“How should I call you, elder scale?” I asked the fourth dragon empress after we settled down at the table.

“Mom or Mother, if you aren’t too shy about it. My son, for example, can’t even call the other empresses ‘Mother’ despite all of them cleaning after him when he was still a hatchling! Huhuhu, this brat!”

Hearing this, Nong lowered his head, trying to hide his reddening beak with his wings. “Mother, please … It’s just a matter of principle. You are my only birth mother, so you deserve the title. I’ve never treated the other empress-mothers as anything but my step-mothers, so I should place some boundaries there, no?”

“Hiehie, such a sweet boy.” Mom smiled, teasingly. “He inherited your rambunctious nature as an Arviosa dragon, yet he still can’t hide his embarrassment for something so minor. Children are precious, no?”

“Yes, they are. Considering you finally are getting the chance to enjoy being a mother, I believe we have far more to talk about now, especially with your daughter around. Parent-child date, no? With her friends, of course.” Virrflax giggled, prompting mother to join. “Now, Hestia, if you aren’t too comfortable calling me so, you may simply address me as Virrflax in private. However, seeing as you will visit the mainland soon, do call me either ‘Empress-Mother,’ ‘Your Majesty,’ or ‘Empress Virrflax’ in a formal setting. The same will also apply to the other empresses.”

“You’re giving me permission? For everybody? I haven’t met them yet, though,” I replied.

“As I just said, baby sis,” Nong interjected. “Us siblings have unanimously accepted you as our youngest. If my mother has no issue with it, then the other empresses won’t either. We are all one big family.”

Virrflax nodded. “Melloxtressa has been speaking about having a child for a long time, Hestia. Even before she became Eltharion’s sixth empress, she was already family to all of us, caring and taking care of our children despite her journey to rank SS. We are all blood-sisters, a bond we forged in the blood-soaked skies and lands of Kargryx during the civil war, and this hasn’t changed even after 2000 years. All of us anticipated your birth as if you were our own.”

… Mwuah, this is a bit embarrassing to hear.

My chest felt a bit fuzzy. Hearing Nong and Virrflax outright calling me their family felt awkward, yet the feeling of kinship did grow. Similar to how I accepted Neill as my sister practically on our first day together, I did the same with Nong. His smell was identical to Sis’s. It made me feel good just by being around them.

Still, a part of me was still surprised I was accepted this easily. Sure, a year had passed and Nong did mention how my empress-mothers and siblings all visited me while I was asleep—totally not embarrassing—but I was still hesitant about it. It wasn’t even Hikari who felt this way, I was. Even knowing that Neill and Mom knew each other, with the latter even treating the former like a daughter, I still second-guessed myself here.

It’s good to hear some confirmation, at least. Guess I won’t have an issue with them.

“Mother Virrflax, then,” I answered, causing her to smile and clap once … before she crossed her arms around her face, hiding everything but her eyes behind her rainbow-colored feathers.

“A fantastic retort. A sense of familiarity but you still placed a wall in between us for now, cautious about your new family. A silver tongue, fitting for Melloxtressa’s daughter. You might have not raised her, but it seemed Goddess Aurena chose a soul that matches your personality, my friend,” Virrflax said.

“Nonsense!” Mom looked a bit annoyed, glaring at the giggling feathered dragon. “Instead of mentioning the gods, speak about her human mother. The one who raised my dear Hestia properly. All the praise goes to her.”

“You don’t have to go that far, Mom …” I laughed, shyly. “It isn’t like you didn’t help either. If you weren’t patient enough, I don’t think I would have accepted my new family. I knew I treated you pretty badly in the beginning, so I think you can consider this your part in raising me. Without you, I wouldn’t be so attuned with my dragon self.”

“Hestia!” Mom suddenly embraced me, squeezing me so tightly I could feel her cold breath. “You’re right, Virrflax, my daughter has too much of a silver tongue.”

Too much wholesomeness, I’m about to die! Help! Tasianna!

Yet, my friend only watched me from the side with a wide smile, almost as if she was cheering me on silently as I suffered. Shay and Beth did the same, with the latter making it a bit more obvious by clapping along. The only one who didn’t care about any of this was Vifi, who was slowly unpacking the curry we got from the restaurant, eating it so nonchalantly, as if we didn’t just have a fight between titanic dragons.

“Mhmm, goat curry.”

Give me some! I’m hungry!

