Chapter 46: Beneath the Moonlit Sky
The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
The final traces of daylight faded beyond the distant mountains, allowing night to slowly embrace the world.
Darkness spread across the land.
Not the darkness of fear.
Not the darkness of war.
But the gentle darkness of a peaceful night.
Above Black Mountain, countless stars illuminated the heavens like scattered diamonds.
The moon hung high overhead.
Ancient.
Silent.
Watching.
Its silver light flowed across the forests, rivers, and valleys below, painting the world in shades of white and blue.
The rebuilt lands looked almost dreamlike beneath its glow.
The wounds left behind by war continued to heal.
Nature was reclaiming what destruction had stolen.
Life was moving forward.
And for the first time in many years-
The future no longer felt uncertain.
On top of a peaceful hill overlooking Black Mountain-
Vlox sat beside Astraith.
The calestial dragon remained leaning comfortably against his shoulder.
Her silver hair danced gently in the cool night breeze.
Neither of them spoke.
There was no need.
The silence felt comfortable.
Warm.
The kind of silence shared by two people who had spent enough time together to understand each other without words.
Everything was peaceful.
Everything was calm.
Then-
GRRRRRRRR.
Astraith’s stomach growled again.
Loudly.
Very loudly.
The sound shattered the silence like a divine announcement.
Several birds immediately fled nearby trees.
Somewhere in the distance, a rabbit changed directions.
The hill itself seemed to tremble.
Vlox slowly turned his head.
Astraith stared straight ahead.
Completely expressionless.
Pretending absolutely nothing had happened.
"..."
"..."
"...Astraith."
"I heard nothing."
"Your stomach literally shook the hill."
"It was the wind."
"There is no wind."
"It was a very determined squirrel."
Vlox stared.
Then laughed.
Astraith immediately pouted.
Her cheeks puffed slightly.
"I am serious."
"No, you’re hungry."
"That too."
The celestial dragon finally admitted defeat.
Then she wrapped both arms around one of his.
Her golden eyes sparkled.
"Can we eat dinner now?"
"We already ate."
"That was lunch."
"It was enough food for a kingdom."
"It was lunch."
Vlox sighed.
Astraith smiled victoriously.
The smile of someone who already knew she had won.
Because Vlox could never truly say no to her.
Especially when she looked at him with those impossibly bright golden eyes.
Five minutes later-
The two were walking toward a nearby city.
Astraith practically skipped the entire way.
Her excitement made her seem far younger than her true age.
Every few seconds she pointed at something.
A flower.
A tree.
A rabbit.
A cloud.
A random rock.
The mighty Celestial Dragon who could terrify ancient monsters and shake continents with her power was currently excited about dinner.
Vlox simply watched with amusement.
At this moment-
Her biggest concern in existence was food.
And somehow, that made him smile.
The city was alive.
Golden lanterns illuminated every street.
Warm light spilled from windows and taverns.
Laughter echoed through open marketplaces.
Merchants called out to passing customers.
Musicians played cheerful melodies near the town square.
The atmosphere felt alive.
Comfortable.
Peaceful.
Exactly what a city should be.
For years, many settlements had lived beneath the shadow of war.
Fear had become part of daily life.
Now that fear was gone.
People could smile again.
Dream again.
Live again.
Astraith’s eyes sparkled as she looked around.
The sights.
The sounds.
The smells.
Everything fascinated her.
Then her nose twitched.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Vlox immediately recognized the warning signs.
"Astraith."
"Hm?"
"Don’t."
"Don’t what?"
Her eyes slowly turned toward the food district.
Vlox sighed.
Too late.
The dragon pointed dramatically.
"There."
A large street stretched ahead.
Dozens of restaurants lined both sides.
Smoke rose from chimneys.
Fresh bread baked inside ovens.
Grilled meat sizzled over open flames.
Sweet desserts filled display windows.
The scent alone was enough to make Astraith’s eyes shine.
