The dusk was quietly fading, the last of it hanging like a thin veil over the wilds; when this veil would fall, the day would have arrived.
In the sky, a vast Black Shadow swept past, flying swiftly. Occasionally it would flap its wings to adjust its height—it was Gregory.
Even in his dragon form, Gregory could not hide his exhaustion and haggardness. He had been searching and evading something for a long time, especially recently, as a certain premonition had urged him to greatly accelerate his pace.
But no matter how hard he tried, he found his efforts fruitless. It was as if an invisible rope had already been tied around his neck, tightening bit by bit, suffocating him to death.
"Flap flap..."
Flapping his wings and slowly descending in altitude, Gregory looked toward the distance. He knew there was a hill there, and atop that hill stood the Black Castle, where his daughter and a human boy named Richard lived. Thinking of these, waves rippled in Gregory's heart.