At the southwestern border of Dragon Domain.

The defeated raptor and a group of lure drakes were fleeing back towards the border, intending to return to their territory to inform their master of the appearance of an unknown dragon in Leonardo.

"Could it be some wandering dragon? Is he trying to seek outside aid to attack our master?"

The raptor easily became worried to this extent, as the deeds of Calamity Demon were already known to all dragons through various channels, and these dragon kin naturally knew about it too.

Given the tragic fates of Augustus and Yuranda, and the lack of any reaction from the oft-touted united Dragon Council, the other lord dragons could not help but fear for themselves, becoming hypersensitive to any passing foreign dragons.

"In any case, I must hurry back!"

The raptor kept gliding and weaving through the lush treetops, using blue fireballs to obliterate any obstacles in its path.

But just as it was about to leave the borders of Leonardo, a powerful gale suddenly descended from above!

"What!"

The raptor was blown right to the ground by the raging wind, with even the surrounding small trees uprooted and shredded by the descending airflow.

A crimson shadow flashed into view in an instant!

Before the raptor could even have a second thought, Raphael had it seized in his draconic claws, and then Crimson Dragon brazenly crashed into the ancient untrodden forest.

Raphael's body smashed through obstructions indiscriminately, forcibly carving out a path through the primordial woodland, until the moonlight from above was blocked out by the dense interlocking canopy, darkness swallowing up all illumination.

Thump!

A small flame flickered to life, and then the raptor felt the world spinning, as if the entire universe was shaking.

When it regained its balance and senses, it found a pair of dull golden eyes staring right at it, the small hovering flame barely revealing the hard, intertwined scales.

"A dragon!" The raptor realized in despair, never having imagined its worries would become reality.

"You are a kin of the green dragon? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before," a deep draconic voice rumbled.

The raptor knew it was the dragon speaking. "That's right," it replied hesitantly, not knowing the dragon's intentions. "I am a kin of Lord Yutushir of the Emerald Nest. For what reason have you, a fellow member of our great race, captured me?"

Raphael tightened his grip on the raptor, making it very uncomfortable.

"The loyalty of dragon kin is unquestionable, though they can be quite negligent at times. But they would never betray or rebel against their master, so I won't waste words on that..." Raphael's making the raptor's mind tremble uncontrollably.

"...Tell me how you and your master communicate - don't tell me you can't even use communication orbs."

Crimson Dragon slowly made his demand.

......

On a nameless clearing in Leonardo.

The elven girl Fel was curiously asking her new human friend about the wonders of the outside world.

"You mean humans actually form military forces? And powerful ones like you can only stay in the rear?"

Arnold nodded firmly, recalling his battles against Ryton's great army, whose firepower could turn every inch within a hundred kilometer frontline into scorched earth in just thirty seconds.

Human mages who took half a day to cast spells with a range of less than twenty meters were completely useless. Those soldiers would never pause mid-battle to pull out wands either.

Add in aerial bombing support and infantry battle vehicles slicing through the battlefield, and individual power was inconsequential against such combined military might. Perhaps only a dragon as reckless as Raphael could singlehandedly impede the enemy's strategy.

Fel had never witnessed such things before, but this human race immediately gained great stature in her mind - if a passing graduate mage was already so formidable, how terrifying must humanity's true military forces be?

"Alas...if only we forest folk had your kind of power, then those overgrown lizards would never have dared to encroach on our lands!" Fel lamented dejectedly.

Nana sat anxiously by the campfire, listening to the other describe the dragons' atrocities, and couldn't help but apologize softly, "I'm sorry...Miss Fel..."

Fel's pointed ears twitched as she turned her head in puzzlement. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

Arnold quickly changed the subject. "Oh! She means she's sorry she can't help you, since we'll be leaving after our investigation is done. Nana has a soft heart and can't stand to see others suffer...By the way, you keep mentioning the forest folk - just who are they exactly?"

Fel had no suspicions, so she readily accepted this explanation. She began recounting, "Let me think...there are quite a few! The deer, bears, squirrels, rabbits, willows..."