The dragon looked as though she had discovered paradise itself.
Vlox already knew what was about to happen.
And unfortunately-
He was right.
One hour later-
Disaster had struck.
Not war.
Not demons.
Not cosmic destruction.
Astraith.
The dragon sat proudly at a massive table.
Surrounded by food.
An absolutely absurd amount of food.
Grilled steak.
Roasted duck.
Butter garlic shrimp.
Spicy chicken skewers.
Honey-glazed ribs.
Cheese-filled bread.
Seafood noodles.
Fried rice.
Vegetable platters.
Fresh fruit juice.
Chocolate cake.
Berry pie.
Apple pie.
Strawberry tart.
And somehow-
She was still eating.
The restaurant owner looked terrified.
Several customers had completely stopped eating.
One man had been staring for nearly fifteen minutes.
A child nearby appeared genuinely inspired.
Everyone watched in stunned silence.
Because Astraith had already consumed enough food to feed twenty people.
Yet she showed no signs of slowing down.
Meanwhile-
Vlox calmly drank tea.
As though nothing unusual was happening.
The restaurant owner eventually approached.
His hands trembled slightly.
"Lord Vlox..."
"Yes?"
The man hesitated.
His eyes shifted toward Astraith.
Then back.
"Is she..."
He paused.
"...actually human?"
Vlox followed his gaze.
The dragon was currently eating three different meals simultaneously.
One hand held chicken.
The other held bread.
And somehow she was also eating pie.
"...Mostly."
The owner looked even more confused.
Astraith suddenly raised her hand.
"Another pie."
The owner nearly fainted.
Thirty minutes later-
The impossible finally happened.
Astraith stopped eating.
Not because she was full.
Not because she was satisfied.
But because there was literally no food remaining.
The table had been completely conquered.
Every plate was empty.
Every crumb had vanished.
The dragon slowly leaned back in her chair.
A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
"That was wonderful."
The owner looked relieved.
Then Astraith spoke again.
"Do you have dessert?"
The owner nearly collapsed.
Vlox quietly placed several gold coins on the table.
Actually-
Several bags of gold.
Enough money to make the restaurant owner wealthy for generations.
The man stared at the gold.
Then at Astraith.
Then back at the gold.
Tears appeared in his eyes.
He wasn’t sure whether to celebrate or fear for his future.
After finally leaving the restaurant-
The cool night air greeted them.
The city remained lively.
People continued enjoying the evening.
Lantern light illuminated the streets.
Music drifted through the air.
For several minutes, they simply walked together.
Then Astraith suddenly stopped.
Vlox noticed immediately.
The dragon’s expression had changed.
She looked serious.
Very serious.
Dangerously serious.
Vlox raised an eyebrow.
"Astraith?"
"I made a mistake."
Vlox blinked.
"A mistake?"
"Yes."
"What kind of mistake?"
Slowly-
The dragon lowered her gaze.
Then placed a hand over her stomach.
"...I ate too much."
Silence.
Several seconds passed.
Then Vlox burst into laughter.
Astraith immediately became embarrassed.
Her face turned red.
"It’s not funny."
"It absolutely is."
The dragon pouted.
Then her stomach growled again.
Vlox laughed even harder.
Astraith wanted the ground to open beneath her feet.
"Stop."
"I can’t."
"Please."
"I really can’t."
The dragon crossed her arms.
"You’re a terrible husband."
"Probably."
At least he admitted it.
Eventually-
The two reached a beautiful park near the edge of the city.
Moonlight illuminated countless flowers.
A crystal-clear lake reflected the stars above.
Tall trees surrounded the area.
Their leaves swayed gently in the breeze.
The atmosphere felt peaceful.
Almost magical.
Astraith sat down on a nearby bench.
Then immediately groaned.
"My stomach hurts."
Vlox sat beside her.
"That’s what happens when you eat enough food to feed an army."
"I regret nothing."
"Of course you don’t."
