A cold wind rang sharply deep in their ears. Ryou stopped walking and drew a breath. Their blonde hair swayed softly, then clung to their shoulders. "[whispers] So this is... the Mirror Cradle." The air at the mountaintop was thin and cold. And yet, it carried a weight that clung to the skin. The cave entrance gaped open like a giant mouth. The rock walls were covered in a silver mineral—Silvanite—which reflected the faint light, glittering with a pale blue glow. Beside Ryou, Yura gripped their bow tightly. Their short black hair was tousled by the wind, and their narrow black eyes glared into the depths of the cave. "[serious] Ready?" "[angry] Obviously!" Ryou reached for the greatsword on their back. But their arms were completely stiff from the climb that had left them breathless just moments ago. "[excited] Wait up, I still haven't caught my breath!" From behind, Chiaki caught up, panting heavily. Her deep navy ponytail was plastered to her forehead with sweat. Dragging her large double-bladed axe, she glared at Ryou with amber eyes. "You're in a girl's body, so why the hell are you so fast!?" "[angry] How should I know! My legs just moved on their own!" "[cold] Both of you, we're going in." Yura took one step into the cave. The sound of that footstep— *Clack.* —came back at them from every direction. *Clack, clack, clackclackclack...* A chill ran down Ryou's spine. "[scared] Wh-what the hell is this!?" The cave walls bounced sound back like mirrors. Yura's single step became the footsteps of ten people, closing in from all sides. "[surprised] Whoa, creepy!" When Chiaki shouted, her voice— *"Creepy!" "Creepy!" "Creepy..."* —became an echo that swirled throughout the cave. "[scared] Hey, isn't this really bad!? I can't tell where the enemy is at all!" *"Can't tell where the enemy is at all!" "At all at all at all..."* Chiaki's voice flew at them from ten different directions. "[angry] Shut up! Walk quietly!" *"Walk quietly!" "Quietly quietly quietly..."* Even Ryou's angry yell was parroted back, making the cave clamor noisily. "[cold] ...This is the Silvanite mirror zone. Sound and light scatter-reflect, disorienting your sense of direction." Yura spoke in a low voice. That voice, too, reverberated in overlapping layers. Chiaki pressed herself close behind Ryou. "[scared] Ryou, I'm gonna protect you!" "[surprised] Huh? Why does it turn out like that!" "I told you I fell in love at first sight with your male form earlier, didn't I! To protect that person, I've gotta protect the current you, right!?" "[angry] That makes no sense!!" The moment Ryou shouted— *Smoothly.* Yura stepped in between Ryou and Chiaki. It was less like stepping in, and more like they had been there naturally from the very beginning. "[cold] ...Chat later. We're going." Yura's ears were just the slightest bit red. But they didn't seem to notice it themselves. Chiaki looked at Yura with a sulky face. "What, Yura? You're always standing next to Ryou like that, aren't you?" "[cold] No, I'm not." "You totally are!" "[whispers] God, you're both so loud..." Ryou wanted to cover their ears. With the cave's reverberation, the three's argument multiplied many times over, spinning round and round inside their head. *(A place with no sound—)* Ryou closed their eyes. *(The quiet direction is the ancient dragon's nest.)* They strained their ears. The sound of their own heart was annoyingly loud. Chiaki's complaints, Yura's cold voice—all of it echoed and mixed together. But— For just a single moment, there was a direction where all sound vanished. The very deepest part of the cave. "[serious] ...This way." Ryou opened their eyes and pointed straight ahead. Yura's eyes widened just a fraction. "[whispers] ...You can tell?" "[serious] You're the one who always told me to use my head." Ryou grinned. Yura looked momentarily taken aback, and then their mouth relaxed softly. "[gentle] ...I suppose so." Between Ryou and Yura, Chiaki pouted. "What's that, a private little world for just the two of you!" *"A private little world for just the two of you!" "Just the two of you, two of you..."* The cave repeated Chiaki's voice over and over. Ryou turned bright red and broke into a run toward the back. "[angry] Shut up! Let's go!" The sound died. The depths of the cave were sheer silence. Here, the reflections of the Silvanite had mysteriously vanished. Instead, in the center of the vast hollow, a gigantic silver-white mass was breathing slowly. Total length, 42 meters—the ancient dragon, Miravolte. Its mirror-like scales reflected the faint light, shimmering in rainbow colors. Its closed eyelids, its wings, its fangs—everything shone silver. "[whispers] ...Huge." Ryou's voice trembled faintly. Perhaps that tremor traveled through the air— Miravolte's eyes opened. Its vertically slit pupils glinted sharply. *Grrrrrrrrr...* A low, rumbling growl echoed throughout the hollow. "[excited] It's coming!!" Chiaki readied her double-bladed axe and leaped out. "I'll be the decoy! You two scatter left and right!" "[surprised] Hey, by yourself—" "[excited] It's fine, I'm telling you! They call me the number one reckless charger in Kiba's party!" Chiaki grinned and danced out right in front of Miravolte. "Over here, you giant lump!!" She slammed her double-bladed axe against the rock with all her might. *CLANG!!* Sparks flew. Miravolte's massive body slowly turned toward Chiaki. With every movement, the floor shook with heavy thuds. "[serious] Yura, now!" Yura shouted. Ryou nodded and kicked off the ground. The lightness of Yura's body—a woman's body—came into play here. Ryou kicked off the rock wall and leaped into the air. Their skirt billowed up softly, riding the updraft, higher, higher—. Below, Yura—in Ryou's body, a man's body—held the greatsword in both hands and charged toward Miravolte's wing membrane. "[serious] We'll settle this in one go!" The greatsword tore through the air. *Shunk!!