned everything I loved. She destroyed the village, slaughtered your people, and laughed as she watched me kneel.”

The illusion rippled into a vision of fire and screams — Alyana clutching a child, shielding him with her last spell as the sky turned crimson.

“I tried to protect them,” Obsidian continued, “but Envy was relentless. She wanted to prove that no human could ever tame a dragon’s heart.”

Kaname’s knees weakened, tears threatening to spill.

“Then… Kanata…”

“Yes.” Obsidian’s voice lowered, almost human now. “He is her son — and mine. The child born from our two worlds. The one you call your step son… is my son, and your sister’s blood.”

Kaname’s lips parted in disbelief.
The truth, cruel and undeniable, sank in like ice.

“I…” she stammered. “I raised my sister’s son, all this time, thinking he was a cursed vessel…”

“And he is,” Obsidian said grimly. “Because when Alyana realized Envy would never stop, she sealed my essence inside Kanata to protect him. Her final act of love… was to make me his curse.”

The chamber fell silent.
Kaname’s heart shattered — grief, guilt, and shame consuming her all at once.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she whispered.

“Would you have listened?” Obsidian’s tone was bitter, but there was pain beneath it.
“You blamed me for her death, and I… blamed you for arriving too late. Perhaps we were both too proud.”

Kaname bit her lip, unable to reply.
Then Obsidian’s voice softened, almost pleading.

“Kaname… Envy still lives. She survived the old war, and she’s coming here — for him. For our son.”

“Why?”

“Because to her, he is proof of her humiliation — the child born of betrayal.”

The seal pulsed, flickering dimly as Obsidian’s essence weakened.

“You may hate me, Kaname. But you loved Alyana. So I beg you — protect her son. Protect Kanata from Envy.”

Kaname closed her eyes, her chest tightening.
The image of her sister’s gentle smile flickered in her mind.

“You have my word,” she whispered. “Even if I must fight a god, I’ll protect him… as my own.”

A faint smile curved the dragon’s lips.

“Then perhaps… there is still hope for witches after all.”

The crystal dimmed once more, its light fading into silence.

Far above the city, standing upon the edge of a skyscraper, a woman watched the world below. Her long hair shimmered with streaks of pink and white, and her golden eyes glowed like the dawn.

“So… the Black Dragon remembers.”

Her smile was soft, divine — and utterly cruel.

“Then it’s time I met his little son… the one they call Kanata Tendou.”