The whole mother-daughter moment did last a while as Mom wanted to pamper me with her love, almost as if she was telling Virrflax, “Hey, see? My daughter loves me as well!” It only ended when Skardrvo knocked on the door, asking me if it was all right to intrude. My doctor was here.

An elven man entered with the silver dragonewt, bowing slowly as he addressed Mom, Virrflax, me, and then brother, in that order. He looked quite pale and sick for a doctor, but when I first met him, he told me it was ‘cause he had a mana path accident in his youth, causing him to feel lethargic most of the day.

Still, this did give him a pretty skinny appearance, and if it wasn’t for his bright, long blond hair framing his head, he would look like someone on death’s door. Honestly, he could put in some effort to make him look good, especially his worn robe, while he being a doctor, but it wasn’t my problem.

“I am here for your scheduled appointment, your highness,” he said with a small smile, almost as if it took too much energy to form a proper one.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Illvenus. Mom, I’ll go to my room.”

Illvenus Fahnie Rootcaller—the only mana surgeon currently on Frozen Nest, even if he was not the only “Kel’Thunian” elf here. Correct, he wasn’t an elf from Saelariel, but one from the elven race’s first kingdom, Kel’Thun.

Located east from Miononbolax’s main harbors in the south of the continent, Kel’Thun was a small island so close to the main continent that it might as well be part of it, similar to Frozen Nest. It was kind of like Madagascar in that sense, although politically they weren’t considered part of the dragon empire nor of Miononbolax. They were technically independent, yet they had so many ties with Kargryx, they might as well be part of it.

By that, I meant the origins of the first dragonewt. The union between dragons and Kel’Thunian created the foundation of Loatryx.

Yet, this was only my second time meeting an elf from there, so I couldn’t really tell the difference between a Saelari and a Kel’Thunian just yet. To be honest, Illvenus acted pretty similar to the archerudite from Aleistunum.

“No.” Mom slammed her hand on the table before standing up. “You won’t receive a private meeting with my daughter this time, doctor.”

The way she said it made it sound weird … No, actually, it was weird. When I said he seemed like the archerudite, I meant he was equally obsessed with the notion of gaining knowledge. Not on everything under the sun, like the archerudite, but hyper focused on anatomy and biology. It was more appropriate to call him a biologist, instead of a doctor. His medical profession was simply to keep himself afloat so he could learn more.

Now, considering how curious the archerudite was about me, it shouldn’t be surprising that the same curiosity could be said to be a part of Illvenus as well. A daughter of Eltharion and Melloxtressa, born as a pure flame dragon with the silver powder of the Nordor dragons, yet, she was also a mutant and evolved into a sunfang dragon. Hearing all of this would make any monsterologist crazy.

Yet, Illvenus didn’t show that “obsession” I saw in his eyes after our first session together. I had mentioned it to Mom after our first visit to Iceskale, and I guess she blew it out of proportion a bit.

“Do what you must, your majesty. You’re paying me, so I can’t stop you from watching,” Illvenus said, seemingly unbothered, only to give me a look of dissatisfaction.

“Then allow me, as well.” Virrflax joined.

“Me as well.” Tasianna stood up.

“I should protect Princess Hestia!” Beth shot up, prompting Shay to nod to his sister’s determination.

I thought more would stand up to join, but the men in the room seemed to respect my privacy enough to not stand up. Thank you, Nong, you weren’t just flamboyant. Although, it did mean everybody’s attention went to the last woman who hadn’t said anything—Vifi.

Noticing this, she raised her arm. “If you’re leaving, give me some of the bread you made this morning, Donut. Also, Skardrvo, some mammoth or bear would be nice. Ale would be great, and some of that awesome soup the kitchen made last time. Actually, just prepare the entire meal course and warm the restaurant stuff up for us.”

“Walrus soup. Add some of the important veggies and spices I ordered,” Mom added before we all left.

“N-no walrus for me! Put the same stuff in for me, but no walrus!” Vifi cried out in desperation. I hadn’t tried walrus yet, but if Vifi was so hesitant on meat, then it had to taste fishy.

As mentioned before, the mansion was heavily inspired from the architecture of mainland Altrust, but this only applied to the outdoors, halls and kitchen. The dining room, which was where we were in just now, was large enough to host multiple families worth of people, probably for a huge feast. The most interesting part about it was how everything was made out of polished blizzirk timber and that there weren’t any chairs.

