Past the mountain pass, the land fell into a scorched valley clinging to the roots of a sky-piercing volcano. Fire and stone fanned from its base like a burned hem. The valley floor rolled with cracked stone and scorched earth. Above the rubble rose columns of basalt, forming sheer cliffs where the sentinels frequently roosted.

  Amidst this harsh landscape, dragon hatchlings scampered about in chaotic glee. Tiny by dragon standards, most averaging fifteen feet from snout to tail, they still dwarfed most wildlife. Their scales formed a shifting mosaic across the dark basalt: brilliant sapphire, molten red, deep emerald, and weathered bronze. Some already bore the telltale signs of their lineage, with jagged dorsal spines and serrated tail-spikes beginning to sprout like obsidian blades from their hide.

  There, in the heart of the valley, a group of dragonlings stood stiller than the others.

  ["We had a deal,"] stated the first. Her scales were a gradient of frost-blue along the belly, deepening into a darker tone, broken by dark, tiger-like bands. Fins framed her head like a cobra's hood, their edges as sharp as a raptor's talons.

  Beside her, two others stood clad in a stark mosaic of black and white. ["Squish didn't find a thing with that map. We found this on our own,"] the smaller of the duo declared, flicking a gaze at the heavy crate behind them.

  The blue hatchling retorted. ["That wouldn't have happened without my kobold. Was it not thanks to him that you found yourselves in foreign turf to begin with? A deal is a deal, it's not right for you to keep the hoard to yourselves."]

  The third hatchling finally broke her silence, her tail rhythmic and heavy as it tapped against the haul. ["A deal is a deal. My half stays mine. You take Sylth's portion, I keep mine."] She stated it matter-of-factly, her tail-tip dragging over piles of coins and dull metallic ingots.

  Sylth bared his teeth, a low growl vibrating in his chest as he asked. ["And what if I don't agree?"]

  The older black-and-white dragon radiated predatory smugness. ["Well then, I beat you up and take all of it. Or, you could accept it like a good whelp,"] she said, flashing her jagged teeth in that instant.

  By now, Sylth knew how reckless it was to challenge his older sibling's authority. She had shown time and time again how capable she was in combat. Sylth instead opted to shift his gaze to the blue hatchling. ["How about this, Skirr. You and me fight her. Winner takes all of it,"] Sylth proposed, tilting his head as he awaited the verdict.

  Greed was a potent motivator for a dragon. A moment ago, Skirr had nothing. Not a single coin to her name. And now? Now she stood before a split that would leave her richer than she'd been at dawn, all without lifting a claw.

  Her fins twitched and folded tighter against her skull as she considered.

  Across from her, her would-be opponent radiated confidence, wrapped in a smug grin. She stood like a creature already savoring victory. Sylth, by contrast, had not even entertained the thought of fighting alone. She made no effort to hide these doubts; her mana stung Sylth with open underestimation.

  ["I decline,"] Skirr said at last, mana calm and controlled. ["I prefer guaranteed wealth over hypothetical glory."]

  ["Weren't you the one wagering the kobold in a gamble to begin with?"] she shot back, her tone edged with unsheathed disdain.

  Skirr did not so much as blink. If the jab struck, she gave no sign. Her gaze slid past the larger hatchling, settling on the crate. ["I'm taking my half,"] Skirr stated flatly, pacing over to the crate unceremoniously.

  That prompted Sylth to flare his wings. ["Then take it!"] He shouted right before taking off. Although he didn't have somewhere to go, he soared high into the air as an act of petty defiance. Common for his age, really.

  His next landing spot was a jagged spur of basalt that jutted from the valley wall like a broken fang. Perched atop one of the higher columns lounged Maelyx, just a red dragon watching the floor below with a mix of curiosity and mild annoyance. Below him, two kobolds moved carefully among a scatter of cracked stones and slagged debris.

  One was red-scaled, rust that blended almost seamlessly with the volcanic terrain. The other was blue, brighter, standing out in sharp contrast against the desolation around them.

  Maelyx's golden eyes flicked toward Sylth as he approached, slit pupils narrowing slightly in amusement. ["Lost something?"] Maelyx called down without moving from his perch.

  Sylth's wings gave a single irritated snap before folding tightly at his sides. ["How did you know?"]

  The older dragon leaned back, scrutinizing the younger one. ["It's obvious, you're practically yelling it,"] he stated with nonchalance.

  ["And what's that supposed to mean?"]

  Maelyx hummed thoughtfully, rubbing the bridge of his snout with a paw. ["Forget it,"] he said after a moment, eyeing the blue kobold with interest. ["Now that the kobold is officially yours, what do you plan to do with it?"]

  Sylth's head tilted, then he growled at the kobold. "Come." The sharp sound surprised Maelyx, who got twice as surprised once he saw the blue kobold's obedient dash towards the hatchling.

  The red hatchling couldn't help but ask. ["Did you just command him?"]