Seeing the innocent girl was about to recite an entire forest encyclopedia, Arnold had to stop her. "Ahem! Pardon me, but what I meant were the more special ones - the powerful, rare kinds that can transform their bodily shapes."

He stressed the words "transform shapes" heavily. "Ones that can shapeshift solely through their physical structure and bloodline power, not by using special means like magic."

This gave Fel some difficulty as she hugged her plump little bear Susa, deep in thought.

Arnold kept providing suggestive prompts. "From the academy's texts, I read that Leonardo has a unique shapeshifting race that can innately transform between lion, unicorn, eagle and perfect human forms. You must have seen them, right Fel?"

The elven girl seemed to be jolted by his words, exclaiming in realization, "You mean the Aslan!"

Arnold had never heard of anything called "Aslan" before, but in order to extract information, he could only feign understanding. "Yes, the Aslan! I came here because of the legends surrounding this race. Could you give me some information about them? Like where they live exactly, and any particular habits they have?"

"But the Aslan isn't a race! It is the nature god, guarding over us forest folk and blessing us so that blizzards never come."

"A god?"

Arnold hadn't expected this turn. Then he suddenly recalled that ever since entering Leonardo, the blizzards he so loathed had never appeared again. A comfortable, temperate humidity nourished all life, while the southern Loga Peaks had already been sealed off by snowstorms.

Fel nodded vigorously. "That's right! Aslan first appeared in the form of a lion to defeat the evil witch of Leonardo and her dwarves minions, allowing the forest folk to live peacefully in this natural kingdom for ages. We still have statues and relics of it!"

Hearing this, Nana couldn't help but ask, "Then why doesn't it help you against the dragons invading these lands?"

"I don't know..." Fel became despondent. "My mother said that when she was a young girl and got lost in the forest, Aslan appeared as a unicorn to guide her out. But for some reason, it then disappeared, and the big lizards started trespassing from that point onwards."

"How long ago was that?"

"About six hundred years, I think."

Arnold's brow furrowed in thought. "Six hundred years ago? Around when humans breached the dwarven Pillar Mountains?"

However, the two events seemed unconnected, so he let it go.

.....

Raphael strode leisurely into the welcoming forest embrace, as the green dragon Yutushir crouched warily nearby, his emerald golden slit pupils filled with anxiety.

He was simply carrying out the tasks assigned by the Dragon Council to raid these scaleless forest dwellers. Yet this brought the Calamity Demon to his doorstep.

"Calamity Demon, you are also a territorial dragon. Even with an introduction from Draconic Sage, you should not treat my kin this way," the green dragon said angrily, glancing at the raptor Raphael had casually tossed and crumpled on the ground.

Though not a councilor himself, Yutushir's father was the aged green dragon Edgeworth, so he was well aware of the undercurrents in Dragon Domain.

As Calamity Demon's rampage in the human world continued, more and more dragons found it harder to suppress their desire for the vast lands beyond. But the ancient draconic teachings upheld by the Conservative Faction still bound them - the fates of those sinful dragons a terrifying deterrent against reckless action.

So at most, the offspring were allowed to make tentative incursions to test the waters.

"I come on behalf of the Dragon Council now. Is this your attitude?" Raphael arrogantly claimed a false mandate, telling Arnathus to have Edgeworth instruct this green dragon to accommodate and cooperate with him under the pretext of "testing a plan to launch a surprise attack on Karuk Forest from this route around the sea."

Yutushir only felt more resentful and wary. Who could be at ease facing a demoniac dragon that had slaughtered its own kind? But those were his father's direct orders, involving future grand strategies, so he had to endure.

"But your raptor said this was your territory? Not Edgeworth's?"

Raphael casually inquired as he arrogantly flew up to survey the area.

Yutushir answered gruffly, "My father has three territories, and this one is too far from the other two, so he let me inherit it early. What's the problem?"

"And your mother went to oversee the other two, I presume? How liberal of them. I'm quite curious where they spent those few hundred years raising you."