Astraith smiled proudly.
Then leaned against his shoulder.
For several minutes-
Neither spoke.
The lake shimmered beneath moonlight.
Stars reflected across its surface.
The night breeze carried the scent of flowers.
Everything felt calm.
Perfect.
Then Astraith quietly spoke.
"Thank you."
Vlox looked toward her.
"For what?"
The dragon smiled softly.
"For today."
There was genuine warmth in her voice.
A warmth that couldn’t be faked.
"We haven’t done something like this in a long time."
Vlox remained silent.
Astraith continued.
"For a year there was always something."
"A battle."
"A threat."
"A responsibility."
"A war."
Her gaze drifted toward the lake.
"But today..."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"We were just ourselves."
The smile deepened.
"And I liked that."
Vlox’s expression softened.
Then he gently placed his hand over hers.
"So did I."
Astraith smiled.
A real smile.
One filled with simple happiness.
Not excitement.
Not amusement.
Not pride.
Just happiness.
The kind that came from being beside someone you loved.
A little later-
The two resumed walking.
Eventually they reached a bridge overlooking the lake.
The moonlight reflected beautifully across the water.
The sight was breathtaking.
Astraith stopped.
Her golden eyes widened.
"It’s beautiful."
Vlox looked toward the lake.
Then toward Astraith.
And smiled.
"Not as beautiful as you."
The dragon froze.
Completely.
Absolutely.
Her entire body stopped functioning.
Her brain temporarily ceased operation.
Then-
Her face turned bright red.
"A-Are you serious?"
"Yes."
Astraith immediately looked away.
Steam practically rose from her head.
"You’re cheating again."
"How?"
"You keep saying things that make me embarrassed."
Vlox chuckled.
The dragon lightly punched his arm.
The attack accomplished exactly nothing.
As always.
"Idiot."
"Maybe."
The blush deepened.
Yet despite her embarrassment-
She couldn’t stop smiling.
Hours passed.
The city gradually became quieter.
Merchants packed away their goods.
Restaurants closed their doors.
The streets slowly emptied.
One by one, lanterns were extinguished.
Eventually-
It was time to return home.
Astraith stood beside Vlox near the city gates.
The dragon looked surprisingly tired.
Vlox raised an eyebrow.
"Sleepy?"
"A little."
"You slept twelve hours yesterday."
"I require more."
"You’re unbelievable."
"I’m a celestial dragon."
"There it is again."
The dragon smiled proudly.
That excuse truly solved everything.
At least according to her.
Moments later-
The two arrived back at Black Mountain.
The castle stood proudly beneath the moonlight.
Its towers shone silver beneath the night sky.
The forests swayed gently in the breeze.
The rivers sparkled like flowing stars.
Everything looked peaceful.
Everything felt like home.
Astraith stared at the castle.
Then smiled.
A warm smile.
A happy smile.
"I’m glad it’s back."
Vlox followed her gaze.
"So am I."
The dragon quietly reached for his hand.
Their fingers intertwined.
For a moment-
Neither moved.
They simply stood together.
Watching their home.
Remembering old memories.
Creating new ones.
Then Astraith yawned.
A very large yawn.
Vlox laughed.
"Tired?"
"No."
The dragon yawned again.
"You are literally falling asleep."
"I’m perfectly awake."
She immediately walked into a wall.
Silence followed.
Vlox stared.
The wall stared.
Astraith stared.
"..."
"..."
"...That wall attacked me."
Vlox completely lost control.
His laughter echoed through the castle grounds.
Astraith’s face turned bright red.
"Stop laughing!"
"I can’t."
"Vlox!"
The sound of their laughter carried across Black Mountain.
Through the forests.
Across the rivers.
Beneath the endless sea of stars above.
And on that peaceful night-
Far away from war.
Far away from destruction.
Far away from suffering.
There was only happiness.
Only peace.
Only love.
Together.
Under the endless moonlit sky.