  ["Yes, why do you ask?"]

  ["How'd you teach him to listen to you? Do they only respond to growls, or are you some kind of natural-born dragon master?"] Maelyx asked curiously, amused to some extent.

  Sylth looked to the kobold scurrying along. ["As you said, they only respond to sound. The little ones have a whole sound language. It's not hard to learn,"] he stated casually.

  Maelyx snorted, amused, and eyed the kobold again. ["Let me test it then!"] Then he barked the same growl he heard, as accurately as he could manage to remember. The red kobold, upon hearing Maelyx's attempt, blinked up at him in utter confusion.

  ["Try again,"] Sylth said, repeating the sound a few times to the red dragon's bewildered gaze.

  And soon enough, Maelyx yelled the command in his best approximation. "Come," the red dragon boomed. The red kobold glanced between them with a baffled expression, then ran to Maelyx with wide eyes.

  ["See?"] Sylth said triumphantly.

  ["Fascinating,"] Maelyx said. ["How many of those commands do you know?"]

  ["Just a handful, but enough for basic orders,"] Sylth bragged.

  ["You learned them listening to their sounds, right?"]

  ["No, Pointy taught me,"] Sylth said, his tail flicking dismissively.

  ["What's a Pointy?"]

  Sylth perked up and looked at Maelyx. ["I didn't show you my human, did I? I left her in the cave. She's very fragile. Do you want to see her?"] he asked, his tail excitedly waving.

  Maelyx widened his eyes the moment he felt it. ["Wait, human? Like... a mage?"]

  ["What's a mage?"]

  ["From the stories my mother used to tell me..."] Maelyx muttered, trying to recall them. ["A creature, although tiny like kobolds. They can do all kinds of crazy things. Control fire, air, even time itself, if the tales are true."]

  Those words resurfaced memories Sylth had been trying to bury. Black metal clamping around his throat, mana torn into suffocating silence. The hot agony of daring to move, and the smell of burned flesh as shards of light reduced a trembling kobold to ruin.

  ["Mages,"] Sylth snarled through gritted teeth. His mana churned with vengeful purpose. ["Pointy isn't that. She's just a normal human, weak, helpless without me,"] Sylth assured, his tail brushing against the blue kobold reassuringly. More to himself than anything.

  ["Ah, okay. Then let's see this Pointy,"] Maelyx suggested, curiosity piqued. ["How did you get a human, anyway?"]

  Sylth didn't answer immediately. Both hatchlings were nudging their kobolds to board their backs. ["In the forest, very far from here,"] he finally answered, his gaze set on the sky beyond the valley. A sky painted with orange and red as the sun dipped lower.

  The pair then took off together, gliding over the expanse. ["So... That stuff around your neck. Is it just so the kobold doesn't fall off or does it have other uses?"]

  Sylth looked back at the saddle, a design he cobbled together from leather and twine. ["Makes them more comfortable."]

  ["Huh. Clever,"] Maelyx remarked, glancing back at his kobold. ["Maybe I'll get one for Duke too."]

  The sky dimmed to a rich violet as they flew, a stark contrast against the scarlet afterglow that clung to the horizon.

  Pointy had not meant to pace. Yet a shallow crescent now marred the cave floor where her boots had worn the ash smooth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

  The cave was little more than a wound in the volcanic stone. She had tried to civilize it. A ring of stones for the fire. A bedroll layered with scraps of salvaged cloth. A crude rack where damp wood could dry. Tasks, all of them. Busywork to keep her hands from shaking.

  She had boiled water. Sorted what little food she had left. Counted it twice.

  Outside, distant noises kept her on edge. Stone shifted with grinding groans. Wings thundered overhead. Roars cracked across the basin like splitting timber. It was the kind of soundscape that should have driven a sane person to flee.

  Then the light at the cave mouth dimmed.

  A shadow crossed the entrance, and Pointy's head snapped up. A second shadow joined the first. Larger, overlapping. She rose slowly, brushing ash from her cloak as though composure were something she could smooth back into place.

  Two dragons descended toward the cave. Each bore a kobold scrambling down from its back.

  By the time the dragons met the ground, Maelyx had already sent a signal to Sylth. ["Is that the one?"] Layered with doubt.

  Sylth's answer was instantaneous. ["Yes, that's Pointy,"] he responded.

  ["What? But that's not a human!"] Maelyx returned.

  ["It is,"] Sylth insisted, snorting as he folded his wings. His mana flared with absolute certainty. At that time the kobolds had not even begun climbing down from their backs.

  Maelyx's eyes narrowed as he examined the creature. ["No, Sylth, that's an elf. Elves aren't humans. They're the other species."]

  ["Elf?"] Sylth turned his gaze to Pointy.

  ["That's a good thing. Elves are good with magic,"] Maelyx added.

  ["What's an elf?"] Sylth asked again, his mana making it seem the answer wasn't fulfilling enough.