Since all dragonewts had a tail or wings, furniture was made with such considerations in mind. Instead of chairs, everybody sat on a soft, fur cushion with an attached C-shaped wooden backrest, which meant the dining table was kept low, like traditional east Asian ones. To make it even more comfortable, a hole was made below the table for everybody to place their legs into. Not having to sit on my knees or cross my legs was so freeing, especially when my tail had the freedom to move around.

A dragonewt country would create amenities to fit their most prominent demographic, what a surprise. Which brought me to something that finally explained how dragonewts slept; how they designed their beds.

Entering my room, the same general style that decorated the dining room could be seen here, only that it resembled my room back at home. After all, Mom and Tasianna had a hand in both, and it could be seen as my “presence” still was pretty shallow due to a lack of decorations that screamed “me.” Well, what was important right now was the bed.

Tada! The answer to a bed made to support the back of a dragonewt with their horns, wings, scales, spikes, and tail was … a slime bed … Specifically, an ice slime that could only be found on Frozen Nest.

Slimes were already soft to the touch and bouncy, almost similar to jelly, but the ones they use for these beds were also great to maintain an optimal sleeping temperature. Once the slime’s gel was preserved, they placed it inside a layer of wool and fur to keep it clean and easy to maintain, while also increasing the resistance of the mattress to our sharp scales and spikes.

“Same as last time, your highness,” my doctor said before handing me a towel.

Seeing this, Tasianna helped me undress my top before I laid on my bed with the towel, hiding most of my chest aside from my solar core. The moment I did so, my back slowly sunk into the mattress before it touched something “hard,” feeling like a spring. My tail and wings did so as well, although both went deeper into the slime, making me feel like I was laying on water.

As my bed didn’t have a back frame, the idea was to place my head on my pillow and let my horns “fall” out. In addition, I also learned that in such a sleeping pose, dragonewts were supposed to curl their wings around like a bat, using them like a comforter. I was a bit baffled that this was working, as I had tried the bat sleeping pose once on normal beds, but it always felt like the shoulder joints on my wings were scratching the bed, causing friction that made sleeping on a normal bed uncomfortable.

If I wanted to feel more comfortable, there were even “wing gloves”—blankets you pulled over your wings like gloves to give you that warm, cozy feeling of sleeping in a normal bed. Honestly, such a simple method to solve the problems of sleeping with a tail and wing that I was baffled I hadn’t thought of this sooner. Mom hadn’t mentioned it either since she was more a stomach sleeper, even in her elven form.

Hearing this excuse made me wonder why Frozen Nest dragonewts even have blankets in the first place. Well, the answer was that it made sleeping easier. Even ice dragonewts liked sleeping in a warm space, which was why this entire mansion had multiple fireplaces and manatech furnaces. Ice dragons didn’t need such luxuries, but they did enjoy the novelties of the dragonewts. Mom’s dragonewt room here and back home were pretty human noble-esque.

Once I made myself comfortable, the doctor sat on a chair next to my bed and began pulling some tools from his doctor’s bag. “The test has come back; just like a lava dragon, you have special bacteria in your stomach that processes the minerals you need to sustain your sun core and scale-dust. From extracting some of them, I also learned they probably evolved with you, perfectly adapting to their host.”

My doctor’s job was to help me understand my draconic biology.

“Bone marrow, allium vegetables, crushed bones, and a good amount of iron ore and sulfur stones,” he stated before producing a small glass tube with a pinch of white powder. After showing it to me, he handed it over to Tasianna. “Take a guess, aifli.”

“Saltpeter,” Tasianna answered immediately.

“Correct. To be precise, saltpeter made from the bit of vomit you gave me, Princess Hestia,” he said, causing me to grimace in disgust. “Your bacteria are actually pretty potent in creating some degraded saltpeter, which I presume is used to nourish your scale growth, giving you dust with an explosive nature. Sadly, those very bacteria can only survive out of your body for a limited time, even in that capsule I encased them in.”

I have heard about gut microbiome before, but this probably took it to another level.

“The study of microorganisms like bacteria and viruses isn’t as widespread, even on Kel’Thun, as the Divine System rarely mentions them here and there. Not enough for most to take notice. Considering we have faefolk, I guess the normal person doesn’t exactly look for things smaller than them.” Illvenus giggled for a bit, sounding like a creaking door and looking a bit morbid with his weak, but enthusiastic, smile. “Still, I guess you would understand them, right? I know the Revolution Queen had mentioned these microorganisms in her dairies, after all.”

