C256 The Dragon King's Duty.

"Back already?"

Perched at the volcano's rim, Igrel peered down at the churning magma below, feeling a brief hitch in his heartbeat.

Returning here after that ordeal felt oddly surreal.

"This time, it must be for real."

He pressed his foot more firmly into the ground, muttering to himself while gauging the sensation beneath his soles.

"Yeah, feels right