  ["Elves live longer, sleep less, heal faster... They can learn tricks naturally,"] Maelyx listed, before realizing the gap in his friend's knowledge. ["Wait, how much do you know about humans, then?"]

  ["I don't know what a human is, just that Pointy is one,"] Sylth growled, and the kobold at his back finally dismounted.

  The exchange lasted heartbeats. Mana rippled and shook in layered meaning. Concepts traded faster than sound could ever carry them. What might have taken minutes in any spoken tongue unraveled and reknit itself in seconds.

  And then. "Good evening," Pointy said. To her, she had spoken the moment they landed.

  To the dragons, the sound came late, as though it had crawled through molasses before reaching them. Both hatchlings turned their heads in unison at that sound.

  ["…What was that?"] Maelyx sent first.

  ["She greeted us,"] Sylth replied, tail tip twitching. A beat later, he added, ["I could tell she was about to."]

  Maelyx's golden eyes narrowed as he studied the elf more carefully.

  ["And I think,"] Sylth concluded, almost smugly, ["she's about to ask me to learn more words."]

  Humans, elves, even kobolds could not shape mana the way dragons did. They could not speak through it. But their thoughts still stirred it. Emotions. Thoughts. Intent. All of it echoed outward in subtle currents, whispering to those attuned enough to listen.

  Dragons learned those patterns without trying. They were born submerged in the stuff. It was air to them. Water to fish. Sylth was no exception.

  Pointy's mana was a tightening spiral that always preceded her attempts at new sounds. "Let's learn," Pointy said, beaming.

  The two dragons, as always, exchanged glances. "Ok," Sylth's voice resonated.

  The usual drill of echoing whatever she spouted and questioning the meanings started again. A process that Duke gladly joined, speaking over the blue kobold at every opportunity. Behind the exchange of sounds, another conversation flowed far faster.

  ["Don't you think it's a little embarrassing, talking like kobolds?"] Maelyx sent.

  ["It's how they understand us,"] Sylth countered. ["Besides, it helps them to follow orders."]

  ["Dad said that growling is for whelps."]

  ["And we're whelps, so deal with it."]

  ["Maybe you are, but I'm a full dragon now!"] Maelyx retorted.

  ["How come?"] Sylth asked, skeptical.

  ["My dad said that when everything is over I will have my own territory. That's what full means."]

  Sylth snorted. ["You will be a full dragon only then. Not before. So don't boast too much."]

  ["Says the dragon who was just born,"] Maelyx shot back, his tail flicking.

  The evening had stretched into twilight with their back and forth. By that time Pointy asked a question, rather than offering teachings. "Why did you bring me here?"

  Sylth pondered that for a moment. "To keep you safe," he said, eventually.

  A small flame crackled in the firepit, casting flickers of light across the ash. "From what?" Pointy probed.

  "Everything," Sylth answered simply.

  She watched his face, trying to read the sincerity. But to her, those faces never really changed. "This isn't my home, you know."

  Sylth tilted his head with wide eyes. "It is now."

  Maelyx barely understood the words, pushing his mana to Sylth again. ["You said you found her far from here. Is it too far for us to visit?"]

  ["Yes, we only got there because of some magic scroll according to my dad,"] Sylth said.

  ["Oh. Magic scroll? You haven't told me about that yet,"] Maelyx sent back, tail flicking as if eager to learn.

  Pointy was still waiting for Sylth to say something. While the hatchling's mana started recounting the whole journey calmly to the red one.

  The family of dragons landed precisely on the mark indicated by the map. An unassuming patch of earth with a narrow hole bored into it like something the world had coughed up and forgotten. The entrance was laughably small. Their father, vast and white as a glacier, could do little more than peer down into it with one enormous eye while the hatchlings squeezed inside.

  Below, they found the kobold flailing indignantly in a pit, claws scraping uselessly against walls slick as polished glass. Rescue, at least, was simple. Dragons are excellent at lowering tails and issuing instructions.

  It was only afterward that they noticed the parchment clutched in those tiny kobold hands.

  In hindsight, it may not have been the wisest decision to use that strange, rune-covered scroll of unknown origin as kindling. The writing had shimmered oddly when the flames licked it. There had been a pause. A hum. Then came the light.

  Blinding. Expansive. Offensively bright.

  There had been a sensation of falling sideways through existence. And then, all went black.

  When they awoke, the forest was gone. Replaced by a whole different forest.

  To be honest, it didn't look that different. Except for the lack of dragons, that part sure was terrifying.

  Sylth finished recounting it. The fire popped, sparks flew. Pointy was still waiting for an answer that had never come. But it had barely been five seconds. She thought perhaps the dragon needed to think, and waited patiently.

  Maelyx's tail thudded once against the stone. ["Did your father know?"]

  ["He said he did, watching the whole thing from afar,"] Sylth confirmed.

  Maelyx's golden eyes narrowed. ["How did you get back here?"]

  ["He brought us back after playing with some humans."]