“I am, but I am not a real expert in it. I can tell you the simple stuff I learned at school, but that is about it, sorry. Surface level, I mean,” I replied.

He shook his hand. “No need. I like finding out about it on my own, and it helps my soul stay ‘alive’ longer. I’ve only recently been able to commission a manatech that allows me to see these beings. Even if you cannot grant me knowledge, I would like it if you could read through my papers before I entrust the mage’s and alchemist guild with them.”

“I probably won’t. I’m not a fan of scientific literature, but I do know someone who might—a fellow transmigrator,” I stated, thinking about Nishio. Considering chemistry wasn’t as known, our bookworm probably could help him a bit on that front, as well.

He smiled. “Fantastic. I thank you for making this connection with me, Empress Melloxtressa. You as well, Princess Hestia.”

“If you wish to thank me, do it by hurrying it up, elf.” Mom scowled. “I have something to speak to my daughter about.”

“Yes, yes, but impatience won’t do your daughter any good,” Illvenus rebuked, but from the look of his face, he did feel pressured by Mom. “In any case, bacteria and the other tiny organisms that are important for your body evolve with you, so it isn’t some unnatural process. In fact, they are filled with your mana, so you could say your body produces them. If you ever feel like your scale-dust production has slowed down, eat a lot of bones, onions, red meat, and root vegetables. Mushrooms or plant roots near a mountain are the best.”

Hearing him give me a list of things to eat really made me think I was visiting my nutritionist. It was rather fitting for my physiologist, and it became even more fitting when he began to fiddle with my solar core, looking at it with bulging eyes, laser focused on every single detail. He even pulled out a [Mana Eyes] monocle to look at my mana path.

“As I said last time, your solar core is similar to your heart. Your mother was correct in this assessment, but your core isn’t a complete replacement of your heart. If I were to guess, if you were to lose your heart, the core could simulate blood pumping by using mana, although it won’t be effective,” he explained before touching the scales around my arms and chest. “Your scales possess a similar function as a battery to store the energy, but only in small amounts. They are, naturally, where you absorb the energy, but also you turn that energy into fuel, similar to a plant.”

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Tasianna nodded vigorously, as almost as if she expected this … Wait, seriously?

“I never felt like the energy came from that area, though. Whenever I used my solar energy, I felt the energy coming from my core,” I said.

“Naturally, as you require the core to manage your solar energy. How else would you ‘pump’ the energy around your body? Your scales and skin are like the opening of your mana paths, they absorb the energy and store it, until the core pumps it towards it for proper storage. Tell me, have you ever felt like you had a ‘second wind’ when it comes to using your solar energy?”

“Yes, whenever I use my racial Ability, [Solar Beam]. I shoot out a concentrated beam first, but this process causes me to enter an ‘overdrive’ mode where I can feel my body burning up. I have to release this energy if I wish to exit it.”

“That’s your second wind. I suspect you release the initial energy salvo through your breath attack, but not all the solar energy is used up. Your core then summons the energy saturating your organs, scales, and blood for this ‘last-ditch’ attack. This ‘overdrive mode’ is a last stand. It stresses your body, commanding it to use everything to survive. You are literally draining every bit for that second salvo.”

Huh … that would explain some things.

Specifically, whenever my core shattered, I still felt like I could absorb solar energy. I just couldn’t use it to energize my attacks or turn it into health, mana, or stamina. I guess it was correct to call it a “command center.”

“Then why does it break when she overuses it?” Mom asked.

“Similar to an organ that is being overused.” Illvenus pointed at his chest. “All dragons who have a breath attack have an elemental sac connected to their lungs’ trachea. The microorganism produces the alchemical substance needed for it. Hestia’s, for example, produces both saltpeter and explosives. Ice dragons produce a colder substance. If you use your breath too much, you feel a scratching feeling, right?”

Mom and Beth nodded, although I couldn’t really tell. I’ve never solely relied on my [Hellflame Breath], which could explain it.

“Your daughter is a mutant dragon, so I won’t say I am expert of her biology, but simply presume it as the immature organ of a whelpling. It will grow stronger the more it breaks.”

“We know that. I recommended my daughter to treat it as such, similar to our ever growing scales. However, I want a different method, something that doesn’t involve her losing her solar attacks every time she’s in her ‘last stand.’ Something like absorbing elemental energy to strengthen it.”

