Zoe, the town mayor, and Bishop Manpha stood in shock, unable to speak as two enormous black dragons hovered overhead. A villager ran frantically to the bell tower, ringing the alarm bell with all his might, its tolls echoing through the town. Chaos erupted as panicked voices filled the streets.

But just as the pair thought disaster was imminent, the dragons made no move to land. Instead, they flew off in the direction of the volcano. Watching the dragons gradually disappear, Zoe and Manpha began to calm down. They exchanged glances, seeing the same fear in each other’s eyes.

Dragons were creatures of legend, recorded in the kingdom's history, but few had ever seen one. Today, they had seen two. As the creatures shrank to tiny black dots in the sky, the two returned to Zoe’s office. After a long silence, Zoe finally spoke, “Why do you think dragons, which haven’t been seen in years, suddenly appeared here? And two at once?”

Manpha shook his head. “I have no idea. Should we report this to the guild immediately?”

Despite being powerful mages and effectively in control of the town, they both felt this was too significant to handle on their own.

"Good idea. You report to the church using the communication orb, and I’ll reassure the townsfolk," Zoe replied. He called his servant to inform the townspeople to gather at the church square. Meanwhile, Manpha hurried back to the church to report the incident to the Mage Guild’s Intelligence Department.

---

Back at the Kenny village inn, Omono had finished his incantation. Eyes closed, he seemed to be sensing something. A light breeze circulated in the room. Ken the bishop and Captain Leon, both unfamiliar with such magical proceedings, hesitated to interrupt, whispering to Yoo, “What’s happening?”

Yoo quietly explained, “Elder Omono sensed magic when we entered the inn, so he had me fetch the 'magic compass' to trace any residual spells.”

Just as they were talking, the breeze in the room began to concentrate, forming several small whirlwinds near the wall by the window. The whirlwinds quickly dissipated, but a faint glow lingered where they had been.

Opening his eyes, Omono looked at the glowing wall and said, "Found it." Yoo stepped into the room and asked, "Is this... restoration magic?"

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Omono nodded. "No, not restoration—it's 'reversion magic.'"

Ken and Leon entered the room and asked, "Reversion magic? What happened to this wall?"

Omono explained, “This wall has been reverted to its original state. It was likely damaged before, and Barok was taken through it.” He turned to Yoo, “Yes, it’s reversion magic. A spell that returns an object to its original state. Though it's not an overly complex spell, it does require mastery over five elemental attributes.”

“Five elements? That means...” Yoo's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, only someone at the level of a vice president or senior elder could cast this spell. Very few in the entire guild can use it," Omono replied, his voice tinged with awe. He continued, “Restoration and reversion are both ways to return an object or being to a prior state. Restoration requires mastery of the object's elemental composition and wind, but reversion involves time magic. The colorful glow on the wall shows that all five elemental attributes were manipulated when the spell was cast.”

Yoo nodded, finally understanding. "So, restoring this wooden wall would only require manipulating wood and wind elements?"

Omono nodded. “Exactly, restoration is like patching up damage, while reversion turns back time.” He added, “Reversion magic could restore this wooden wall not just to its prior form, but even to the state of the tree it was made from, or perhaps even further—down to its elemental form.”

Ken, still unsure, asked, "What does this mean for Barok?"

Omono sighed. “It seems Barok was taken through this wall after a struggle, but how and why remain unclear.”

Leon added, "No one on either side of the room heard anything."

Omono smirked. "You wouldn't hear a thing. A high-level mage can silence everything if they wish."

Leon, feeling helpless, asked, "What should we do next?"

---

In an unknown location, a stream of magical water splashed onto Barok’s face, jolting him awake. He was suspended by iron chains, hands bound, in front of a mysterious man dressed in a black robe. The hood obscured his face entirely.

"I’m curious," the man spoke, his voice hollow and unidentifiable, "how did you manage to take the dragon’s gold without being tracked? I checked the coins—they’re free of tracking spells. And yet, you witnessed Steel and... him. What happened between you?"

Barok, feeling heavy and unable to break free from the chains, stammered, “Who are you? Why do you want to know? Let me go! They’ll find out I’ve been kidnapped soon enough.”

The mysterious man let a few gold coins float in front of him—Barok recognized them as the ones he had taken from Steel in Ash Village. Barok’s fear grew. The coins floated effortlessly without any detectable magical energy.

“You’re a bard, and while your songs contain some magic, removing a dragon’s tracking spell isn’t easy. Steel let you go... why?” the man pressed.

“N-nothing really... it was because of Lord Rang...”

“Don’t say his name!” the man roared, his figure quivering with fury. He thrust a silver blade to Barok’s throat. “If you speak his name again, you’ll lose the ability to speak altogether.”

Barok froze, staring at the sword. He recalled the fierce fight in the inn, this sword cutting him numerous times. Taking a deep breath, he responded, “It’s because I treated them with respect. And I only took a few coins. Steel didn’t seem to care about such a small amount.”

The man, still pressing, asked, “Didn’t the great lord use his mind-reading abilities on you?”

Barok replied, “I wasn’t thinking of anything.”

“Interesting... you managed to clear your mind in front of them.”

“What else could I do? Facing a dragon and a great mage, I was nothing but a lamb to the slaughter,” Barok sighed.

The mysterious man agreed, “Yes, in front of them, we are all lambs.”

After a pause, Barok asked, “What do you want from me? Just ask already.”

The man shook his head. “I already know what I need to. The only part of this story I’m missing is your conversation with them. I’ve read the rest of your report.”

Barok remained silent. The mysterious man chanted a few words, and Barok's eyelids grew heavy. His head drooped, and he fell into a deep sleep.

(To be continued)