For a long while, Orion remained silent.

His eyes kept scanning the giant body of Velridar, far longer than the Leviathan he was mounting.

"..."

Not only was he unusually angry, but he also felt an ominous feeling looking at it.

Massive purple spots covered the pristine white scale of the former Remnant of Strength.

For Orion, who knew exactly what it was, only confusion formed in his mind.

'Why is corruption still developing on his body? I thought corruption had disappeared after Miasma was gone.'

This was a threat he couldn't ignore.

"I have a question."

Looking down, he spoke to the Leviathan, who carried him to this desolated abyss.

"Why did you bring me here? What is the reason for this request, and what is it about this dragon that makes you want my help?"

He couldn't find a reason for the Leviathan to care about a corpse in the middle of nowhere.

"Those dark spots."

The Leviathan approached its massive head near one of the spots.

"It is corruption. The same curse that freely rampaged through my body and mind."

Silently listening to the beast, he nodded.

"I do not know how this works. It simply came to mind when I opened my eyes that this giant dragon's corpse was the reason behind my previous state."

"If that is still the case, does it not pose a threat to your lives?"

Orion agreed that this was spelling trouble not only for Triazils, but also for other continents.

"It does. His body has turned into a breeding ground for corruption, which is far from ideal."

"If it were to be released all at once, I fear his corpse would animate itself... and bring carnage to this world."

Even without the source of 'Power', Velridar was a colossal dragon. Crushing a city with his claws or swiping civilization with his tail could always happen.

"What trouble's me most is the idea that corruption still survives even without its master."

"Maybe because his body was the perfect vessel for it, it would've actually brought a massive headache to us if it ever came to be known too late."

Frowning deeply, Orion lifted his left hand above his head.

"I'll purify this entire area, just to be sure. If another animal succumbed to the corruption, it's best to get rid of it now."

Even though this was his deepest concern, no actual living being remained corrupted. Velridar was the only exception due to the high density of magical energy in his remains.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

As a white light covered a wide radius of the abyss, Orion released the entirety of his power in an attempt to cleanse everything.

For a few minutes, the residents of Hocride stopped everything they were doing and stared at the sea in shock as it turned entirely white.

A wave of magic washed every part of the sea, a combination of light magic and purifying powers.

Not a single grain of sand, underwater cave, or animal escaped his cleansing.

As ten angelic wings flapped behind his back, a spinning halo rapidly slowed down, until it disappeared in a sudden burst of light.

Everything returned to normal. The surface of the sea recovered its habitual blue hue, and the depths became dark again.

"The black spots are gone."

Noticing the pristine state of Velridar's body, the Leviathan sounded surprised.

"This is my power. I believe you have experienced some of it through Olivia."

His power was terrifying to the Leviathan. A primal fear rapidly developed in its core as it realized the primordial essence behind Orion.

But Orion wasn't one to pressure any entity with his energy. The pressure around his body dwindled, halting the fear from consuming the aquatic beast.

"..."

As they stared forward, Orion finally said what was bothering him.

"Now, what should I do with this? I can't let Velridar rot in this place."

"He is taller than the highest peak in Horizon, so... there's hardly any places I can rest his remains."

He suddenly stopped talking, his gaze drifting to the right.

After a few minutes of intense thinking, he decided.

"I'm going to pull his body into Horizon."

The Leviathan had no clue what that 'Horizon' was, but it ignored it.

"What about you? Is there something you want to do?"

It pondered Orion's question.

"I had nothing else planned. Maybe drifting once again in the sea until my last days."

"Stopping the propagation of the corruption was my last goal. I have no more demands."

Giving a nod to the creature, Orion smiled.

"That's fine."

He snapped his fingers, and Velridar's gigantic body slowly sank into the seabed. Contrary to what was happening, it was behind transferred to Horizon very slowly.

When the last part of the deceased dragon disappeared, Orion frowned and proposed something to the creature.

"Would you be interested in living in our realm instead of here? It is spacious enough for you and Velridar, so there's no fear of living in a cramped space."

"But there's one important matter I believe you would be interested in."

It listened.

"I can promise you absolute safety. Maybe you wish to continue roaming this world's seas. In that case, I will not usher a single word and leave you on your way."

"If you are instead bored, perhaps it would be better to rest somewhere no one would bother you."

Orion was quite interested in the beast. If he could get it close to him at any time, he could learn more about it.

"This is an interesting proposition. Only someone such as you would stand for coexistence."

"I wouldn't say that. There is something I can gain from helping you."

"What would that be?"

With a faint smile, he answered.

"The first reason would be learning more about you as a being. Your anatomy, way of living, diet, pretty much everything I can learn will satisfy me."

"But the main reason would be that Olivia would feel better knowing you are doing well. She seemed genuinely interested in you, and this would make her happy."

"Of course, I am not forcing you. Even if you refuse, I will acknowledge that choice."

"..."

A long silence, mixing with the sound of abyssal currents, echoed in their surroundings.

"I have no family. Alone, in these cold waters."

He could feel the beast's head drop slightly.

"It wouldn't be so bad to have someone to talk to occasionally."

"I'll keep you company any day you wish so."

This was enough. Orion snapped his fingers again, opening a large portal capable of swallowing the large creature.

With a push of its short fins, it trusted Orion and entered the portal, leaving behind the planet.

Both appeared opposite to the Siren Sea. Swimming in the southern sea felt like normal to the Leviathan.

"For now, you should get accustomed to the water. I will check with you later for any signs of discomfort."

Jumping off its head, he dropped to the floor and warped away.

...

Orion made his way to Ormrdivin.

Explaining the situation to Monolavir and Ruminona, he had an intense expression.

"Thank you for recovering our progenitor's body."

"Dying alone and secluded from other dragons is quite tragic, even though his body made it difficult to join us."

Monolavir lowered his head. Velridar had been a considerable inspiration when he was a young dragon.

Losing him definitely dealt a heavy blow to the dragon's pride.

"Father is..."

Ruminona's eyes were lost. Surrounded by her children, she felt slightly better, but her heart ached nonetheless.

"It is massive. I'm not in a position to complain, as I chose to recover it, but is there anything I can do with it?"

"There is little chance I'll bring him back here."

Nodding, the Azure Dragon agreed.

"There is no such space in our nest."

"We cannot receive his remains."

As much as it upset him to acknowledge that fact, there was nothing that could possibly be done.

"There is one thing you can do..."

Glancing toward Orion, Ruminona spoke with a dispirited voice.

"Have the new Remnant of Strength absorb his remains. I recall discussing this with him a long time ago."

Orion brought a hand to his chin while looking up.

"This is something I will have to ask Deveralna for."

"But before I do that."

He smiled gently before showing genuine concern for them.

"This portal is always open. If you need time to say farewell, I suggest doing it in the incoming week."

"If other dragons wish to do so, I'll allow safe passage to Horizon."

Feeling the kindness behind his words, they both felt warmth in their hearts.

"Thank you. Giving us such an opportunity when you could have kept it hidden from us."

"I have no right to decide what is good for your faction. Maybe it would've avoided bringing back painful memories, but perhaps this opportunity will also help you get closure."

Orion looked away.

"That's what I would have hoped if I was in your place."

Without any other word, Orion turned around and left the dragon's nest.

"I can feel... the strain on his heart."

"Yes. Maybe Velridar and Orion had little rapport, but those few moments helped him grow."

Monolavir growled softly.

"He never realized how important his presence was in our lives."

Softly, Ruminona rubbed her cheeks against her three babies, thinking of the reaction her father would have had seeing them.