Raphael's words grew increasingly audacious, prompting an angry roar from the green dragon. "If you have business, just state it quickly! Then leave my territory immediately!"

"Don't be in such a rush," Crimson Dragon shamelessly found a dry spot to lie down, preparing to sleep. "First send your kin to Leonardo to observe their true strength."

Seeing Raphael treat his home as an inn with no courtesy, the green dragon was almost enraged enough to attack. But he ultimately restrained himself, ordering his dragon kin to keep watch over this demoniac dragon before going to sleep himself.

.....

The next day.

Arnold had not slept at all that night. Now he walked out alone, staring pensively at the extinguished campfire's ashen remains.

"Time reversal."

He extended his left hand to his forehead, using draconic magic. The events after they had all separately gone to sleep last night replayed rapidly in his mind.

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All the way until a pair of pale blue boots stained with mud stepped onto the wafting ashes, he saw no anomalies.

"Good, those five elves indeed obeyed instructions."

Arnold dispelled the time reversal, satisfied.

Raphael and the others were too large to enter Leonardo directly, so Arnold had proposed a plan to disguise themselves as human mages, having those five elves guide them bit by bit to uncover clues about the shapeshifting bloodlines.

Dragons could use their advanced draconic magic to shrink their bodies down, then utilize shapeshifting spells to mimic human forms - they would essentially be miniaturized dragon bodies. However, the anti-magic within Raphael seemed to interfere, preventing him from altering his size, let alone transforming into a human guise. Having Nana accompany him would be a liability, so it was better for her to take human form and go with Arnold. That was how they had conveniently encountered the young elven girl Fel.

The golden dragon pondered to himself, "The original plan was to directly visit those five elves' homeland to search for clues. But now that we've met this girl, there may be a more straightforward opportunity."

He then furrowed his brow in consternation, "After telling Raphael about the lead I discovered yesterday, he tell us to get closer to the forest folk before revealing it to him. But this so-called 'Aslan' god seems to have vanished over six hundred years ago. How are we to investigate that?"

"Arnold?" A familiar voice came from behind. He turned to see Nana looking at him with a weary expression.

"You must not be accustomed to roughing it outdoors," he remarked with a smile.

Nana nodded shyly. "The most I've done before is climb some trees in Mother's forest. I've almost never spent nights out there. You and Raphael must have much more experience from your hundred years of adventuring."

Arnold reminisced, "Yes, his favorite was scaling the Loga Mountains. Though we could never quite reach the summits before the blizzards sealed the peaks each time. The wild monsters up there rivaled young dragons in power, forcing us to take detours."

"If only I had been there..." Nana said wistfully, her greatest regret being unable to make such profound shared memories with Raphael.

As the two dragons lapsed into silence, Fel emerged from a nearby tent, stretching languorously and shamelessly displaying her lithe, healthy feminine form in all its youthful, natural beauty.

"Good morning, Sir Arna and Miss Nana!" she greeted energetically. "Thank you for the tent and safe camp - it's been so long since I've slept that well!"

Arnold chuckled lightly and pulled Nana aside, not wanting the elven girl to see the pained concern on the blue dragon's face.

"This is for you and Raphael, and for your offspring. I truly wish the best for my friends, even if sacrificing innocents is sometimes unavoidable. After all, a dragon's appetite is not so easily sated," he murmured reassuringly into Nana's ear, hoping she would not interfere with the plan. He then turned back with a bright smile.

"Fel, would you be able to eat dry bread and pickled herring for breakfast?"

The girl was hauling her slugabout little bear Susa, sweating profusely. Upon hearing the question, she quickly replied, "No need! You were so generous with dinner last night. This morning, please let me treat you to some elven food instead!"

"No problem," Arnold agreed with a nod. "But could you also take me, Nana and those five companions of yours to your village afterward? Experiencing it firsthand would really help with my investigation and graduation."

"Sure thing!" Fel readily assented, finally managing to rouse the lazily sprawled Susa.

The five elves also emerged listlessly from their tents.