* The blade bit deep into the wing membrane. Miravolte let out a cry of agony, its massive body rearing back. In that instant— Ryou twisted their body in midair and dove straight down from above, aiming for the core scale—the single jet-black scale on its chest that reflected no light. "[angry] On three—!!" The wind roared in their ears. Their skirt flipped up violently. "[scared] Uwaaaaah, my skirt's flipping uuuup!!" "[angry] You're saying that NOW!?" Yura yelled back from below. Even so, Ryou's hands didn't stop. They pulled 14 fragments of reverse scales from their pouch and aimed for the core scale— That was when it happened. Miravolte spread its wings wide. The mirror-like wings scattered light chaotically, filling the entire hollow. Blinding light assaulted the three from every direction. "[scared] Wh-what—" Within the light, Miravolte's mouth opened. Mirror Breath—. A torrent of silver light erupted from its mouth. But it didn't fly straight. It reflected off the Silvanite walls, changed direction, reflected again— —heading straight for Yura. "[scared] Yura!!" In midair, Ryou twisted their body before they could even think. They dropped the fragments. Surrendering to gravity, they threw their body toward Yura. The light of the breath swallowed Ryou whole. *—GOOOOOOOOOOONG!!* An explosive roar. Ryou's body was swept away by the torrent of light and slammed against the edge of the cliff. Their blonde hair was singed, their skirt torn, their small body falling limp and motionless. "...Ryou?" Yura dropped the greatsword. The blade hit the rock with a clatter. "[scared] Ryou, Ryou, come on!" Yura—in Ryou's body, a man's body—rushed to Ryou's side. They dropped to their knees and pulled the motionless body into their arms. "[crying] Hey, answer me... Ryou..." No answer. Ryou's eyes remained closed. Their blue eyes were slightly open, reflecting nothing. Yura's shoulders began to tremble. "[crying] Why... why does it always end up like this...?" The mask of Yura, who had been cool and composed all this time, crumbled audibly. From their narrow black eyes, a single tear spilled. "[crying] You're such an idiot... Do you have any idea how much I...?" Their voice shook. The tears wouldn't stop. "[crying] ...I love you...!! I love you so much!!" Yura's cry reflected off the Silvanite mirrors and echoed throughout the hollow. *"I love you" "I love you so much" "I love you..."* That voice poured down over Ryou's body again and again. —In that moment. From Ryou's pouch, the 14 fragments of reverse scales flew out all at once. A silver-white light spread throughout the hollow. The dazzling light enveloped Ryou and Yura, and with a warmth—like the morning sun—it shook their bodies. The light subsided. Ryou opened their eyes. They looked at their own hand. —Big. Bony, hard, and covered in sword calluses. A man's hand. "[whispers] ...I'm back." Ryou slowly sat up. Their spiky black hair swayed at the edge of their vision. Before them stood Yura, with silver hair. Their straight silver hair, reaching down to their waist, swayed in the wind. Their narrow purple eyes, swollen red from crying, gazed at Ryou. The silver piercing on their left earlobe glinted. "[crying] ...Idiot." Yura grabbed Ryou by the chest. Their slender fingers gripped Ryou's shirt tightly. "[crying] Why do you always... do nothing but reckless things...?" Ryou pulled Yura's shoulders into an embrace. "[serious] ...Sorry." Yura's body trembled faintly in their arms. Ryou shouted at the top of their lungs. "[angry] I—I love you too!!" Their voice echoed through the hollow. "[angry] Whether it's a man's body or a woman's body, I don't care either way! If it's not you, Yura, it's no good!!" *"It's no good!!" "No good..."* The Silvanite repeated Ryou's confession over and over. Listening to that voice, Yura buried their face in Ryou's chest and cried out loud. "[crying] ...Aren't you an idiot." "[laughing] Shut up." Still holding each other, they looked at each other's faces—and laughed. With faces messy with tears, they laughed together. "[excited] Hey!! Is this really the time for flirting!?" Chiaki's shout pulled the two back to reality. Miravolte, shaking its wounded wings, was still trying to rise. Ryou pulled away from Yura and picked up the greatsword. A feeling that fit perfectly in their hand. *(This is my hand. My body.)* "[serious] Yura, can you do this?" "[cold] ...You don't need to ask." Yura readied their bow. Their supple silver hair floated up softly in the wind. Ryou ran. Dragging the greatsword in one hand, they leaped out in front of Miravolte. "[angry] Your curse ends here!!" They raised the greatsword with both hands and slammed it into the core scale—the jet-black scale. *—CLAAAANG!!* Sparks flew. A crack formed in the scale. Yura did not miss that split-second opening. "[serious] Piercing Arrow—" The bowstring sliced through the air. *Fwish—* A single arrow pierced through the cracked core scale. *—BOOOOOOM!!* The jet-black scale shattered into pieces. Miravolte's massive body reeled back violently. Its silver-white scales peeled away, turning into particles of light and vanishing. *GYAOOOOOOOO...* A death cry shook the hollow. And then— Silence. The 42-meter giant body slowly crumbled. It turned into particles of light and disappeared, as if dissolving into the air. Around that time—in Bergheim. At the tavern "Grüne Horn," the hunters erupted in an uproar all at once. "[surprised] I-I'm back!! My body's back!!" "[crying] Uwaaaah, finally, it's my body!!" "[laughing] Hyahahaha!! Now I can drink again!!" Cheers rose from all over town. At the guild headquarters reception, Melvie adjusted her glasses and looked out the window. "[whispers] ...They did it, those idiots." Melvie's mouth relaxed just a