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  Maelyx tilted his head, thoughtful. ["Because of your brother, right?"] The question carried more certainty than doubt, as though he were slotting the final piece into place.

  ["Yes. How did you know?"] Sylth asked, a flicker of surprise in his mana.

  ["Apart from everyone talking about it?"] Maelyx huffed. ["It's a sacred event. Only the family may attend, but everyone celebrates the hatching of a new dragon."] The word sacred lingered in his mana, standing out amidst the others.

  Sylth stared past the red hatchling, toward the scorched landscape. ["My father will be there,"] Sylth stated.

  Maelyx's tail flicked. ["He wasn't for yours, right?"]

  Sylth shook his head once. ["My mother will return too."]

  To Pointy, perhaps six or seven seconds had passed. To Sylth, it had been a full layered exchange of memory, speculation, pride, and something he did not yet have a word for. Impatience began to ripple faintly through her mana. A tightening. A questioning coil.

  Sylth blinked.

  Right. She said something. He lowered his head toward her, smoke slipping from his nostrils in a slow exhale.

  "You asked why I brought you here," he said at last, the words shaped carefully.

  Pointy crossed her arms. "Yes."

  "My brother's egg will open soon," he told her, "And I want you to be safe here until then."

  A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Alright, just know I have to go back home one day."

  Maelyx understood only fragments of the words, yet his mana rippled with what he understood. ["She's already homesick. Elves are a little harder to take care of."]

  ["Well,"] Sylth replied to the red dragon, ["she'll feel better after a visit."]

  Maelyx's tail thumped against the cave floor again. ["Good point."] His golden gaze drifted across the little ones. ["Maybe you can get more elves."]

  The cave had grown quiet. Pointy busied herself with rearranging the firewood for the third time that evening. The dragons had long since exhausted the novelty of repeating words after her. Even Maelyx's curiosity had dulled now that the sounds stopped being new, resting his head on his forepaws.

  The kobolds, meanwhile, had not been idle. Duke and Squish shuffled around the cave entrance, poking through small stones, occasionally glancing toward the dragons as if waiting for instruction. There was an open hostility brewing in their mana towards one another. But that was normal.

  Both dragons watched as Squish suddenly lunged.

  Duke leapt aside, tail whipping across the ground as he countered with a shove of both hands. The two collided in a brief tangle of limbs and scales before springing apart again. "Your fault for being quiet," Duke snarled.

  Maelyx's eyes widened. ["They're fighting."]

  Again the kobolds rushed each other.

  Squish ducked low this time, trying to tackle Duke around the waist. Duke twisted sideways, grabbed the blue kobold's arm, and attempted to throw him. The maneuver half-worked, sending Squish skidding across the ash before scrambling back to his feet.

  Pointy glanced over from the fire. She opened her mouth to say something, then hesitated when she saw the dragons watching with intense interest.

  Duke lunged next.

  He tackled Squish cleanly, knocking him flat onto his back. The pair rolled across the floor in a chaotic bundle of claws and tails.

  ["You think yours can beat mine?"] Maelyx sent.

  ["Obviously,"] Sylth retorted, his mana pulsing with confidence.

  ["Mine seems better at wrestling, though,"] Maelyx teased.

  Duke had the better start, driving Squish onto his back and pinning him with a triumphant hiss. Squish bucked violently, twisting like a hooked eel. For a brief moment the red kobold seemed certain of victory.

  Then Squish bit him.

  Duke shrieked, more offended than hurt, and released his grip. The blue kobold rolled free, sprang up, and tackled him from the side. They crashed into the cave wall, scattering pebbles and ash across the floor.

  For several seconds the fight dissolved into an undignified blur of grappling limbs, whipping tails, and indignant squeals. Eventually, Duke managed to flip Squish again, though the maneuver carried them both tumbling across the cave floor. They separated, panting, each clutching the other's forearm as if uncertain who had actually won.

  The hatchlings watched with amusement. Until something new entered the valley. It came first as a distant pressure, a subtle disturbance that rolled across the landscape like rising heat.

  Sylth's head snapped up. A whirl of emotions filled his mana: anticipation, excitement, nostalgia. He missed that warmth.

  He burst from the cave into the violet dusk, wings carving through the cooling air. ["Talk to you later, Maelyx."]

  He climbed higher, following that distant presence. It stretched across the sky like a beacon. Vast, familiar, impossible to mistake. Even from leagues away it stretched across the valley in slow, powerful tides.

  Ahead, the sky swallowed distance in great gulps of darkening cloud. At first she was nothing more than a black speck suspended against the burning horizon.

  But the speck grew into a dragon, immense, dark, and beautiful. Wingspan that stretched wider than entire cliff faces, each beat sending slow thunder through the sky. The clouds parted around her bulk, torn aside by sheer presence as much as motion.

  Sylth angled his wings and climbed toward her path, heart hammering with the kind of excitement only hatchlings seemed capable of sustaining for long.