"I have some elven trail rations - just a small bite can keep you full for a whole day!" Fel said as she unpacked leaf-wrapped provisions from her satchel to distribute among them. "Susa and I have only dared to sleep in the trees for the past two months. With the rain and wind, we hardly got any rest at all. Thank you again for your hospitality, Sir Arna!"

"You're welcome," Arnold replied softly, his bangs falling to obscure his cold, reptilian gaze.

"The companions of the forest have always been very gentle, and we have coexisted harmoniously."

Fel led the way through the rugged dense forest, with Nana walking beside her, flanked by five elves, and Arnold keeping watch from behind.

"But bears need to eat meat, and meat can only come from other lives. Does that count as harmony?" He asked loudly from the rear of the group.

"No, Mr. Arna, we never actively hunt our companions. These jerkies come from those drakies," Fel immediately refuted.

Nana curiously asked, "Then what do your little bear companions eat usually? Surely they can't eat soil like dragons?"

The young elf shook her head, "No, there are special springs at certain points in the forest, called 'Aslan's Offerings'. Everyone takes a small sip and it fills their stomachs and gives them ample strength—look! There's one up ahead."

She pointed ahead to a large tree stump, the broken main trunk forming a makeshift bridge across a chasm that separated the two areas.

The little bear Susa scampered across first, deftly climbing onto the stump and sticking her head in to lick up whatever was inside. Afterwards, with a satisfied look, she climbed back down and curled up underneath, rubbing her belly.

Fel led Nana by the hand to this wondrous place.

"Wow! So clear!"

Nana had expected the liquid inside this primitive hollow wood to be murky, floating with insects and fallen leaves. But instead, it was so clean that she could see right to the bottom, the concentric rings visible, seemingly protected by an invisible barrier from contamination.

"Have a sip!"

Fel cupped her hands and offered Nana some of the spring water. The blue dragon, charmed by the sunny smile on the elf's face, couldn't help but feel fond of her and took a drink.

"Nana! What's wrong with you?"

Arnold suddenly rushed over from behind and grabbed Nana's arm.

He wanted to warn her against drinking strange things, but Nana's snow-white face had already taken on a rosy glow.

"I feel a surge of warmth spreading through me, so cozy! Fel, what kind of spring water is this?" she asked in disbelief.

"Heh heh! How's that?" Fel beamed with pride, like a boastful little rooster.

Arnold skeptically released his grip on Nana's arm and scooped up a small handful of the spring to drink. Immediately, he felt an invisible force welling up inside, the chill in his body melting away like spring snow.

"Everyone, come have a drink!"

Fel beckoned to the five elves behind them, who approached the stump with wistful, reminiscent expressions. They expertly cupped the clear spring in their hands and drank it down to the last drop, their tense bodies visibly relaxing.

"This is the legendary offering from Aslan, the Guardian of Nature," Fel began recounting the mythology of Leonardo. "Legend has it that life bears an original sin, needing to constantly consume other lives to sustain itself. The evil deity secretly instilled in the depths of every soul's the concept of survival at all costs, delighting in watching all beings slaughter each other."

"But Aslan is the god of ultimate goodness. It could not bear to see beings trapped in tragic internecine conflict, so it redeemed them by infusing its divine power into the essence of the land. Thereafter, these springs would appear from time to time, sating the appetites of all friends!"

Arnold stroked his chin, listening to Fel's narration while gazing thoughtfully at the remaining half of the spring in the stump. He then discreetly took out a long vial from his wrist spatial ring, siphoned some of the spring water into it, and stored it away.

"Let's go! There's a supply station across this bridge that can get us back to the village quickly," Fel said, pointing across the chasm.

The young elf nimbly stepped onto the fallen trunk bridge with practiced ease.

Susa was more apprehensive, hugging the trunk tightly as she inched her way across.

"Can you make it across by yourself?" Arnold asked Nana in a low voice as he ushered the five elves onto the bridge behind Susa.

"Yes...I think so..." Nana replied hesitantly, her expression dimming.

