Chapter 47: Dragon God’s tears

The miners wouldn’t stop whispering. Auryn heard them from behind. low voices, nervous laughter that died down too quickly.

Twenty men who’d dug graves, foundations and wine cellars across Aurelia without complaint, now riding like they were heading toward execution instead of employment.

He didn’t blame them. The border was visible ahead and it was everything but right.

Green grass stopped. It just stopped, like someone had drawn a line with a ruler and declared that life ended here.

Beyond it was gray soil, skeletal trees with branches that looked more like claws reaching upward, the air felt heavier even from a distance.

Lyra rode beside Auryn. She’d been quiet since they left the gates at dawn, amber eyes tracking the landscape as it shifted from farmland to this oddity.

Her silver hair caught morning light and he noticed she’d braided it tighter than usual. More attentively, ready for work.

“The locals are watching us,” she said.

Auryn followed her gaze. Several meters back from the border, families clustered together.

Both adults, children and elderly held close. All staring but none crossing that invisible line.

An old man stepped forward. His face was weathered, back bent and voice cracking as he called out.

“Turn back, my lord! That’s cursed ground! Dragon God’s wrath still burns there!”

Auryn rode past without acknowledging him. Lyra glanced between the locals and Auryn.

“They’re terrified.”

“Good.” Auryn spoke. Eyes focused on the price.

“Good?” Lyra asked with eyes narrowed.

“It means no one’s touched what’s inside.” He spoke while he guided his horse across the border.

The transition was immediate.The warm air turned cold, the smell of grass replaced by something acidic and sharp.

Ahead, Borin scouted the path. The dwarf turned back toward them with that same grin he’d worn since yesterday.

Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “He’s unusually cheerful.”

Auryn’s mouth twitched. “He had a good trip.”

“That tells me nothing.” Lyra raised a brow.

“Tells you everything…” Auryn looked away.

Understanding suddenly dawned in her expression. “No…he didn’t…”

“Yes, he did.” Auryn growled slightly.

Lyra laughed, genuinely surprised. “No wonder he wouldn’t stop smiling.”

Suddenly the sound faded as gray soil crunched under their horses’ hooves and the air pressed down like gravity was multiplied. Her hand moved to the reins, holding on for dear life.

Auryn felt it too. The bond between them at this proximity was incredibly strong, responding to whatever darkness lived in this land.

They continued on and after cresting a hill. The Verdant Springs came into view. spreading below them like a secret someone forgot to bury.

Steam rose thick from three main pools, the largest maybe twenty meters across. Sulfur hit them first… sharp and acrid then salt, then something floral underneath that shouldn’t exist here.

Vegetation surrounded the springs in rings of impossible green.There were lush grass, flowering shrubs. Trees with full canopies.

One hundred meters away, the dead forest continued. The contrast wasn’t gradual. It was a border as sharp as the one they’d crossed earlier.

People bathed in the pools.Children splashing and laughing. Elderly soaking with eyes closed.

Sick lying on the edges, limbs in the water, faces tight with pain that seemed to ease as Auryn watched.

Market stalls clustered around the springs. Vendors calling out prices for towels, bundled herbs that smelled medicinal, roasted nuts, clay jars filled with spring water.

There was life and noise. The opposite of everything surrounding it.

One miner whispered, “This is cursed land?”

“Cursed land,” Auryn said. “Blessed springs. The contradictions hide truths.”

He dismounted and walked toward the largest pool. Bathers noticed the noble armor, dragon crest catching light. Murmuring started, spreading with the wind.

A vendor approached. An elderly woman, gap-toothed, bowing lower than her spine probably appreciated.

“My lord. Do you seek healing? The springs are blessed. Two copper for an hour, five for the day”

“How long have they been here?” Auryn asked not answering her questions.

“Long as anyone remembers, my lord. My grandmother’s grandmother bathed here. It heals aches and sickness fades.” She paused, eyes warm and calculating.

“We pay Lord Castor’s men tax to use them my lord. It is legal.”

Castor’s tax is now mine.

Auryn turned to the miners. “Clear the bathers from the eastern edge of the largest pool. Dig three meters down. Eastern edge only.”

One miner hesitated. “But my lord… people are bathing?”

Auryn looked at him coldly. “And?”

The man stood dumbfounded. He didn’t know what to say next.

“Move them to the secondary pools. Compensate the vendors for disruption.” Auryn ordered.

He paused looked at the remaining miners.

“Get to work”

Lyra stood a few steps away, watching him command. She didn’t intervene nor question. Just observed how he expected obedience and received it.

The miners worked. Bathers relocated with grumbling and curiosity, clustering at the smaller pools to watch.

Vendors took their copper compensation and whispered among themselves.

Two hours soon went by like nothing. The sun climbed higher and higher. The heat became oppressive despite the cold air everywhere else.

Pickaxes struck stone as dirt piled beside the pool’s edge in growing mounds.

One meter down then two. The soil darkened, became mineral-rich and damp.

Three meters and just then a pickaxe struck something that sounded different.

It most definitely wasn’t stone. The miner stopped and yelled.

“My lord!”

Auryn immediately crouched at the excavation’s edge and looked down.

He watched as golden light pulsed below. Like a heartbeat made visible.

The miners cleared debris carefully and a crystal cluster emerged. It was larger than a fist, faceted with natural geometry that seemed too perfect.

It glowed brighter as dirt was removed. Warmth radiated upward and felt like summer sun on skin.

Lyra knelt beside him. “What is that?”

“I’m going to find out” he lied as he slid down and touched it.

Warmth flooded his palm. It felt so welcoming. Energy vibrated beneath his fingers and the System activated across his vision.

[DRAGON GOD’S TEARS DISCOVERED]

[Origin: Ignaris’s divine essence, crystallized. Age: 4200 years]

[ Effect: Rank 4 (Dragon) Healing Factor. Resistance to all poisons.

Increase in lifespan: +500 years.]

[Warning: “To hoard is to know pain and to consume is to trust one’s tears.” ]

Auryn read it and confusion twisted in his chest.

What the fuck does that even mean?

He sighed and went ahead with his plan. He got into position

“Everyone back,” He commanded with a loud and coarse voice.

Borin frowned. “Lad, you’re not—”

“I am. Now all of you back.”

Lyra didn’t move. Her eyes narrowed with uncanny determination.

“I’m staying.”

Auryn turned to look at her. “This might go wrong. I don’t want—”

“You promised not to hide from me. I want to see this,” she retorted before he had a chance to rebuke her.

Auryn nodded once. Feeling the bond in his chest resonate. He knew he couldn’t change her mind.

“Don’t interfere. No matter what you see.” He paused. ” Promise me”

“Understood” She reluctantly nodded.

The team of miners retreated. Now watching from a distance, nervous and confused.

Lyra moved to a nearby rock and sat. Hands folded in her lap gracefully. She watched him like she was trying to memorize every detail.

Auryn knelt before the crystal and grasped it with both hands. Suddenly the ground rumbled and Auryn felt every fibre of his body stiffened.

A burst of golden glow emerged from his eyes as his body suddenly looked like it was cracking.

Shit…. He thought.

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