Chapter 212 - 207: The Road to the Ashen Range
Morning came quietly.
The fire had burned down to a pile of gray ash by the time John opened his eyes.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at the sky.
No alarms.
No monsters.
No explosions.
Just clouds slowly moving across the morning sky.
John sat up and stretched.
His body felt considerably better than it had the night before.
The wounds from the battle were almost completely healed. His mana had also recovered significantly after several hours of rest.
He looked around the campsite.
Darius was already awake, studying the map.
Lythriel was preparing breakfast.
Aerion was still asleep.
John smiled.
"Some things never change."
Lythriel glanced over.
"You’re awake."
"Unfortunately."
"You say that every morning."
"Because mornings keep happening."
She shook her head.
"You really are impossible."
John stood and walked toward Darius.
"How far to the nearest town?"
Darius folded the map.
"Two days if we stay on the main road."
"Good."
"Then we’ll restock there."
John nodded.
He wasn’t interested in heading directly toward the Ashen Range.
The resonance gave them a direction, but not a reason to rush blindly into unfamiliar territory.
They needed information first.
The Ashen Range was far larger than the map made it look. It contained several mountain passes, old settlements, abandoned mines, and a few regions where monsters were known to be unusually aggressive.
They didn’t know which part of the range contained the second fragment.
The vision John had received had shown mountains and a forest.
That wasn’t enough.
"We should find someone who knows the area," John said.
Darius nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing."
"Adventurer?"
"Probably. Or a merchant who’s traveled through the region."
John looked at the map.
"Let’s start with the nearest town."
---
They left shortly after breakfast.
The ruins gradually disappeared behind them as the wagon followed the old road.
John sat at the back, occasionally looking over his shoulder.
Nothing followed them.
At least, nothing he could detect.
But he hadn’t forgotten the presence he’d sensed the previous night.
Someone had been watching them.
He wasn’t sure whether it was connected to the second fragment.
He also wasn’t going to assume it was.
There were enough unknowns already.
After several hours, Lythriel moved to sit beside him.
"You’ve been quiet."
"I’m thinking."
"About the person we sensed?"
John nodded.
"Partly."
"You think they’re still following us?"
"I don’t know."
She looked behind them.
"I don’t see anyone."
"Neither do I."
"Then?"
John shrugged.
"Maybe they left."
"Or?"
"Maybe they’re better at hiding than we are at finding them."
Lythriel frowned.
"That’s reassuring."
John smiled.
"Wasn’t meant to be."
She nudged his shoulder.
"You’re terrible at making people feel better."
"I try."
"No, you don’t."
John laughed.
The conversation ended there.
Neither of them noticed the faint movement far behind them.
A shadow crossed between two distant trees.
Then disappeared.
---
By midday, they encountered a fork in the road.
Darius slowed the wagon.
"We have a choice."
John looked ahead.
"The main road goes west."
"And the other?"
"Northwest."
John immediately looked toward the second road.
The resonance inside his Dragon Core pulsed.
Once.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Northwest."
Darius noticed.
"You felt it?"
"Yeah."
The second fragment wasn’t calling strongly enough to give him an exact location.
But the direction was unmistakable.
Northwest.
Darius studied the map.
"The northern route eventually reconnects with the main road."
"How much longer?"
"About half a day."
"Take it."
Darius nodded.
The wagon turned northwest.
The road became narrower.
The surrounding forest grew denser.
The temperature dropped slightly.
John could feel the mountains now.
They were still far away, but the enormous silhouettes were beginning to appear beyond the trees.
The Ashen Range.
He stared at them.
Something about those mountains felt familiar.
Not because he’d been there before.
Because the second fragment recognized them.
---
They reached the town just before sunset.
It was called **Greyford**.
It wasn’t large.
A wooden wall surrounded several dozen buildings, and a small watchtower stood above the entrance.
Merchants filled the main road.
Adventurers came and went.
Nothing about the town looked particularly unusual.
John was relieved.
They checked into an inn and spent the evening gathering information.
Darius spoke with a merchant who regularly traveled north.
The merchant immediately warned them.
"Don’t take the eastern pass."
"Why?" Darius asked.
"Monsters."
"How bad?"
The merchant laughed.
"Bad enough that caravans stopped using it."
John listened from nearby.
"What kind?"
The merchant looked at him.
"Depends on the season."
"Right now?"
"Mostly wolves, wyverns, and some larger beasts."
John nodded.
Nothing that immediately concerned him.
Then the merchant continued.
"But the real problem is the old mining roads."
Darius looked up.
"Old mines?"
"Abandoned years ago."
"Why?"
The merchant shrugged.
"People disappeared."
John’s expression didn’t change.
He had heard that story too many times.
"What kind of people?"
"Miners. Adventurers. Hunters."
"Any survivors?"
"Sometimes."
"Did they say what happened?"
The merchant hesitated.
"They talked about hearing something underground."
John almost sighed.
Another underground mystery.
He wasn’t interested.
"Where are those mines?"
The merchant pointed toward the map.
"About five days northwest."
John exchanged a glance with Darius.
Five days.
That was close to the direction indicated by the fragment.
But that didn’t necessarily mean the mines were connected.
John refused to jump to conclusions.
"Anything else?"
The merchant shook his head.
"There’s an old settlement beyond them. Most people avoid it."
"Why?"
"Because nobody lives there anymore."
John nodded.
"Thanks."
They returned to their table.
Lythriel looked at him.
"You look disappointed."