  ["Mom!"] his mana radiated.

  The enormous dragon continued forward as Sylth darted closer, circling upward to intercept her. For a moment Sylth wondered if she had not felt him. But that was ridiculous. Her senses spanned miles.

  He crossed her path at last. For a heartbeat he hovered there, wings beating furiously against the air, waiting for her golden eyes to turn toward him.

  She passed him.

  The slipstream from her wings nearly folded his own. Sylth wobbled violently before catching himself with a frantic snap of his tail. ["What..."] Irritation flared through his mana.

  He banked hard and dove after her.

  Keeping pace was not easy. Her wings moved slowly, but every stroke hurled her forward with enormous momentum. The scorched land opened below them. And he was not the only one arriving.

  Another hatchling, gliding with clumsy enthusiasm, clearly having noticed the same presence Sylth had.

  His sister. Iono.

  She circled wide, eyes bright with the same eager curiosity burning inside Sylth as their mother landed. Her wings folded, each membrane settling like the closing of enormous sails.

  Only then did her mana stir. ["Hello, little ones,"] she greeted without turning, gazing off into the horizon. Relief washed through the hatchlings as they touched down moments later, legs trembling from the hurried flight.

  ["You're back,"] Sylth said, his tail lashing with barely contained excitement.

  Iono's mana flared eagerly beside him. ["Mom, I found a lot of treasure."]

  The gust from her wings knocked Sylth and Iono back a step. Before either could speak, her golden eyes narrowed, fixing on the leather straps bound to their shoulders. ["Remove them,"] she commanded, her mana sharp as a blade. ["Now."]

  Sylth hesitated, confusion rippling through him. He was about to ask why, but the delay was enough. A jet of white-hot fire erupted from her jaws, sweeping over them. A quick, precise, and hungry flame swallowed the leather. The saddles vanished into ash in a heartbeat. Sylth flinched, scales tingling from the heat.

  The immense dragon remained facing forward, unmoved by the boasts. ["We will speak later,"] she replied calmly. ["For now, your father awaits me."]

  The hatchlings blinked. That was it. No questions. No praise. No lingering warmth of attention.

  Just the slow lift of their mother's wings as she pushed herself skyward again.

  The force of it flattened the scorched grass around them and sent loose ash skittering across the rock. Sylth and Iono leaned instinctively into the gust, wings half-spread to steady themselves as the massive dragon rose back into the air.

  Without another word, she turned toward the volcano.

  For a while the two simply watched.

  Many mountains dominated the valley, towering pillars of stone. Places where the elders stayed. Their mother climbed toward them now, leaving Sylth and Iono alone on the blackened ground.

  ["That was strange,"] Iono remarked, head cocked to one side.

  Sylth snorted, though his tail flicked restlessly. ["She probably has something important to do."]

  ["Other than burning our toys?"] Iono asked, wings rustling. ["I was going to show her the coins."]

  ["You already told her,"] Sylth said.

  ["But she didn't even ask how many."]

  Sylth didn't have a good answer for that. He sat down with a small thump, curling his tail around his feet.

  ["Do you think Dad called her?"] Iono asked.

  Sylth tilted his head. ["Why would he?"]

  ["For the egg."]

  Sylth scratched a claw along the cracked basalt. ["He doesn't need to call her for that. Eggs hatch when they hatch."]

  Iono tilted her head, crest feathers ruffling. ["But everyone said this one is important."]

  ["They always say that,"] Sylth muttered.

  ["No they don't."]

  ["Yes they do."]

  Iono squinted at him. ["Name three times."]

  Sylth's tail flicked. ["Well… they say it about most eggs."]

  ["That's not three."]

  Sylth flopped onto his belly. ["You're impossible."]

  She nudged a loose stone with her claw. ["I still think Dad called her."]

  ["Why?"]

  ["Because she flew straight to the volcano,"] Iono said. ["She didn't even look at the valley."]

  Sylth snorted. ["She looked at us."]

  ["No she didn't."]

  ["Yes she did."]

  ["When?"]

  Sylth huffed and flicked a bit of ash at her with his tail. ["You're just mad she didn't count your coins."]

  Iono's gaze drifted away from him and toward the distant volcano, mana wavering with uncertainty.

  Sylth watched her for a moment. Then his head tilted. ["…Hey."]

  ["What?"]

  ["You saw my egg hatch, right?"]

  Iono blinked, the change of topic catching her off guard. ["Yes."]

  ["What was it like?"]

  She stared at him. ["You don't remember?"] she asked.

  ["No,"] Sylth said bluntly. ["I was inside it."]

  ["The egg moves,"] she began, gesturing vaguely with one claw. ["Then it starts cracking."]

  ["…Did they act like that?"] he asked.

  ["Like what?"]

  ["Like today."] His tail tip twitched. ["Busy."]

  ["No."] She shook her head. ["Mom stayed with your egg the whole time, bathing in sunlight until it cracked."]