“Alchemy.” He shrugged, causing Mom to scowl at him again. “As I said, I am not an expert. If you wish me to know more, then I must ask you to donate an intact solar core to me.”

“I would recommend against that, for now,” Virrflax interjected. “I heard from my son of what happened in the city. Unless you want to stay in your cave for a while, don’t cripple your strength for now, dear. I can already tell you that some fledglings and whelplings around your age will most assuredly approach you. Unlike the ones you met this time, they won’t be as rational. They are actual children.”

What do you mean the ones I met today were rational? Most of them were grown bullies. Do I really have to deal with this? Maaaaaan.

The rest of the inspection was a simple checkup like you would during a normal doctor’s visit, with me answering questions pertaining to my health. I did just have a year long coma, after all. I still shed properly, I could use all my spells and draconic abilities, and I was getting closer with Hikari. I was healthy physically and mentally with no weird draconic issues or illnesses I might not be aware of. For a whelpling, I was in tip-top form.

I also had to give the doctor some, ahem, toilet samples. Both variants … Anyways. The doctor also mentioned he wanted to see me use my abilities and fly in my dragon form during our next session, which prompted me to ask if inspecting me as a dragonewt wasn’t just a waste of time.

“No. [Humanize] and [Elvenize] creates an idealized humanoid form for you, compressing your organs and racial functions into a liveable body. If you’re ill in your dragon form, you will be ill as a dragonewt. The same applies to those microorganisms I mentioned earlier,” he said. “The biggest difference is your body’s output. Larger organs means more fire, right?”

All in all, everything was all right with me, although not all questions about my body were answered. Maybe some things could be handwaved by saying “The System did it,” but I really want to know how my body functioned.

After we were done here, we returned to the dining room where we saw the entire table filled with everything that we had ordered. My brother and Vifi were already gorging themselves on the food, while Shay diligently waited for all of us to return. I did question why the silver dragonewts weren’t joining us, but Mom quickly reminded me that two empresses were about to eat with each other, and their children would be joining them.

It was like asking why a king’s servants were apprehensive of eating with him. Even if none of us dragons minded, the dragonewts would. Tasianna also added this was quality time for their matriarch to spend time with her daughter … Although, I had a feeling there was something else going on as well.

Still, first, it was mealtime and I had my first taste of walrus meat. I wouldn’t call it my favorite, but it did have a peculiar taste to it. It was fatty, surprisingly tender, and extremely juicy due to the loads of blood inside this deep red meat. Its blubber was salted and added to the soup, tasting quite gamy, but also kind of like cheese. Although, one thing was sure, it was very fishy, extremly sea-tasting, and it made me understand why Vifi was so apprehensive of it.

Looking up after I was done with the soup, I smiled as I watched everybody enjoying themselves. Shay, Beth, and Tasianna were talking quite a bit about the fight we just had, while Vifi kept to herself, just living her life like a gluttony demonkin. Mom and Step-mom were discussing their acquaintances, so I wasn’t really listening to them.

While I was trying out the sashimi from the restaurant, Nong suddenly wrapped his arm around my shoulder, putting his weight on it. “Guess how old I am.”

“Why?” I said.

“You need to know if you want to understand our sibling’s hierarchy. We might be close, but there is a generational rift between us that we can’t just close with the snap of our wings. You might have also guessed it, but dragons are far more quirky compared to humanoids. You expect a 50 year-old dragon to act like an adult, but no matter how old we get, there is still something in our mind that makes us follow our instincts and desires.”

I raised a brow. “Are you trying to defend Rhekk and the other dragons? Despite how you were drilling holes in one of them?”

“I’m helping you adjust to us dragons. I heard the entire story from Melloxtressa, and I get that there is a certain detachment towards us since you’re more used to humans. Call it culture shock; you can’t just hear about it, you need to learn about it. Do you understand?”

I nodded. I was far too aware of this fact even back on Earth, where American, German, and Japanese cultures were too different from each other to fully understand unless you lived amongst them. While all three were first-world countries and had capitalistic and democratic characteristics, the socio-political rift was something you couldn’t just list out. You could write an entire book around them; more if you wanted to include how history and religion influenced their current state.

Naturally, I couldn’t understand dragons, even if I was one. What Mom had told me about Kargryx came true, but I was still wide-eyed like a fish out of water in Frozen Nest.