"Alright, I'll be right behind you. Don't be afraid," Arnold reassured her, knowing the wound on her back had yet to fully heal—the gray explorer's suit hid the raw, blackened crevice that went nearly to the bone.

"Ah! Susa!"

Suddenly, urgent shouts came from ahead.

Arnold immediately looked up to see the little bear had vanished! Fel was reaching down over the edge, screaming.

Without a second thought, he dashed to the cliff and leapt off, four golden rays flaring from his back!

Susa flailed helplessly in freefall, wailing in terror.

But soon, she felt herself caught and rapidly ascending straight upwards.

"Mr. Arna, you're incredible!" Fel exclaimed in disbelief as Arnold floated up with Susa and unceremoniously tossed her to the other side.

"Just a flight spell. Alright, everyone cross over quickly!" He paid no heed to the young elf's praise and gratitude, his attention focused on Nana gingerly making her way across last.

...

Soon they were all traversing the increasingly dense forest path on the other side.

"Susa! You're so lucky to be a favored of the nature gods! You almost became one of Aslan's Offerings by falling to your death!" Fel scolded, flicking the still-shivering bear's wet nose.

"What do you mean by that?" Arnold asked, catching up.

"Oh! Susa randomly absorbed some moonlight power one night. They say Aslan dispersed its divine power into nature and bestows it upon those most in need...or bears."

"As for the Offerings, the village elders say when the forest dwellers die, they return to the primal quintessence of the land. Aslan's lingering power breaks them down and recycles the essence, forming these springs."

Arnold made a mental note of the terms "moonlight power" and "primal quintessence" but did not inquire further.

Their path became increasingly rugged and overgrown with wild branches, stones, bushes and weeds completely blocking the way ahead. A lost traveler would quickly lose their sense of direction and perish. But Fel navigated the hidden pathways effortlessly, guiding them through twists and turns until they arrived at a concealed clearing.

"This is one of our supply stations. What do you think? Not bad, huh!" Fel excitedly showed her new human friend around.

"That tree house stores dried beans, that one has weapons, that one is for poison extraction..." she pointed out the various areas. Arnold noticed the entire place was as dim as a dragon's corrupted demon forest, with only scattered torches providing faint light—not torchstone, but the most primitive natural fire.

"Who's there? Fel, ah...who are they!"

A male elf warrior emerged from the shadows, instantly on high alert at the sight of the strangers with Fel. "Enemies! Quick, over here!"

Like a spreading ripple, rustling sounds came from the tree houses as armed elf warriors poured out into the clearing, surrounded them with drawn blades and notched bows. Massive bears, antlered deer, and giant eagles joined the throng.

Arnold calmly stepped in front of Nana, raising his hands peacefully. "Forest friends, I am merely a passing human, not one of the dragons or dragonkin you despise. There is no conflict or misunderstanding between us, just a chance encounter."

Fel hurried over to the sharp-eyed lead warrior. "Uncle Kala! Arna and Miss Nana saved my life from the raptors! They're not bad people, please don't do this!"

Little Susa stood upright, pawing at the massive bear's knees and whimpering. The bear looked down at her quizzically before rumbling something in the nature tongue to Kala.

Kala remained unconvinced, eyeing Arnold suspiciously. "You flew up and saved Susa from falling off that cliff?"

"Indeed. This one's forte happens to be flight magic," Arnold replied with a nod.

"But those dragons are also adept flyers. How can I be sure you're not a spy?"

Arnold shrugged. "By your logic, butterflies are dragon kin, dragonflies are dragon kin, all avians including that brother up there—" he gestured to the eagle overhead, "—are all dragon kin, no?"

"And yet the dragons' schemes are ever insidious. Why would a human race from the far horizon come all this way here?" Kala remained deeply distrustful.

Seeing this, Fel had to protest loudly to the surrounding warriors, "Everyone! Would the dragons care if a little elf lived or died? Would they go so far as to disguise themselves as humans just to infiltrate us? Would they feel empathy for us? Would they share breakfast? Why would you think these kind outsiders are dragon lackeys? Has the forest's innocent heart been completely lost?"

