𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒 || skz

CHAPTER 1: GUILT

Seungmin had not been in Serenn for a good while now. A couple of months had passed since he had last stepped foot on the ground of the kingdom. He was ashamed and wished to not bring more pain to others. He had spent most of his time down in the south, away from the cold winters and the guilt he felt.

Instead, he had returned to the town of Augdun.

The town he had once called home. The town nestled between high mountain tops in the south.

It was still a beautiful town, but it hurt to walk the streets.

He kept his head lowered as he walked along the streets, fearing that someone might recognize him. The necklace he had received from Eunkyung, the one that allowed him to change his appearance, was still intact and the magic worked as it should.

It meant that he would not have to worry about people seeing a blade mage in the calm little town, but it did mean that someone could recognize him as Kim Seungmin, the lost son to the local herbalist.

Augdun had changed a lot since he was taken off the streets. He couldn't remember much of how his parents had been to him, but he could remember that he had been happy. His memory of the town was still spot on, but when he was a child, he had not been one to sneak around in the shadows.

Thus, finding a place with less honorable people had proven to be a bit of a challenge, but one that he had overcome. The bar he had found was located in the outskirts of town in a seemingly abandoned storage building. As he entered the room, he was greeted by mostly just empty tables. One or two people turned to look at him as he entered but promptly just turned back to their own business.

"A blade mage," the barkeeper gruffed as Seungmin reached the counter. She was a tall woman, maybe in her mid to late twenties with strong built. Her black hair was braided into a long, single braid as it fell down her back. As Seungmin stopped in front of her, she was in the midst of drying some glasses. She gave him a quick glance from head to toe before raising an eyebrow, placing the glass to the side. "What brings you here to my establishment?"

"You're the owner?" Seungmin asked, mostly out of curiosity. He had never been this far south when it came to his own shady deals, thus he wasn't very familiar with the faces of those who operate in the area.

"I am," she said, resting both hands against the counter and leaned closer. "I hope you're not here to cause any problems."

"I'm not," Seungmin said, raising both hands to show them to her. "I'm merely here for information."

The woman leaned back, relaxing a little. "People or objects?"

"People."

"Then you need to talk to the dragon," the woman said, nodding her head to the side. "She's currently alone."

"Thank you," Seungmin said and the woman grumbled as a response. He slid a few coins across the counter. "I'll take whatever you can offer me for that."

He got a cloudy ale and he could barely hide the distaste as the woman handed him the tankard. He turned around and headed towards the booth he had been directed to, fingers brushing over his necklace to activate the magic in it. The owner had shown her distaste for blade mages, so maybe covering up would be the better choice as he spoke to this woman. He could see a figure sitting alone at the table, a glass containing amber liquid and a hand wrapped around it. White scales covered her hand as well, fingernails turning into claws.

So that's why she was 'the dragon'.

"I need information about a couple from this town," Seungmin said as he sat down in front of a woman. She had her own booth in the bar, mostly shielded from prying eyes. "I was told you were the one to go to."