In the dark of night, the slender figure of the princess from two realms was pacing on the balcony of the vast palace in the demon lands. Each firm step signified her unwavering decision not to alter her course. Her destination was her mother's chamber.

    Knock, knock…

    "Come in," a familiar sweet voice allowed entry, prompting the new princess to step inside. Her cold blue eyes glanced at her mother sitting on the bed before moving closer.

    "Is there something you need, Tesia?" her mother gently inquired, observing her beloved daughter approaching.

    Princess Teselia Atia of the demon realm, looked at her mother with unchanged, vacant eyes. In this vast world, only her mother called her Tesia, and she was one of only two people Teselia permitted to use that name.

    "Mother, I have come to tell you that I will go to the land of humans and dragons," the words that her daughter unexpectedly uttered left her momentarily silent. Although she had always known that this day would come, she hadn't anticipated it so soon. No… not too soon, but rather she had hoped this time would extend longer, even though she knew it would eventually arrive.

    "Do you truly wish to go?" her mother asked, part of her not wanting her daughter to go far, yet knowing she couldn't stop her.

    One reason was that her daughter needed to learn about humans and dragons since she was prophesied to bring peace back to both lands, and secondly, because her other half was human. These two reasons alone made it impossible for her mother to object.

    The young girl nodded. Fifteen years had passed, and it had been too long with the endless wars, too long with the losses. Once, someone had told her she was destined to stop all wars. That person had come to her, tortured by the ordeal. It had been too long, and she couldn’t let it go on any longer. However, since she never understood humans, she had to go.

    "Has your grandfather given his permission?" her mother's beautiful face remained impassive as she listened to the question, then responded in an even, emotionless tone.

    "I didn't ask. But he knows there's no hope," she didn't bother caring from the beginning, having made up her mind, which her mother also knew well. Her visit this time wasn’t to seek permission, but to tell her mother that she would never change her mind.

    "But going there, you must have at least one dragon, right?" The gentle voice still inquired. As a mother, she knew she couldn't stop her daughter, so would it be wrong to want to know everything her child was planning to do? While she couldn't forbid it, as she knew it was something that would happen one day, knowing it was inevitable didn't mean she wasn't worried.

    "I will take 'Fok'," Teselia referred to her twilight elemental dragon. Her mother sighed, knowing any resistance was futile.

    "You're not going as a princess, are you?" the mother asked with concern. No matter how strong her little one was, she was still a child in the eyes of her parents.

    "No... I am going as a traveler. I want to know what makes humans and demons different." Her blue eyes remained emotionless, even while speaking with her mother. No one could reach her heart, not even her mother.

    "Then, can you go as a male? Mother thinks it would be safer that way," her blue eyes looked at her mother, who didn't want to tell her that she was the top-ranked assassin, so she could certainly take care of herself.

    "As you wish, mother," Teselia replied flatly. No matter what, the person in front of her was her mother, and it wasn't in her nature to make her worry.

    Flash… the slim figure of the princess shone brightly and, as the light faded, was replaced by a young man with sweet features and short blue hair. What did not change were those beautiful blue eyes that still held a cold gleam.

    "I would like you to take this with you," the mother handed her a necklace, a clear quartz gem shaped like a pointed icicle. Ever since she could remember, she had never seen her mother take off this necklace. It was a symbol of love from her father to her mother, a sign that everything that happened was not a deception but love.

    "It belonged to your father. It's something he gave to me to pass on to his child with me. Take it, perhaps it can help you," Teselia accepted the item before putting it around her neck.

    "When will you go?"

    "Tonight!!"

    The garden in the palace at night remained as quiet as ever. The figures of the mother and child stood amidst the darkness.

    "You're really going, aren't you?" the mother couldn't help but ask finally. Teselia's blue eyes softened.

    "I have decided, mother," and there was no day she would change her mind.

    The princess, now in the form of a young man, hugged her mother before stepping back. The slender figure turned away from everything—her mother, the palace, and her own land. Teselia swung her arm out to the side and shouted at the top of her lungs,

    "Fok!!"

    Screech!! The thunderous roar of the giant dragon soon followed her call.

    Whoosh... In the still of the night, the massive form of the dragon appeared, its fiery red eyes glowing in the dark. Its glossy black scales and sharp claws matched its giant wings, which seemed to eclipse the pale-yellow moon from view. It landed softly in front of the slender figure, those fiery red eyes scanning the surroundings.

    Everyone knew this dragon never obeyed anyone except its young master. To it, no one else existed—only its beloved young master… the one it loved the most. This was the nature of the dragon’s breed, the Twilight Knight!!

    The slender figure threw off his cloak with a flourish before leaping onto the back of the giant dragon. Once its master was aboard, the Twilight Knight spread its beautiful wings before flapping them, carrying both away into the darkness...

    "Good luck, my beloved child..." That was all the mother could do…

    The slim young man walked through the bustling market of Drago's capital. Here, people bustled about, each with a miniature dragon perched on their shoulder. However, some individuals were without such dragons, having learned to contain them within personal objects. Unfortunately, these people were few, as not everyone knew how to do this, and mostly, those who did had been educated about dragons.

    The young man was satisfied with just being able to shrink his Twilight Knight, as he had not learned these techniques. Such courses were taught in the human lands; in the demon realms, no one thought to keep dragons. Just knowing the dragon language and controlling it as he did was considered quite skillful.