Didn’t Neill tell me how old my sixth sibling was? I can’t remember.

“… 86.”

“Ha! Not even close. Our sixth sibling is 82, which means he’s still a fledgling. Son of our second empress-mother, Gaistrus. Very shy, so try to be a bit reserved around him. He’s a far cry from either Fargryneill and I, and now you, as well.” He patted my shoulder. “I’m 105; birthday’s on the 15th of WinterBloom. Do you know what that means?”

“… You’re an adult.”

“Officially an adult, yes, and somebody who already completed his Adulthood Pilgrimage, making me a rank A. Thing is, my time was pretty peaceful in a way, as I didn’t really participate in wars or conspiracies. I enjoyed the pleasures of the humanoid lands, their cultures, and the ever-growing progression of the world that had passed Kargryx in the 30 years I used as a vacation.” He swept some of his green-black hair up, happily reminiscing. “Meanwhile, you fought in multiple conflicts to protect others. Not in tournaments or the like; you decided to engage in world-changing events! I hid my identity, and you didn’t.”

What is he trying to tell me here?

“Meanwhile, our eldest is 490. I bet the memories of his pilgrimage are long forgotten, as he has fully dedicated himself to the protection of the Empire and to remain true to the expectation and wishes of our father. He has killed dissenters, punished criminals, and wiped out nests of criminal dragonkin for the peace of the continent … Would you be able to understand such a man and the decisions he’s made?”

I shook my head.

“What about our eldest sister, who is 210? Would you understand how she witnessed kingdoms fall and be rebuilt? Ever hear of the Leosfalt Kingdom? The precursor of Artorias? The War for the Faefolk? She, too, remained incognito, as she fully believed in our Father’s isolationist doctrine, so she only witnessed and noted everything down in her memories. Would you understand her?”

I tilted my head for a moment, but shook it once again. I couldn’t, even if I tried to put myself in her shoes. Still, using this example made me start to understand what he was trying to tell me. Even if we were family, I was supposed to expect all of them to be peculiar, influenced by their individual experiences. In other words, the usual.

“You can learn about the others later on. This should be enough of a warning.” He then tapped the table, prompting Mom and Step-mom to quieten down and turn to us. “Sis, I am a participant in the succession war. Would you like to know why?”

I frowned, annoyed that he was smiling about it, almost like he was taunting me. “If you’re trying to use a rhetorical question, then stop it. You will tell me anyways, whether I like it or not.”

“Wrong.” He snapped his head around, now looking at me seriously. That flamboyant nature of his was gone, as he leered at me with two stone-cold eyes. “You are my sister. If you wish to stay ignorant, I will happily oblige, but I won’t lie to you. This is my promise to you, as my sibling. I will not lie and I will offer you information, but it will be up to you if you wish to be cursed by it.”

… Ahh. I see. He’s testing me, just like the fire and ice dragons did.

Nong was asking me if I wanted to stay away from the succession war in a roundabout manner, but what exactly did he mean by “cursed?” As Master Kushlek’zar’s apprentice, ignorance was a curse. Gaining knowledge was important as, without it, I couldn’t make an informed decision. The entire conflict from before was caused by a misunderstanding.

However, “ignorance was bliss” was an actual thing. Sometimes it would just be better to not know something, as it could sway you away from your decisions. Staying steadfast to your original thoughts despite a change in information was nothing but stubbornness and an unwillingness to change, yet sometimes it was important to remain true to your ideology. I wouldn’t be here if I wanted to go the easy way out.

Regardless of how my life began, this was my family now. I wanted to stay out of the succession war, but this was still a family issue. Not to mention, Aurena did mention how I should handle the crisis if it were to interfere with my future plans against the demonkin. This knowledge was needed.

I nodded, causing my brother to smile again.

“I knew you had fire. Truly, you are my sister.” He tapped his beak with sharp eyes, enjoying my answer. “The wind dragon flight. All of them are pushing my mother to uphold her promise she made back during the Civil War. I am forced into this role because she and our flight supported Father, but I am pretty okay with it. I don’t exactly pursue the crown though.”

“Wouldn’t fulfilling your wish to reinvigorate Kramps’s title be easier as the Emperor, though?”

