Chapter 48: The Lake of Eternal Reflection
The festival eventually came to an end.
Like all beautiful things, it was never meant to last forever.
The music that had once echoed through every street gradually faded into silence.
The fireworks that painted the heavens with brilliant colors disappeared one by one.
The countless lanterns illuminating the kingdom were extinguished as the night grew deeper.
Merchants packed away their stalls.
Performers took their final bows.
Families returned to their homes.
And slowly-
The kingdom returned to its peaceful routine.
Yet despite the festival’s conclusion, one person remained unusually happy.
Astraith.
Though that happiness might have had less to do with the festival itself and more to do with the mountain of food she had brought home afterward.
The dragon had somehow returned with enough food to sustain an army.
Perhaps two armies.
Maybe three.
At this point, Vlox had long since stopped trying to understand how she accomplished such things.
Some mysteries of existence simply couldn’t be explained.
Not by scholars.
Not by gods.
Not even by the creator of the Omniverse.
And Astraith’s appetite was undoubtedly one of them.
Morning arrived peacefully over Black Mountain.
Golden sunlight streamed through the castle’s enormous crystal windows, illuminating the halls with a warm glow.
Outside, the forests stretched endlessly beneath a clear blue sky.
Birds sang among the trees.
The rivers winding through the valleys sparkled like liquid crystal beneath the morning sun.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers through the air.
Everything felt calm.
Everything felt alive.
Everything felt exactly as it should.
And inside the castle-
Astraith was asleep.
Very asleep.
Dangerously asleep.
The Celestial Dragon had somehow transformed herself into what could only be described as a blanket cocoon.
Layers of blankets completely covered her body.
Only a small portion of silver hair was visible.
Nothing else.
Not her face.
Not even her arms.
She looked less like an ancient dragon and more like a mysterious artifact wrapped for transportation.
Vlox stood beside the bed.
Watching.
Silently.
Patiently.
Trying to understand how this situation had come into existence.
Several moments passed.
Then he gently poked the blanket.
The blanket growled.
Vlox blinked.
The blanket growled again.
"Astraith."
"No."
"Good morning."
"No."
"It’s almost noon."
"No."
"You’ve been sleeping for fourteen hours."
Silence.
A long silence.
Then the blanket shifted.
A single golden eye peeked out from the cocoon.
"Fourteen?"
"Fourteen."
The dragon immediately sat upright.
Her silver hair exploded in every direction.
It looked as though she had personally challenged a hurricane to a duel.
And lost spectacularly.
Astraith stared at him in horror.
"I missed breakfast."
Vlox laughed.
Of course.
Not the fact she had slept half the day.
Not the fact the sun was nearly overhead.
Not the realization that she had somehow spent fourteen consecutive hours asleep.
Breakfast.
That was her priority.
Astraith immediately jumped out of bed.
"Emergency."
"There is no emergency."
"There is."
"Astraith."
"I require pancakes."
Vlox sighed.
The dragon had spoken.
There would be no further discussion.
One hour later-
The castle’s grand dining hall resembled a battlefield.
A food battlefield.
The enormous dining table disappeared beneath mountains of food.
Golden pancakes drizzled with honey.
Freshly baked bread.
Berry pastries.
Chocolate cake.
Sweet cream buns.
Fruit platters.
Cheese bread.
Warm rolls.
And enough breakfast to sustain an entire village.
Astraith sat at one end of the table.
Determined.
Focused.
Prepared for battle.
Meanwhile-
Vlox calmly drank tea.
Watching.
Observing.
Judging.
The dragon immediately noticed.
She pointed a fork at him.
"Don’t."
"I’m not saying anything."
"You’re thinking it."
"I absolutely am."
Astraith narrowed her eyes.
Then continued eating.
Several pancakes disappeared.
Then several pastries.
Then half a fruit platter.
Vlox quietly watched the destruction unfold.
At this point, he had witnessed the collapse of universes.
The birth of realities.
The rise and fall of civilizations.
Yet somehow-
Watching Astraith eat remained one of the most impressive things he had ever seen.
The dragon eventually leaned back.
A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Peaceful mornings like this felt strange.
After centuries of conflict.
After countless responsibilities.
After years spent protecting existence itself.
Moments like these felt precious.
Simple.
Yet precious.
After breakfast-
The two left Black Mountain.