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because I was hoping for information that didn’t involve people disappearing underground."
She smiled.
"Maybe we should stop going underground."
"I’ve been thinking the same thing."
Darius laughed.
"You two realize the mountains are full of caves, right?"
John stared at him.
"Don’t say that."
---
The next morning, they left Greyford.
They bought supplies, gathered several maps, and hired no guides.
John preferred traveling with the group rather than bringing strangers along.
The road became rougher as they approached the foothills.
The forest was thicker here.
Birds were scarce.
The occasional tracks of large animals appeared in the mud.
John examined one.
"Something big."
Darius stopped.
"Monster?"
"Probably."
"How strong?"
John studied the tracks.
"Not enough to worry about."
They continued.
A few hours later, they encountered another group.
This time, it was a caravan.
Three wagons.
Seven guards.
They had stopped beside the road to repair a broken wheel.
Darius offered assistance.
While the others worked, John spoke with the caravan leader.
"You travel this route often?"
"Every few months."
"Have you been toward the Ashen Range recently?"
The man’s expression changed.
"Why?"
"We’re heading there."
The man looked at John carefully.
"Adventurers?"
"Something like that."
The man hesitated.
"If you’re going into the northern range, be careful."
"Because of the monsters?"
"That too."
"What else?"
The caravan leader lowered his voice.
"There have been reports of strange lights in the mountains."
John’s eyes narrowed.
"How long?"
"Several weeks."
"Anyone investigate?"
"Some adventurers."
"And?"
"They came back."
"That’s good."
"They refused to talk about it."
John frowned.
"That isn’t."
The man nodded.
"They just said the mountains weren’t as empty as people thought."
John looked toward the distant peaks.
The second fragment pulsed.
**Thump.**
His Dragon Core responded.
John’s expression became serious.
That wasn’t coincidence anymore.
Something in those mountains was definitely connected to the fragment.
But he still didn’t know what.
---
That evening, they camped beside a stream.
John sat alone for a while.
He didn’t train.
He simply tried to understand the resonance.
He closed his eyes.
His consciousness focused inward.
The Dragon Core appeared in his mind like a dark sphere surrounded by flowing energy.
The first fragment’s influence was familiar.
The second was different.
It didn’t feel like an addition.
It felt like a missing piece returning to something that had been incomplete for a very long time.
John reached toward it.
The resonance intensified.
For a moment, another image appeared.
Not mountains this time.
A vast cavern.
Deep beneath the earth.
At its center stood something enormous.
John couldn’t see its shape.
Only a silhouette.
Then the image disappeared.
John opened his eyes.
His breathing was slightly heavier.
"What was that?"
Lythriel’s voice came from behind him.
"John?"
He turned.
She stood several meters away.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"What happened?"
"I saw another vision."
She sat beside him.
"What did you see?"
"A cavern."
"Anything else?"
"Something was inside."
"Something dangerous?"
"I don’t know."
He looked toward the mountains.
"But I don’t think the fragment is simply waiting there."
Lythriel understood.
"You think someone—or something—is guarding it."
"Maybe."
"Are you worried?"
John thought for a moment.
"No."
She smiled.
"That’s a first."
"I’m curious."
"That’s worse."
John laughed.
Then his expression became thoughtful again.
"There is something else."
"What?"
"The second fragment reacted before we changed direction."
Lythriel looked at him.
"So?"
"So it might not just be showing me where it is."
John looked at his hand.
"It might be responding to where I’m going."
"Meaning?"
"I’m not sure yet."
That uncertainty bothered him.
The Great Dragon’s Legacy had never been simple.
The first fragment had awakened something within him.
Now the second was doing the same.
But this time, John wasn’t going to rush into another battle just because something powerful was waiting for him.
He needed to understand the situation first.
---
Later that night, everyone went to sleep.
John remained awake.
He watched the mountains in the distance.
The moonlight barely illuminated their peaks.
Then—
A faint golden light appeared between the trees.
John’s eyes narrowed.
He stood.
The light disappeared.
He waited.
Nothing.
Then he sensed it.
A presence.
Not the same one from the previous night.
This was different.
Closer.
John’s hand moved toward his weapon.
"Come out."
No answer.
The forest remained silent.
John’s eyes slowly adapted to the darkness.
Then a voice came from somewhere beyond the trees.
"You found the second fragment."
John froze.
The voice was calm.
Neither hostile nor friendly.
Just certain.
John stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
Silence.
Then the voice answered.
"Someone who has been waiting for its return."
John’s expression hardened.
"Return to where?"
The figure didn’t answer.
Instead, John felt the second fragment resonate.
**Thump.**
The golden light appeared again.
This time, he could see the outline of a person standing among the trees.
But before John could move—
The figure vanished.
John rushed forward.
Nothing.
No footprints.
No residual mana.
Whoever it was had disappeared completely.
John stood in the darkness.
Lythriel woke behind him.
"John?"
He looked back.
"Go back to sleep."
"Was that—"
"Someone."
"Who?"
John looked toward the Ashen Range.
"I don’t know."
He paused.
"But they know about the second fragment."
The night suddenly felt colder.
John returned to camp, but he didn’t sleep.
The next morning, they would continue toward the Ashen Range.
Not because a mysterious stranger had told him to.
Not because some ancient prophecy demanded it.
Because John had finally found something directly connected to the Great Dragon’s Legacy.
And now someone else knew it existed.
Whatever waited in those mountains, John intended to reach it first.
---
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