    After wandering the market and observing people and shops for a while, he began to feel hungry. The dual-blooded princess, in the form of a young man, entered a restaurant. His cool blue eyes scanned for a seat before he walked to a table near the back. Fok, the dragon, flew down from his shoulder to the table and leaned forward to look at the menu he was holding.

    "What would you like?" a server promptly came over to take his and Fok's orders. After ordering what they wanted, the server walked away. Soon, a large, burly waiter came over and set the ordered food on the table.

    "Kid, you got money or what?" The mocking question earned only a cool glance from the icy blue eyes before being ignored. He didn't intend to waste time on this server.

    "What's up, kid?" The person in front kept teasing, possibly annoyed by the customer's aloof demeanor.

    "I can afford it, so leave it," the young man said coldly, annoyed, then turned his attention back to his food.

    "What... are you mocking me or what?" the burly man snapped out, clearly displeased.

    "Then you don’t," the one being harassed replied coolly, a mocking smile appearing even though his blue eyes remained calm.

    "You..." A hand suddenly lunged at the young man's face, intending to leave a mark for the person in front of him to remember.

    Wham... but the hand of the one sitting was quicker as it shot up to grab the attacker's fist.

    "Waitstaff shouldn't harm customers," the mocking voice rose as he twisted the arm, inflicting pain on the man in front of him.

    "And good waitstaff shouldn’t lose manners with guests," he finished as the large burly figure of the aggressor was sent flying into a wall of the restaurant with a loud crash, shocking everyone. But the aggressor just turned to look at the Twilight Knight with the same unemotional blue eyes.

    "Let’s go, Fok," the small black dragon cried out before flying to perch on its master's shoulder. The young man left money on the table and swiftly walked out like the wind.

    The young man with blue hair walked through the market, his blue eyes perpetually cold. The black dragon on his shoulder seemed calmer, sensing its master's mood.

    "Hey... wait a moment!" Someone called from behind, but he had no intention of turning back, continuing to walk until he was forcibly stopped, which made him reluctantly face the person calling him.

    This guy... Although he thought he had dodged the reaching hand quickly, he was still caught. The newcomer was no ordinary person.

    "What do you want?" came the cool voice addressing a man of similar age in front of him, his fiery red, stylishly short hair and a handsome face adorned with a smile. Sea-green eyes that looked at him seemed to enjoy the encounter. The young man with blue hair slightly tilted his head to get a better look at the newcomer, thinking to himself, damn… what did he eat to get so tall?

    "Were you the one who dealt with that giant in the restaurant earlier?" the man in front asked amusingly, supported by the cries of a small red dragon perched on his shoulder. The other's earlier ignoring of his calls, which had forced him to chase and grab him, did not seem to upset the young man with red hair at all.

    "Yes," he replied coldly, his beautiful eyes shifting to look at the dragon accompanying his interlocutor.

    "A lava dragon, right?" The young man remarked, then smiled coolly. Lava dragons were among the rarest and most expensive of the mid-tier dragons because the highest tier dragons are extremely rare, some even legendary.

    His own Twilight Knight was a top-tier dragon, rare and far more expensive than mid-tier dragons. But even so, it was considered one of the best dragons for the average person.

    "I'm Kyre Zeviousa, the warrior of Feris," the young man with red hair introduced himself cheerily.

    "Teshia. Just know that I'm a traveler," the young man with blue hair maintained his cool tone, reluctant to even reveal his name. But judging by the attitude of the person in front of him, not answering might lead to an endless series of questions. Normally, Teshia thought he could easily avoid others, but given the skill of this person who had managed to catch him earlier, trying to avoid him would likely be too much effort.

    "I want to be your friend," Kyre stated, his sea-green eyes serious and sincere, a sense hinting that befriending this person could lead to many interesting adventures.

    "You should stay away from me," Teshia responded in his usual cold tone. He wasn’t open to anyone as his heart had been closed off for a long time.

    "Just friends," the person in front persisted, it's just about being friends, not becoming family.

    "No," Teshia responded, not needing to think about it, but the young man in front didn’t give up.

    "Come on... let’s be friends. We're friends now, okay?" The good-natured warrior with red hair assumed a neutral expression, causing Fok, perched on his shoulder, to protest. The sweet-faced young man wanted to reject again, but given the situation, even if he kept saying no, this person would likely continue unbothered. So, staying silent seemed like the best option.

    "Ah, right, this is Fera. And yours?" Kyre introduced his dragon and then inquired about his new friend's dragon.

    "Fok, the Twilight Knight," since not answering would lead to more pestering, the young man answered just to end it. The sea-green eyes widened while the small black dragon seemed to puff up proudly in its lineage.

    "Anyway, I'll take you out today," Kyre invited, unconcerned about the species of the little dragon on his new friend’s shoulder. He wanted to be friends because he thought it would be fun, not because he had a Twilight Knight as a partner.

    Having said that, he dragged the princess disguised as a traveler along with him. Although Fok threatened, it could do little in its miniature form. In reality, it could use Twilight fireballs, but that would not be worth the ensuing trouble. And the young master seemed to think the same, reluctantly following his new friend. For now, all it could do was cling to its master’s shoulder and keep guard.