There was no destination.
No mission.
No responsibility waiting for them.
No threat looming over the horizon.
Just a peaceful walk.
The weather was perfect.
The sky was clear.
Clouds drifted lazily across the heavens.
The forests stretched endlessly around them.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating golden patterns upon the ground.
Astraith walked beside Vlox.
Humming quietly to herself.
Occasionally stopping to admire flowers.
Occasionally stopping to watch birds.
Mostly stopping to eat snacks she had secretly brought from breakfast.
Vlox wasn’t surprised.
Several hours passed peacefully.
The deeper they traveled into the mountains, the quieter the world became.
The sounds of civilization faded away.
Only nature remained.
The whisper of wind through trees.
The distant songs of birds.
The gentle flow of hidden streams.
Then-
The forest opened.
And a breathtaking sight appeared before them.
A beautiful lake hidden deep within the mountains.
Its waters were perfectly still.
Crystal clear.
Untouched.
The surface reflected the sky so flawlessly that it looked less like water and more like a mirror connecting two worlds.
Astraith’s eyes widened.
"The Lake of Eternal Reflection."
Vlox nodded.
"It hasn’t changed."
The dragon smiled softly.
Many memories existed here.
Old memories.
Precious memories.
The kind that never truly faded no matter how much time passed.
The two slowly approached the shore.
The lake remained perfectly calm.
Not even a ripple disturbed its surface.
Clouds drifted overhead.
Their reflections drifted below.
Mountains rose toward the sky.
And identical mountains seemed to rise from the depths beneath the water.
It felt as though another world existed below them.
A world made entirely of reflections.
Astraith sat near the shore.
Her reflection stared back.
For several moments-
She remained silent.
Which immediately concerned Vlox.
Because Astraith was rarely silent.
The dragon eventually spoke.
"Do you remember the first time we came here?"
Vlox smiled.
"Of course."
Astraith covered her face.
"It was embarrassing."
"Very embarrassing."
The dragon immediately glared at him.
"Why do you remember every embarrassing thing I’ve ever done?"
"Because they’re funny."
"You’re terrible."
"Probably."
At least he was honest.
Thousands of years ago-
A much younger Astraith had discovered this very lake.
Back then she had been curious.
And slightly reckless.
Mostly reckless.
The young dragon had approached the water.
Looked down.
And discovered her reflection.
Then somehow convinced herself another dragon lived beneath the lake.
A dragon trapped inside another world.
Naturally-
Astraith spent the next three days attempting to communicate with it.
Three entire days.
She waved.
The reflection waved.
She nodded.
The reflection nodded.
She made faces.
The reflection copied every single one.
Instead of realizing the truth-
This only convinced her further.
At one point she had even attempted to offer snacks to the mysterious lake dragon.
The memory still haunted her.
Astraith buried her face in her hands.
"I was young."
"You were five hundred years old."
"I was young."
"And how could you possibly know that? You didn’t even know me back then we only met a year ago."
Vlox laughed.
"You do realize I’m the creator of the Omniverse, right? Seeing your past is probably one of the easiest things I can do."
"Yeah, of course you can see the past I forgot about that for a moment."
The dragon immediately grabbed a pebble and threw it at him.
The pebble exploded against his forehead.
Vlox remained completely unharmed.
As always.
Astraith groaned dramatically.
"This relationship is unfair."
"It really is."
The afternoon passed peacefully.
The two remained beside the lake.
Talking.
Laughing.
Remembering.
Sharing stories from centuries long past.
For a while, the weight of time itself seemed to disappear.
Eventually-
Astraith removed her shoes.
Then stepped into the water.
The lake was cool.
Refreshing.
Comfortable.
Small ripples spread across the surface.
The dragon smiled.
Then looked toward Vlox.
"Come here."
"No."
"Why?"
"You have that look."
"What look?"
"The look you get before causing problems."
Astraith looked genuinely offended.
"I do not cause problems."
At that exact moment-
The lake rippled.
As though reality itself disagreed.
Vlox stared.
Astraith stared.
The lake stared.
"..."
"..."
"...Even the water judges me."
Vlox laughed.
Astraith pouted.
Then immediately splashed water toward him.
The attack was surprisingly successful.
Mostly because Vlox wasn’t expecting it.
Several droplets landed on his face.
Astraith smiled proudly.