“It would, yes, but it would also mean tearing the family apart even further. Before this crisis got to this point due to Father nearing death, we made certain rules for everything. One of them is that we wouldn’t kill each other. Hatred is allowed, though, and that is something we siblings have to prevent.” He leaned on his seat, massaging his head. “I joined to keep up Mother’s promise, but also to prevent Kahalameet and Wendriosa from killing each other. In fact, our second eldest, Phsothophus, and our fourth, Taimatrak, are in agreement. We have a three-way alliance between earth, dark, and wind for this reason.”

“What do you mean by ‘killing?’ Are you serious? No, wait, Neill said they were in disagreement but she always called them nice. That they loved our family!” I rebuked.

“And how long has Fargryneill been away? Seven? Eight years? Even to us dragons, that is a lot of time and enough for two siblings who have always pursued the throne to turn from annoyance to dislike and then to outright disdain. Our alliance is stopping them from progressing past that very last part, because both are so fixated on their vision of their empire, that they completely forget that dragons seek conflict after such a long time of peace. A bunch of elder scales are waking up, and they wish to push the empire into one direction or the other.”

He then leaned forward, pointing at me. “These past eight years have been completely awkward, but there was a spark that pushed everything over the edge. I just came to visit you, I didn’t even mean to say this. Still, would you like to know what this spark was?”

“It is me. The ice dragons already told me.”

“Yes, but why exactly?” He then turned to Mom. “She doesn’t know?”

“She wouldn’t.” Virrflax shook her head. “Melloxtressa loves Eltharion the most next to our first empress. While the rest of us have turned our attention to our children, those two always kept their eyes on our black star. Even I am jealous of how much those two still covet his attention … Which is why she wouldn’t tell her daughter the truth.”

This, huh? I grimaced as I remembered every mention of my Father after coming to Kargryx. That bad feeling I had before this dinner began.

“She argued a lot, my dear,” Virrflax said to me.

“Virrflax!” Mom tried to silence her, slamming the table, but the feathered dragon wagged her finger.

“You heard my son. We are family. We do not lie to each other. You have an obligation to Eltharion as his empress, but you now have a new, and far more important, role as a mother. Your daughter needs to know. She needs to know this if she wishes to understand her siblings and the state of the empire.”

Everybody stopped eating and chatting. My party’s silent stares were digging into my back like daggers, almost like they were expecting me to push Mom forward. Sadly, I was equally as reluctant as her. Hikari and I didn’t want to hear what came next.

“Tell her, Melloxtressa,” Virrflax continued. “Eltharion does not need to be defended. Your daughter does. She is your priority, so act on it. Act like you did when we confronted you, tried to stop you from flying out. Act like a mother. Tell her.”

“Hestia, would you like to know the truth?” Nong asked me.

I gulped. I didn’t want to hear it …

… Yet, I nodded. I wanted to finally know what was up, why the ice dragons called me “their princess” in such a disdainful manner.

Hearing me accept the offer, Mom’s face paled and she cowered back a bit, her lips trembling as she didn’t know if she should speak or not. She sighed, letting out a stream of ice that chilled the meals on our table. She tried to keep eye contact with me, but she couldn’t. This was the weakest I’ve ever seen her since she showed me her memories.

She needed another push.

“Mom … It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me. I will have to learn it eventually, anyways, right? However, if I have my opinion on it, I would rather learn it from the mother that I’ve accepted, than the father I’ve only heard about.”

Mom’s eyes widened as she stared at me. She gulped but nodded.

“Your father …” Her teeth clattered against each other. “He doesn’t consider you his daughter.”

… Eh?

“Your soul, he means. He said you are not our original daughter, that you are merely an invader inhabiting our daughter’s body. That Kargryxmor killed our real daughter. That you killed her by kicking her soul out of her body.” She gulped again. “His eyes were like a beast’s when he heard your name. He … he is dying because he believes the child he promised me was killed by his father’s greed and stubbornness. He believes he broke his oath to me.”

I stared at Mom, only blinking at her as my response. When I felt Tasianna shaking my shoulder, I nodded.

“Figures,” I replied, making Mom wince in pain. “Guess I’ll stick with Papa then. I guess my delusion did come true. One of my parents did abandon me to die in the Belzac forest. I didn’t think it would come true, actually. Good thing I never thought of my dragon father as somebody close.”

I stood up.

“I … I’m full now.” I tilted my head, unsure what to say next. “Then, I’ll be going. Pardon me. Great to meet you two, Empress Virrflax. