The weather was cold and the leaves were falling, their orange color carrying the spirit and breeze of autumn. Thick trees made walking difficult, and a stream flowed nearby as frogs leapt and rabbits hid. In the middle of this place, a leaf dyed with the color of fall fluttered through the air, carried swiftly by the wind.
After a while of drifting, it finally landed on the ground, above the flowing stream, continuing its journey and carrying us to another place in these vast forests—Yavan Forests. Walking against the stream's current were two individuals, both from the Dryad race. The first was a man with fair skin and a human complexion, his green hair adorned with blooming, pure flowers. Beside him walked a small girl holding his hand. Her skin had a slight greenish tint, and her golden eyes wandered curiously as she smiled sweetly.
"Dad, Yavan is amazing!" the girl said as she suddenly let go of her father's hand and chased after a rabbit.
"See? I told you it wouldn't be a bad forest. And your mother will be back soon," the father replied.
The rabbit soon left the girl who had been chasing it and hopped over to the man. He picked it up and gently petted it—it seemed to like him more than the girl did. This was Rose, exploring outside her village for the first time, among the calm trees of Yavan and the distinct breeze of autumn.
"I thought it was a bad place… Mom hasn't come back since she left the village," Rose muttered as she returned to hold her father's hand.
"I told you, the monsters didn't eat her. She's just on an exploration trip and she'll be back," the father said as he held her hand firmly.
"Look, it's a frog!" Rose shouted loudly, letting go of her father's hand again and running toward the frog.
The frog leapt to one of the rocks and slowly moved away. Rose lost hope in touching it, so she returned to her father with a disappointed look, and they continued their peaceful stroll. After a while, the father stopped, took out two cups and a teapot from his bag, and started pouring green tea. They sat together and drank the warm beverage in the chilly autumn air.
"Dad, this is fun!" Rose said with a smile, staring at her father's face.
"Is it better than the village?" he asked.
"No, no," Rose muttered while blowing on her hot tea.
Suddenly, a leaf fell on Rose's head as she tried to cool the tea. At that moment, her father's expression changed. He kept staring at the leaf on her head as if he had just seen something unbelievable. Then he smiled widely, and his cold eyes lit up with hope.
"Rose, do you know the legend of the falling leaf?" he asked.
"I think I read about it. If a tree leaf randomly falls on your head, you're the savior of Bloomy—the one who will usher in an era of peace and calm, free from monsters and threats. Right, Dad?"
"Yes… that's it," the father whispered, still staring at the leaf.
Rose noticed something strange in her father's gaze, so she quickly placed her hand on her head and felt the leaf. But when she tried to grab it, it crumbled because of its brittleness. Still, her expression changed into a huge smile as she exclaimed: "Dad, I'm the savior!!"
"ROOAAAHHH!!" a loud roar echoed from above.
The father jumped and hugged Rose tightly. He scanned the sky, and at that moment, he spotted the figure of a wyvern flying swiftly above them with massive wings. He quickly stood and tried to escape while carrying Rose. After some running, the wyvern suddenly landed in front of them, blocking their path. At that moment, there was only one option left.
"A wyvern… it's a rare monster in Yavan. What's it doing here?!" the father said as he pulled out a small wooden staff.
"Dad… am I going to die?" Rose cried.
"Everything will be okay, sweetheart."
"Herness Vines!!" the father shouted, pointing his staff at the wyvern.
Thorny vines burst from the ground and tried to bind the wyvern, but it easily escaped with a single flap of its wings. It flew high, then in a terrifying moment, it opened its mouth, gathering a mass of fire inside. The father embraced his daughter tightly, shielding her with everything he had against the incoming fireball. He waited, expecting the flowers on his head to burn… so long as his daughter survived. But instead, all he could feel was drops of water falling on them.
He turned to see what was happening—and found something completely unexpected. In front of him stood a man with long white hair, wearing a luxurious armor and holding a legendary sword with a blue blade. A blue aura radiated from it. There was no fireball—only this man and his blue sword. The father quickly stepped back with Rose in his arms. The man stepped forward, approaching the wyvern. Then, in the blink of an eye, and after uttering the word: "Rayos."
A blue beam shot from his sword and pierced through the wyvern's body like it was nothing. Then the man turned, revealing his face—he looked like a man in his thirties, with glowing blue eyes and long white hair. He approached the father and daughter, extending his hand with a gentle smile.
"Are you two alright?"
"Are... are you Gaziel?" the father asked, stunned.
"The one and only," the swordsman replied.
"Gaziel?! The strongest adventurer in the kingdom?!" Rose exclaimed, her eyes full of tears.
"Oh, look Thalesa! Even the children of Yavan know who I am!"
"Thalesa—one of the Seven Spirits! I've read about you guys. I know all of you!!" Rose shouted.
"That's great! You're a smart girl. Then I suppose you two should head back."
"Yes, we will. Thank you for helping us… but I heard you left Yavan and Iveleth," the father said as he stood up.
"Oh, I'm here to see an old friend," Gaziel answered.
"I'd be happy if you came to my village. Sorry, I haven't introduced myself—I'm Wilom, the leader of Bloomy Village, and this is my daughter Rose."
"Nice to meet you. I wouldn't mind staying over either. I was hoping for a nearby place to rest."
"Thank you for saving us, Sir Gaziel. My dad's a weak guy, so thank you for stepping in," Rose mumbled shyly, clinging to Gaziel's cloak.
"Your dad is not weak at all. He's a strong man. All you need to do is listen to what he tells you," Gaziel replied.