  She tilted her head again, thinking back. ["This egg is different. It's almost like they're hiding it."]

  Iono didn't wait for a query before taking off. ["Come,"] she said, heading somewhere near the volcano.

  Sylth hesitated only a moment before following. The path curved around the volcano's shoulder, into a region Sylth never thought of visiting. The stone here was darker, smooth and glossy. Ahead, the mountainside opened into a broad stone basin carved naturally into the rock.

  A bronze dragon lounged near the entrance, resting right from the direction they were coming from. Farther in rested a dark green dragon with wings folded tight against his sides. A black dragon coiled near the far wall, eyes half-lidded but very much awake.

  ["What is this place?"] Sylth asked quietly.

  Iono gestured toward the center of the basin. There, scattered across the warm basalt, rested a few eggs. Perhaps a dozen in total. ["This is where they keep them,"] Iono replied.

  Sylth slowly turned in a circle, scanning the basin. ["…Where is it?"] he asked.

  ["That's what I was trying to show you."] Iono's mana rippled with quiet unease. ["Our brother was never here. I checked many times after Mom left the egg."]

  The thought died in Sylth's mind before it could fully form. A precise message pressed through their consciousness. ["Come,"] it ordered.

  They launched themselves, diving further into the scorched lands. The landscape shifted rapidly from scorched rock to glowing obsidian. The taste of sulfur and ash grew strong. Below them, rivers of magma wound through the canyon floor like veins of molten ruby, illuminating the cavern walls in pulses of eerie red light.

  Their father waited ahead. Here, amidst the volcanic glow, the white glacier of a dragon looked different. His scales, usually blindingly bright under the sun, seemed to drink the ambient firelight. Beside him, their mother had coiled her immense bulk into a tight, protective circle, her wings draped low over something hidden within her embrace.

  Sylth and Iono touched down next to her.

  His mother shifted slightly as they landed, just enough to reveal the center of her coil. There it was. It was the same egg Sylth remembered from seasons ago. The once obsidian was now completely white, mirroring the blinding scales of their father.

  ["It was black. I remember it being black,"] Iono's mana sparked with surprise.

  Sylth barely spared the egg a glance. To him, it was merely stone waiting to fracture. The mystery of its shifting hue held only the fleeting interest of a strange cloud formation. Something to note, then discard. His focus remained anchored entirely on the black dragon coiled in the shadows nearby.

  He pushed past the stoic silence of the bigger dragons and the vibrating anxiety of his sister, stepping directly beneath the shelter of his mother's wing. ["You came back,"] Sylth projected, his mana rippling with a mixture of profound relief and lingering nostalgia.

  She lowered her massive head, nuzzling him gently. ["Of course I did. There is always time for hatchlings."]

  Iono, however, had different priorities. Her gaze darted to the pristine white shell, flaring with questions. ["Has an egg ever changed color like this?"] she asked, her thoughts resonating with the unguarded, naive curiosity of youth. ["Is it sick? Is it... wrong?"]

  ["The oracles offered no clarity,"] their father replied, gaze drifting toward the volcano's fiery heart. ["They spoke only in riddles about 'shifting tides' and 'unwritten paths.' It was... unhelpful."]

  ["It is not sick,"] their mother corrected, her tail lashing out to strike their father's flank with a sharp, unceremonious thwack. ["The mana within is vigorous. Healthy. Exactly as it should be."]

  ["When will it hatch?"] Sylth asked, leaning forward.

  ["In a few days,"] she replied, her eyes sliding shut against the rising heat.

  Sylth's wings fluttered. He danced forward, then back, excitement bubbling. He wanted to ask if he could help. If he could stand guard. If there was anything, anything, he needed to do. But whelps were open books to the elders; he hadn't even managed to shape those thoughts into coherent projections before his mother interrupted.

  ["Keep him company,"] she commanded, her head already resting on the scorched basalt.

  He didn't have anything against the idea. ["Okay."] Sylth settled beside the egg, wings drooping as he watched it in fascination. He had been missing the warmth of her presence for quite some time; this spot, nestled under the shadow of her great wing, was profoundly comforting.

  But time, for a hatchling, is not meant to be static. It stretched like taffy, sticky and slow.

  Soon, the novelty of watching an unchanging shell wore off. Sylth began pacing the perimeter, tracing the glowing veins of the lava river that cut through the basin. Boredom, that universal constant of youth, took hold. The stillness of the vigil gave way to chaotic energy. Sylth and Iono turned the sacred basin into a playground, playing chase among the tall ridges, and testing how long they could hover on thermal updrafts before their wings tired.

  Through it all, their mother slept. She was a mountain of dark scales, rising and falling with slow, tectonic breaths that rattled the loose stones beneath them.

  Then, it happened.