"Fel, you don't understand," Kala coldly rebuked her. "Our ancestors have suffered greatly at the claws of dragons. Those vile beasts are as wicked as cats, toying with their prey even when victory is assured, only killing once their victim's spirit is utterly crushed. So do not use reason to fathom dragons—anyone unseen must surely be tied to their schemes!"

Arnold inwardly sighed. Clearly, their dealings had been with the dark-hearted likes of the green and black dragons. If it were him, he'd have long since lost patience with these paranoid folk. Raphael would probably have just burned the whole forest, not leaving them any room for guerrilla tactics.

As Fel and Kala began arguing back and forth, Arnold maintained his "harmless" stance.

"Wait! Who are those elves with you? I've never seen them before," a gruff female elf demanded, her face bearing five deep claw-mark scars.

"Oh right! Arna rescued them while traversing Dragon Domain!" Fel exclaimed, as if grasping at a lifeline. "If they were dragon lackeys, how could they not know about it?"

Kala raised an eyebrow at this, regarding the confident, nonchalant golden-haired human—being able to cross Dragon Domain already marked him as formidable among formidables.

But he still cautiously had the scarred female warrior named Meldor take the five elves aside for questioning.

"Go ahead and ask. The terror of Raphael is already deeply etched into their minds," Arnold inwardly scoffed.

Earlier, Raphael had foreseen these folk might interfere with his plans, so he had forced them to sign a spiritual contract while verbally intimidating them:

"I'm only here searching for an aberrant shapeshifter. Once I find it, you'll all be free. Leonardo is your home, I have no reason to stir up trouble. Just keep this a secret—do as I say. If you cause any undue incidents, my temper may flare and burn this place down."

After witnessing Crimson Dragon's power over those few years, the five elves dared not defy him. Sure enough, shortly after, Meldor returned and whispered into Kala's ear, his expression gradually softening as he nodded in understanding.

"My apologies, friends from afar," he said, signaling his warriors to stand down. "The incessant persecution from the dragons has forced me to extinguish my trusting nature and view every stranger with suspicion."

Arnold stepped forward with a smile once the encircling forest dwellers dispersed. "No need, times of war breed such caution in my homeland too. Who can be sure which ally may betray intelligence?"

Kala embraced the golden-haired human. "Indeed, intelligence. Our network of thousands of hidden supply stations scattered throughout the forest is the lifeline sustaining our guerilla campaign against the drakies. If they discover and wipe out these locations, our warriors will be cut off from resupply and forced to fall back to the villages, leaving vast swaths of forest to corruption."

Fel skipped over happily, her brow furrowed in reproach. "See? Didn't I tell you treating the ones who selflessly saved us so disrespectfully was wrong!"

"My apologies," Kala said with a deep bow, Meldor mirroring the gesture.

"Think nothing of it, I understand the burden of responsibility may necessitate moral compromises at times," Arnold magnanimously excused them, further earning Kala's trust.

"Then please, come rest in my quarters. Meldor, you as well," he said, motioning to the scarred warrior preparing to depart.

It was only then that he noticed Nana behind Arnold. "And this is...?"

"Miss Nana is Arna's fellow student, here to explore and study our lands together," Fel interjected before Nana could respond herself.

"So talkative..." Kala chided her.

Nana stepped forward gracefully, recalling elven etiquette from her childhood playmates. "Greetings," she said with a slight bow.

"Greetings," Kala replied with a nod.

As they walked, Arnold closely observed their surroundings, noticing a brief green flare would illuminate their path whenever they passed through a tree's trunk, only to fade back to darkness once three meters away.

"Some sort of specialized bioluminescent moss, with a limited lighting range. Could buy time against ambushes by utilizing the darkness," he analyzed inwardly.

Beside him, Kala was visibly surprised. "Fel, you were attacked in the chest by a raptor, yet seem completely unharmed?"

"Yes! Arna healed me with his magic!" she exclaimed proudly.

"Your powers are indeed profound, sir," Kala said, his tone carrying veiled implications as he turned to regard Arnold.