"Listen to what he tells me?"
"Yes. Promise me you'll always listen to your father."
"I promise!"
And so, the father and daughter were saved from a sudden wyvern attack. It was a perfectly timed rescue. Just by looking at Rose and Wilom's faces, one could easily see the joy in them. Being saved from a wyvern by the strongest adventurer in the kingdom is not something that happens every day. In that moment, they had an experience unlike any they'd ever had before.
"Sir Gaziel, can I talk to Thalesa?" Rose asked, tugging on the white-haired swordsman's cloak again.
"Come on, Rose. Wait until we reach the village," Wilom repeated.
◆ ◆ ◆
Ten years later, in the year 953 of the Elder Calendar.
Inside the village of Bloomy, everything was peaceful. The villagers chatted, children played, the weather was warm, and green trees surrounded the area, along with blooming flowers and blossoms. It was the perfect spring for this village and the Yavan Forests in general. Inside one of the houses, Wilom was having breakfast with his daughter, Rose, who had grown up and was no longer a child.
"Well, you're eighteen now. I think it's time for you to become the village leader instead of me," Wilom said.
"What are you talking about, Dad? I don't think I could ever be like you. You're the best leader, and the whole village knows it."
"But what about you? Don't you have enough confidence or what?"
"I... um... no, but I still prefer you."
It was just another normal day in the village of Bloomy. After breakfast, they would go hunt monsters, trade with neighboring villages, and work on strengthening the village's defenses. The days continued like this, but then, during one spring unlike any the people of Bloomy had ever seen, a colossal dragon appeared in the Yavan Forests—a dragon that brought with it numerous threats, like wyverns and many other dangers.
"What do we do?!" shouted one of the muscular dryad men, Nhor.
"I don't know..." Wilom cried out, holding his head in his hands.
"Dad," Rose murmured.
"I heard it's approaching. It's dozens of times bigger than a wyvern. We're doomed. This is the end," one of the dryads muttered.
Apparently, Wilom had gathered a meeting to discuss the matter of this dragon. At first, when the dragon entered Yavan, it fell into a deep slumber and did nothing. But yesterday, it awakened and burned several villages. Now, it seemed to be heading toward Bloomy as well—something that terrified Wilom and all his allies.
Wilom was lost. In that moment, he no longer saw himself as the leader of the village—just a failure who couldn't do anything in the face of this dragon. This disaster that struck Yavan changed Wilom deeply. A wise man like him had lost everything—even his judgment. All he could do now was hope for an angel or something to descend and protect the village he could no longer save.
Three days later, the fated day arrived—the day the trees of Bloomy and its homes were set ablaze. Children died beneath the rubble, and the rest were burned alive by the dragon's black flames. It was hell. The black fire spread everywhere, and screams echoed in the air. There was no one to protect them. No one to help them. On that day, the people of Bloomy lost all hope in life.
"Slytha! Slytha!" the dragon roared as it burned the village of Bloomy.
That name was etched into the memory of everyone. The fire of this dragon wasn't like any ordinary fire. It caused the plants in the dryads' hair to wither just by getting near it. In other words, this dragon posed an immense threat—not just to Bloomy and its people, but to all dryads. Yet in one part of Bloomy, there was still a group standing their ground, fighting back.
"Fire your arrows with precision!" Nhor shouted.
A group of dryads kept launching arrows at the dragon, though they couldn't even scratch it. Even though they knew their end was inevitable, they continued to fight. It was a foolish decision—a foolish command given by the village leader, Wilom. A man who had lost everything—his wisdom, his focus, his composure. Everything that made him a leader had vanished in this terrifying atmosphere.
"Enough... there's no point in resisting," Wilom muttered.
"Then let's run, Dad..." Rose whispered, gripping her father's hand.
At that moment, the others tried to flee. But it seemed the dragon had no intention of letting them escape. After being pelted with arrows, it decided to toy with them. It approached and unleashed its poisonous black fire. The remaining dryads ran as fast as they could, including Rose, who was pulling her father along as she ran.
Suddenly, due to the dragon's fierce attacks, debris from a nearby house collapsed and fell heavily on Wilom—the only one who had been running slowly. Rose tried to help him, trying to lift the wreckage, but she couldn't. She cried and screamed, but then, in a terrifying moment, Nhor grabbed her quickly and ran off with the others, leaving Wilom behind as the dragon slowly approached.
"Good job, Nhor... Take care of yourself, Rose," Wilom said with a smile, gazing at his daughter, who was crying and struggling to break free from Nhor's grasp as she stared at her father.
In that moment, right before his daughter's eyes, a massive wave of black fire fell upon Wilom, engulfing him completely. He disappeared, and it was clear that this was the end for him. The end of a man who wanted to do everything, but had nothing. The end of a man who dreamed but never achieved. The end of a man who was both brave and weak. That was how Wilom died—with his daughter being the only one to witness it.
"AAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!!" Rose screamed.
It's true that the village was eventually rebuilt, returning to its former peace, and the dragon went back into its deep slumber. But ever since that day, Rose had only one dream. It wasn't to protect the village or anything her father once desired. Rose's only dream was to kill that dragon. That was her burning desire—her one and only absolute wish.
It's true that the village was eventually rebuilt, and peace returned. The dragon, too, went back into its deep slumber. But from that day forward, Rose had only one dream. It wasn't to protect the village, nor was it to fulfill her father's old hopes. Rose's only dream was for that dragon to die. That burning desire became her one and only absolute wish.