  It was sudden, even for the old and wise. One moment, Sylth's father was guiding Iono through a hunting lesson far beyond the woods; the next, the air shimmered, and they simply were there, materializing instantly at the center of the basin as if they had never left. Leaving even Iono herself in a daze.

  For those attuned enough to feel the shift in the air, the change was electric. The egg shuddered. A rhythmic shake, once, twice, three times.

  Then, just as quickly as it began, the calm reclaimed the surrounding mana. The trembling ceased. The spike of energy flattened into a smooth, dormant hum. For all intents and purposes, the little one inside had stirred, tested the world, and decided to go back to sleep.

  ["It went back to sleep,"] Sylth pointed out, his tail twitching nervously. ["Why would it do that?"]

  ["You did the same thing, Sylth,"] Iono pointed out, rolling her eyes. ["Constantly. You'd wake up just long enough to complain about the shell being too hard, then snooze for another day."]

  Sylth ignored the jab, leaning in to nudge the pristine white surface with his snout. ["Hey. Wake up. We're waiting for you."]

  The two parents remained statuesque, their gazes locked on the egg. Minutes stretched into hours. The initial excitement of the hatchlings began to fray; the hatchlings circled the egg, sniffed its smooth surface, and occasionally bat at it with careful claws, only to be gently but firmly swatted away by their father's tail whenever they got too rough.

  Inside, the world was a study in contradiction. It tapped; the resistance was solid, unyielding. It rested; the warmth soothed the ache in limbs that hadn't yet stretched. It woke. Outside, the sun climbed higher again, flooding the basin with golden light. To the persistent surprise of the older dragons, the tremors within the shell grew more frequent, evolving from erratic spasms into a steady, rhythmic pounding.

  Then, finally, a hairline fracture appeared.

  It started as a tiny jagged line near the top, stark against the blinding white. A second later, a soft crick echoed through the silent basin. The crack widened, splintering outward like lightning frozen in stone, as something inside pushed back with deliberate, undeniable force.

  The crack widened, a jagged lightning bolt frozen in the pristine white shell. With a sound like snapping ice, a large fragment fell away, revealing a snout pushing through the debris. The basin, previously filled with the low hum of magma and the shifting weight of sleeping elders, erupted into a cacophony of mana from the two hatchlings spectating the event.

  Sylth pressed forward, wings fluttering with excitement. Finally! After all the waiting, all the pacing around the basin, his brother was coming out. He craned his neck, trying to see past the shell fragments.

  ["You said days, isn't this early?"] Iono asked.

  ["Unpredictable things happen,"] their mother answered. ["Specially with this little one."]

  Sylth didn't think much of that. Eggs did what eggs wanted to do. His own had cracked when it decided to. Why would this one be different?

  The snout retreated, giving way to more bumps and taps. Fragments kept breaking away. Pale blue eyes emerged through the breach, blinking against the basin's glare. Sylth could now see how it looked from the outside. It pulled back into the shell, just for a moment, before nudging the broken shards, trying to fit them back into place over its head, as if attempting to undo the hatching.

  ["Is it... trying to go back in?"] Iono sent, her mana rippling with bewildered amusement.

  A spike of genuine confusion radiated from the egg, sharp enough to prompt even Sylth to tilt his head. Then, with a sudden resolve, the hatchling drove himself against the remaining wall of the shell. Forcing himself out, to stand amidst the debris.

  Sylth tilted his head. He was... white. Really white. Like Father. Sylth glanced at his own scales, a mix of both parents. Iono was darker, closer to Mother's hues. But this little one? Pure white, like fresh snow on the high peaks.

  Then the hatchling lifted a wing.

  Sylth watched, fascinated. Rotated the membrane, stretched it, furled it again. Like he was checking it worked. Doing the same with his paws, probably also testing if everything was ok.

  The white hatchling took a step forward, then another. Leaving the shell behind. No wobble. Sylth remembered stumbling constantly those first few days, his balance all wrong. But this little one moved like he'd already learned how very quickly.

  Father's platinum eyes had narrowed to slits. Mother's wings shifted, just slightly, as if she were ready to move. Sylth couldn't read their mana the way they could read his. Hatchlings were too loud, too bright, too everything for the elders to hide much from them. But the reverse wasn't true. Their parents' thoughts were deep pools, still and dark.

  Sylth could feel something stirring in those depths. Worry, maybe.

  The white hatchling looked up at the four dragons surrounding him. His mana rippled outward with surprise, awe, then fear.

  Sylth tilted his head at that, the sensation prickling at the edge of his awareness. The newborn's mana radiated surprise. That's a little weird, Sylth thought. Surprise was what happened when the world didn't do what you thought it would. It required expectations. A hatchling fresh from the shell shouldn't have those, would it? They shouldn't have thoughts about how the air should feel or how the light should look. They should just be.

  For a moment, Sylth wondered if the little one had remembered something from inside the egg. But the thought slipped away as quickly as it came. If the baby was surprised, maybe he was just surprised. Sylth shook his head, dismissing the doubts.

