Vol 6. Chapter 143: The Prime Cause

Inside a grand golden palace, Aurora stood upon a massive hourglass.

The hourglass lay flat, yet its sand defied gravity, still flowing from one side to the other.

She stood on the side where the sand kept accumulating.

Opposite her, at the other end of the hourglass, stood an old man, frail and ancient.

Behind him sat a majestic golden throne.

He stood with one hand behind his back, the other gently tugging at his white beard, silently observing the red-haired girl no more than three meters away.

This was not the first time Aurora had dreamed of this place.

She’d lost count of how many times she’d had this exact dream:

The same palace.

The same throne.

The same old man.

The same hourglass.

Only one thing ever changed: the sand.

She had noticed it long ago. Each time she returned, the sand beneath the old man’s feet had diminished.

Now, after so many repetitions, his side of the hourglass was nearly empty.

Aurora shifted her gaze from the hourglass, face expressionless.

She had grown used to these strange, inexplicable dreams.

"This time too, you’re not going to answer a single question, right?"

That was the other reason she remained so calm.

The old man never spoke. Never responded. Never explained.

He simply stood there, his cloudy eyes fixed on her.

"Ugh. Boring."

She wasn’t one to waste time—even in a dream.

Aurora turned, stepping toward the edge of the enormous hourglass. She peered down...

An endless abyss of starlit darkness.

Anyone else might have felt dizzy just looking at it.

But again—she was used to it.

She gave one final glance to the old man across from her.

His gaze followed her, even as she approached the edge.

Still, he said nothing.

Aurora didn’t say more either. She turned away, preparing to leap.

The plummet always woke her up. She’d done it several times now.

But just as she was about to take that step, the silent old man finally spoke:

“Aurora...”

She froze, stunned.

Slowly, she turned her head back. “You... how do you know my name?”

But he didn’t answer. Instead, in a raspy, ancient voice, he continued speaking as if reciting a prophecy:

“The fool who toys with time... will, in the end, take my place and be eternally imprisoned here...”

“You are the Prime Cause. The beginning of all things. And the end of them all.”

Aurora frowned. “What does that mean? Fool who toys with time? What do you... Ack!”

In her rush to question him, she lost her footing at the very edge.

She slipped and fell, tumbling into the abyss of stars.

As she plunged downward, her long pink hair fluttered wildly. Through its strands, she looked back up toward the hourglass.

The old man now stood at its edge, peering down at her as she plummeted.

Everything was drifting farther and farther away...

But strangely, something else—some truth, some fate—felt like it was drawing closer.

“Aaaaaaah!”

The sensation of falling worked as expected.

Aurora jolted awake.

She shot upright in bed, still trembling from the rush.

As she calmed her breathing, a familiar voice murmured beside her:

“Mmm... sis’s tail... smells nice...”

Aurora looked to the next bed. Her third sister was sound asleep, clutching a giant plush bear.

She glanced up at the clock.

5:00 a.m.

Still an hour before sunrise.

The worst kind of time—too late to go back to sleep, too early to start the day.

She sighed, rubbed her messy hair, tossed off her blanket, and got out of bed.

After a quick wash, she tied her pink hair into a ponytail and changed into her light ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) green tracksuit.

The family didn’t care for complicated athletic wear.

She buried her face in the collar, hands stuffed into the jacket’s pockets, and headed outside.

“When you can’t sleep after a weird dream, just go for a jog,” her eldest sister had told her. “It’s not like there’s anything better to do.”

Aurora had decided to take that advice.

At this hour, the field was empty. The cool air cleared her head.

She walked to the track’s starting line and did a quick warmup.

Then she began a slow jog.

But her thoughts lingered on the dream.

“The fool who toys with time... will take my place... imprisoned forever... You are the Prime Cause... the beginning... the end... What does it even mean...?"

So absorbed in thought, she didn’t notice the loose stone on the track.

Her foot caught.

"Ah crap!"

She pitched forward—unable to catch herself.

Aurora squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for impact.

But pain never came.

She opened one eye—and saw a hand steadying her arm.

“Miss Safina? ...What are you doing here?”

Safina helped her back to her feet, crouched down to check her ankle, and only stood again after confirming it wasn’t sprained.

“Couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d go for a run,” she said.

“And you? Youth Division doesn’t start until eight-thirty.”

“I... I had a nightmare.”

“Oh~ Nightmares, huh? All kids get those. I get it.”

Aurora turned her face away, cheeks pink.

"You don’t get it, Miss Safina..."

“I bought extra breakfast.”

Safina lifted a paper bag beside her. Inside were still-steaming pancakes and fresh milk.

“Wanna share?”

Aurora hesitated, but her stomach answered for her.

“Grrrrr~~”

Safina chuckled. “Come on, over there.”

“Okay.”

They sat on a bench beside the field. Safina placed the food between them and handed Aurora a warm pancake.

“Why’d you get two breakfasts, anyway?” Aurora asked.

“My brother asked me to bring him something,” Safina said, sipping her milk. “But I forgot he had security training today. Something about boxing practice?”

Kaiser hadn’t wanted to attend.

Please—someone who could solo multiple dragon kings still needed training?

But the academy had no idea who he really was.

So Safina had convinced him: “Since you’re here already, just go along with it~ Do what they ask, no big deal.”

Being the docile one, Kaiser obediently went.

“Oh, I see.” Aurora nodded, taking a bite of pancake. Then she asked:

“My big sis still isn’t talking to you much, huh?”

It had been over a month since Safina became her sister’s instructor.

Strangely, all the other little dragon girls got along great with Dad’s mysterious “girlfriend.”

But Noa?

Even living together, neither she nor Safina ever said:

“We’re close.”

Still, it fit Noa’s personality.

She was more outgoing these days, yes—but only around family or close friends.

With strangers, she was cold steel—unyielding.

“Well... it’s better than when I first arrived,” Safina said. “We chat occasionally. Mostly about your dad, your mom, your sisters.”

“Hmm, sounds like a solid start.”

Aurora nodded thoughtfully.

“Back then, Dad said it took him forever to win her over. For Miss Safina to get her talking in just a month? Yeah... promising future.”

“Wanna tell me about that nightmare?” Safina offered. “They say facing your fears is the best way to beat them.”

Aurora chuckled, thought for a moment, and began.

“I’m not even sure it counts as a nightmare... It’s just... weird.”

Safina tilted her head. “Weird how?”

“Well,” Aurora said, “Dreams usually have a cause, even if they’re illogical. But this one—this one has logic. It follows rules. Just... really strange ones. I dreamed of a palace, a huge hourglass, and this old grandpa...”

Safina leaned her chin on her palm, listening intently.

“And?”

“The first few times, he never said a word. But this time...”

Aurora paused. “He finally spoke.”

“What’d he say?”

“He said...”

Aurora furrowed her brows.

“Something about being a fool who plays with time... said I was the Prime Cause... I don’t get it at all—”

“The Prime Cause?!”

Safina reacted instantly.

“Uh—yeah. He said that. Why? Miss Safina, do you know what it means?”

Safina stared at Aurora, stunned. Her violet eyes swirled with shock and alarm.

But it was still dark out—the sun hadn’t yet risen.

Aurora didn’t notice her expression.

Safina quickly composed herself.

“...No. No idea... Sounds like another ‘nonsense dream,’ probably.”

“I... guess.” Aurora lowered her head.

“You eat,” Safina said, standing. “I’ve got something to do.”

“Okay. Bye, Miss Safina.”

Leaving her half-eaten pancake on the bench, Safina turned and hurried off.

“Dammit. I can’t believe I forgot...”

She muttered low as she ran.

“Leon... you better make it in time...”