"Alright, I do have one last thing to ask you…" Leo said in a serious tone.
"I'm supposed to retrieve some sort of gray metal alloy from a fort-like place somewhere in this world. Do you know how safe it is for me to approach that area? And what exactly am I supposed to retrieve?" he asked, finally inquiring about his mission.
"Hmm… that's a tough one," Moltherak replied, his expression shifting to something far more cautious as Leo mentioned the task.
"If I'm not mistaken, what you're after is likely origin metal. It's the rarest resource in the universe, and it's buried deep within Castle Bravo—the very place where Zharnok's soul is anchored."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The closer you get to that castle, the stronger the threats you'll face. And if you actually try to steal Zharnok's treasure, there's a very high chance that the sly old lizard's remnant soul will awaken and come after you himself.
So if I were you, I wouldn't attempt it." Moltherak warned, as he advised Leo against carrying out this mission.
However, Leo only shook his head in response.
"What if I absolutely had to? What if I had no other choice but to steal this origin metal or whatever it is?" He insisted, as Moltherak went quiet for a moment, clearly mulling over the practicality of attempting such a theft before letting out a heavy sigh.
"You cannot do it. Not at your current level, you simply can't. Zharnok will not pay attention to you until you enter the castle, but the moment you touch his treasure—the origin metal—his soul will begin to stir."
He looked directly at Leo, his tone hardening.
"If he's in deep slumber, it might take him anywhere from thirty to seventy seconds to fully awaken and respond to the disturbance. But you are not a Demi-God, nor a Monarch. There's no way you could grab the metal and cover the distance of over a thousand kilometers back to the exit of this world in such a short time."
Moltherak paused again, then repeated himself with finality.
"So like I said… it's impossible."
There was a silence before he continued, his tone softening slightly.
"However, there is one method you might be able to use. In ancient times, this world was connected by a network of mana gates—portals that linked major empires and cities together for rapid transport."
He turned his eyes back to Leo.
"There should still be an old gate that links Castle Bravo to an area near the exit gate of this world. But those gates haven't been operational for a millennia. No one knows if they still work… or if you'll even be able to find one."
Although Moltherak dismissed the idea outright, he still offered Leo a sliver of hope.
A long shot.
A nearly forgotten possibility.
One that could perhaps make this impossible mission possible, if everything went exactly right.
"Alright, that's all I wanted to know Old Dragon, thank-you for your time, it has been a pleasure to meet you—" Leo said once Moltherak completed his speech, as he extended his hand for Moltherak to grab.
"Likewise puny human…. It was a pleasure for me as well to talk to someone after such a long time.
I wish you success and good fortune for all your future endeavours.
And if in the future, if you grow strong enough to free me from my imprisonment, I promise to you that I shall forever be indebted to you, and shall become an ally by your side.
It's not like I have too many hopes for it.
But in-case it does come true, I will be grateful for it nonetheless—" Moltherak said, as he placed his dragon paw into Leo's hands, completing the handshake, before sending Leo out of the mural world and back to the Time-Stilled world.
—--------
(Back to the conclave room)
As the light faded and the warmth of the mural world vanished, Leo found himself standing once again inside the cold, dust-laden conclave, the cracked marble floor beneath his feet and the faint torchlight in his hands, as it cast an illumination on the mural in front.
The silence returned.
And with it, the painted stillness of the mural returned as well, just as it had been before.
The beasts were frozen in place, their eyes lifeless, their poses unmoving, while the dragon's eyes were once again closed, its massive wings draped around it like a shroud.
Leo took a long breath and walked forward, until he stood in front of the dragon again.
This time, he wasn't wary.
He wasn't confused.
He wasn't trying to decipher it.
He simply looked at it, quietly, calmly, with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"I'll save you someday if I can, old dragon…" he murmured softly, voice low and honest, not laced with sarcasm or showmanship. "I like you…. And if I have it in me to save you… I'll do it for sure."
He lifted his hand and rested his palm gently on the mural, just where the dragon's chest had been.
Moltherak did not need to speak with him today.
He didn't need to explain the truth behind time-stilled worlds, or share the secret of the mana heart, or offer strategies for survival inside a sealed graveyard of gods.
But he did.
For no reason other than the fact that he chose to.
And that choice mattered to Leo.
As he understood that Moltherak had been generous to him with no hopes of him ever repaying the favor.
While he wasn't the kind to say it aloud, but in his own silent way, Leo made a promise to himself—that if fate ever gave him the power, if the stars ever aligned and the path opened up before him, then he would do for Moltherak what the old dragon never expected anyone to do.
Which was to return the favor.
As he planned to repay the kindness of the old dragon thousandfold by freeing him someday.