  The white hatchling shifted his weight again. Then, with a sudden jerk, he threw his wings out. This time he didn't just stretch them. He flapped.

  At that moment Sylth felt the controlled mana of his parents spike. A sharp jag of shock, beyond anything he ever felt from them. Then, just as quickly, it was snuffed out.

  Iono was the one to break the silence, her mana buzzing with unfiltered admiration. ["Fast to hatch, to walk, and already trying to fly. This little guy is a genius."] She closed the distance eagerly, burning with curiosity about her new sibling.

  The white hatchling flinched at her sudden approach, growing more withdrawn with each step she took.

  Sylth blinked. He hadn't flinched when Iono approached him. Had he? Probably. Iono was bigger; that was just natural. Yet, the little one's limbs flickered with conflicting impulses, half-steps forward and back. He looked as though he wanted to run, yet forced himself to stand his ground. Refusing to show fear.

  The mother moved then, her tail fell between Iono and the newborn. Something Sylth recognized instantly. ["Enough,"] she said, not unkindly. ["He is overwhelmed."]

  Iono halted, wings drooping with frustration.

  The mother's tail remained a barricade, protective as usual, earning a stare from the new hatchling.

  Sylth and Iono retreated to the edge of the basin, settling beside their father. They were whelps, best to obey their parents. The mother had never been keen on them crowding the newborn. It would only frighten it more.

  ["Dad, why is he white like you?"] Iono asked, gesturing with her tail at the hatchling.

  ["It's not common, but not unprecedented,"] their father answered, eyes still fixed on the newborn. ["My bloodline isn't dominant, but it's in there."]

  Sylth caught but a fraction of what he said, but the hatchling had more pressing matters. ["So is he a genius or not?"]

  The father's platinum gaze met his. ["I hope so. Time will tell."]

  A strange tension hung in the air. One that had nothing to do with excitement. That worry, it was still there. Hovering just under that fatherly facade. Sylth couldn't figure out why. Why would he worry about a talented dragonling?

  The newborn's fear was fading. The little one's attention shifted from the vast, looming shadow of their mother to himself. Then, he let out a growl, squeaky if compared with older dragons, but fierce enough.

  Then came the spike of surprise again. Curious, he did it again. A slightly louder growl. Another spike of surprise, though weaker this time.

  ["Did you hear that?"] Iono sent, her mana rippling with disbelief.

  ["I heard it,"] Sylth replied, locking onto his father once again. ["Could it be..."] Meaning trailed off his mana, not wanting to radiate his suspicions.

  Their father turned around to take flight. ["You two. With me. We hunt,"] he commanded. Not even bothering to wait for a response, he leaped from the basin, taking to the sky.

  Iono's wings flared instantly, pride swelling in her chest. ["Finally! I've been waiting to show you my undefeated dive technique."]

  Sylth lingered for a heartbeat, looking back at the newborn. The white hatchling was sitting amidst the shards of his shell, almost taking a bite of one. ["Come,"] the father commanded again.

  With a sigh, Sylth obeyed, but not without a final look at the new sibling. They ascended rapidly, soaring through the sky, leaving the hatchery without much of a word being exchanged. Once they were out of earshot. Or rather, out of mana-range of the mother, their father slowed his pace.

  ["You noticed,"] the father sent. It wasn't a question.

  ["For a hatchling,"] Sylth replied, matching his glide. ["He's too smart. He should be stumbling and bumping into everything."]

  Iono swooped lower, circling a patch of heat haze. ["Maybe he's just weird."]

  ["I think he is the opposite,"] Sylth said, ignoring the dig. ["Both calm and alert. Isn't that mature? For a hatchling."]

  Their father's gaze swept over them, ensuring he had their absolute attention. ["You will speak of this to no one. Not to him, not to the elders, and certainly not to the other hatchlings."] His mana rippled with authority.

  Iono's wings fluttered in protest. ["But if he's special, shouldn't the clan know? Shouldn't we protect him?"]

  The white dragon's mana was a tightly wound coil, hard to read, but there was an undercurrent of urgency. This was serious. ["For all intents and purposes,"] the father continued, ["he is just a normal hatchling without anything special about it. He stumbles. He sleeps. He learns slowly. If anyone asks, that is what you saw."]

  ["That's a lie,"] Iono muttered, though her mana dimmed in submission.

  ["It is silence,"] the great white dragon said. ["Can you keep it for me?"]

  Iono looked as though she wanted to argue more, but stopped when Sylth agreed. ["Of course, Dad."]

  The father nodded once, a calm movement that seemed to yield some relief. ["Good,"] he said. ["I trust you to protect your brother."]

  The promise settled over Sylth's scales, slowly taking shape in his mind. Protect your brother. The echoes of that thought followed the flight, and curiosity toward their new sibling grew with every stroke of their wings.

  ["Why is he so special then?"] Iono asked after a long silence.

  ["You'll learn in time."]