For approximately three seconds.
Then Vlox casually flicked a finger.
The lake responded.
A wave larger than a house rose behind Astraith.
The dragon slowly turned around.
"Oh."
The wave crashed down.
A moment later-
Astraith stood completely soaked.
Water dripped from her clothes.
Her silver hair clung to her face.
Silence followed.
Vlox smiled.
Astraith narrowed her eyes.
Dangerously.
"You have chosen death."
Vlox laughed.
The war began.
Several minutes later-
The Lake of Eternal Reflection no longer reflected anything.
Because two absurdly powerful beings were currently engaged in a water fight.
Astraith launched massive waves.
Vlox redirected them.
The dragon created enormous water dragons.
Vlox transformed them into giant fish.
The fish immediately began swimming around Astraith.
The dragon stared.
Then burst into laughter.
The fish followed her everywhere.
Several attempted to sit beside her.
One tried to steal her snack.
Chaos followed.
For a while-
Both of them laughed like children.
Carefree.
Happy.
Free.
The burdens of existence disappeared.
The responsibilities.
The expectations.
The endless years.
Everything faded away.
Leaving behind only happiness.
Simple happiness.
The rarest kind.
Eventually-
The lake became calm once more.
The water settled.
The fish vanished.
The waves disappeared.
The reflection returned.
The sun slowly descended toward the horizon.
Orange and gold painted the sky.
The mountains glowed beautifully beneath the evening light.
The lake reflected everything perfectly.
Creating the illusion of two worlds touching at the horizon.
Astraith sat beside Vlox.
Both were slightly wet.
Neither cared.
The dragon rested her head against his shoulder.
For a long moment-
Neither spoke.
Then Astraith smiled.
"You know..."
"Hm?"
"This might be my favorite date so far."
Vlox raised an eyebrow.
"More than the festival?"
"Definitely."
"More than the restaurant?"
"Absolutely."
Vlox looked genuinely surprised.
Astraith laughed softly.
Then looked toward the lake.
Her golden eyes softened.
"Because this isn’t about food."
Silence.
Then she immediately added-
"Although food is still important."
Vlox burst into laughter.
The dragon smiled proudly.
Some things never changed.
And honestly-
He wouldn’t have wanted them to.
The final traces of sunlight disappeared.
Night embraced the world.
Stars emerged one by one across the heavens.
Soon the sky became filled with countless lights.
The lake reflected them perfectly.
Making it appear as though the universe existed both above and below.
Astraith stared at the breathtaking sight.
Then quietly reached for Vlox’s hand.
The creator of the Omniverse looked toward her.
The dragon smiled.
A warm smile.
A gentle smile.
A genuine smile.
One carrying countless emotions.
Comfort.
Happiness.
Love.
Peace.
And something deeper than all of them.
Belonging.
"I’m glad you’re here."
The words were simple.
Yet they carried more meaning than any grand speech ever could.
Vlox smiled softly.
Then squeezed her hand.
"And I’m glad you’re here too."
Astraith’s smile widened.
Above them-
The stars continued shining.
Below them-
The lake continued reflecting them.
And between those two endless skies-
Vlox and Astraith remained together.
Exactly where they belonged.
Not as legends.
Not as rulers.
Not as beings feared across countless worlds.
But simply as two souls who had found a home in one another.
Beneath the stars.
Beside the Lake of Eternal Reflection.
Everything suddenly stopped.
The wind froze.
The lake became completely motionless.
Even time itself seemed to come to a halt.
Meanwhile, Vlox slowly looked up toward the sky.
"Hey, Writer Tazorex."
A voice echoed from beyond reality.
"Yes?"
Vlox crossed his arms.
"How many Chapters are you planning to write about our date?"
A brief silence followed.
Then Tazorex replied,
"Two more Chapters."
Vlox nodded thoughtfully.
"Okay."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"But after that, I want to begin the great Manhwa Journey."
Tazorex remained silent for a second.
Then-
"Okay."
Vlox gave a small wave.
"Bye."
Tazorex laughed.
"Bye."
And just like that-
The conversation ended.
Time resumed.
The wind began to move again.
The surface of the lake rippled gently.
The stars continued shining above.
Astraith blinked.
"...What just happened?"
Vlox simply smiled.
"Nothing."
And the world continued as if nothing had happened.