With Rose leading the way, the three of them continued across the harsh lands of Orion for many more hours.
The terrain beca increasingly hostile the closer they drew to their destination. Mountains rose in broken, jagged formations like shattered blades thrust into the earth. The ground was stained dark red in many places, as though ancient blood had once soaked into the stone and never fully faded.
Strange gusts of wind moved through the region carrying a heavy pressure that made even breathing feel more difficult.
As they advanced, fewer living creatures could be seen.
The beasts that did appear were distant silhouettes that quickly retreated the mont they sensed the valley ahead. Even monsters born in Orion seed unwilling to remain near that place for long.
Eventually, Rose ca to a stop on the edge of a vast cliff.
"We are here," she said quietly.
Max and Lucia stepped beside her and looked forward.
Both of them froze for a brief mont.
Before them stretched the Dragon Death Valley.
It was not rely a valley, but an enormous scar carved across the world itself. Countless miles of fractured land descended into a colossal basin surrounded by black mountains and endless ridges. Crimson mist drifted through the lower regions, while violent currents of energy twisted through the sky like invisible storms.
The entire area radiated an ancient sense of death.
Yet even that was not what drew their eyes the most.
At the deepest core of the valley lay a corpse so vast that it seed like a mountain range of its own.
A dragon.
Even after untold years had passed, its remains still dominated the center of Dragon Death Valley. Most of its flesh had long since vanished, leaving behind colossal bones bleached by ti and battle. Rib bones rose like towers from the earth.
Its spine stretched across the core like a white ridge of mountains. The skull alone was larger than many cities Max had seen, its jaws still half open as though it had died roaring defiance at the heavens.
Lucia unconsciously stepped back.
"What… is that…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Rose's expression was solemn.
"That is the corpse of the ancient dragon said to have fallen here."
Even from this great distance, the remains released a terrifying aura that pressed down upon the surroundings like a sleeping god. It was ancient, savage, and imasurably powerful. The air near the valley trembled faintly under its influence. Every gust of wind that ca from the core carried traces of draconic dominance.
Max felt the blood in his body stir. The primal instincts to devour once again rose in his body but Mac cald it down for now.
His instincts told him clearly that the being this corpse once belonged to had stood at a level far beyond ordinary understanding.
"It has been dead for ages," Rose continued, "yet its aura still shapes this entire forbidden zone. The draconic corruption in the core region, the mutations of beasts, the pressure in the valley, all of it traces back to those remains."
She turned toward Max and Lucia.
"I can only guide you this far."
Her tone was firm, leaving no room for debate.
"Beyond this point, every step becos more dangerous than the last. Even I would be gambling with my life if I entered deeper."
Lucia looked at Rose in surprise. "You are not coming with us?"
Rose shook her head.
"No. This place is beyond my limits. My task was to bring you here, nothing more."
She then fixed her gaze on Max.
"If you insist on entering, do not underestimate anything inside. In Dragon Death Valley, arrogance kills faster than claws or poison."
Max nodded slowly, his eyes still locked on the dragon corpse at the heart of the valley.
"I understand."
Rose gave one final glance toward the forbidden land before stepping back.
"Then from here onward," she said quietly, "your path is your own."
Rose stepped back from the edge of the cliff, making it clear that her part in the journey had ended. The winds of Dragon Death Valley howled below them, carrying the heavy pressure of ancient draconic power.
Max remained focused on the vast corpse at the center of the valley for a few monts before turning toward Lucia.
"You should stay here with Rose," he said calmly. "There is no need for you to enter with ."
Lucia's expression changed imdiately.
"What?" she said, staring at him in disbelief. "You expect to wait here while you go into that place alone?"
Her voice carried both anger and worry.
Max kept his tone steady. "This valley is far more dangerous than the places we crossed to reach it. Rose already explained that even the inner region is filled with unstable space, ti distortions, and mutated beasts. The core is worse. If sothing happens inside, I may not be able to protect you."
Lucia took a step closer, her brows tightly drawn.
"And who is going to protect you if you go in there alone?" she shot back. "Do you think strength ans you can ignore every danger?"
Max opened his mouth to respond, but she continued before he could speak.
"No," she said firmly. "I refuse to let you enter Dragon Death Valley by yourself."
Her eyes were locked onto his, filled with stubborn resolve.
"I did not co all this way just to watch you walk into a death zone while I stand outside doing nothing."
Rose stood nearby in silence, watching the exchange with quiet interest.
Max let out a slow breath. He knew Lucia well enough to understand that once she decided sothing, persuading her would not be easy.
He stepped forward and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"Lucia," he said in a quieter voice, "listen to ."
The sharpness in her expression softened slightly, though she still did not back down.
"This is not because I doubt you," Max continued. "It is because I know how dangerous this place truly is. If I go alone, I can move freely, retreat whenever necessary, and use thods I would rather not use while worrying about others."
Lucia's gaze trembled faintly. "And if you do not co back?"
Max smiled, calm and confident.
"Then you should have more faith in ."
He lifted his eyes toward the enormous dragon corpse in the distance.
"I have survived places that should have killed long ago. You should have seen so of my protective thods in the secret domain just now. So you should know I have many thods to protect myself."
He looked back at her. "So trust . I will be fine in there."
Lucia remained silent for several monts, struggling between reason and emotion.
Finally, she clenched her hands and looked away for a brief second before eting his eyes again.
"I hate when you say things like that," she muttered softly.
Max chuckled. "I know."
She then took a step back, though reluctance was written clearly across her face.
"Fine," she said at last as she moved towards Rose. "But if you are not back soon, I am going in after you no matter what you say."
Max nodded with a faint smile. "Haha, I wouldn't make you do that."
Rose folded her arms and glanced at Lucia.
"You care for him deeply."
Lucia's cheeks reddened slightly, but she said nothing.
Max turned once more toward the dark valley below, the winds tugging at his clothes as the ancient aura rolled upward like waves.
Then, without another word, he stepped forward and began descending alone into Dragon Death Valley.
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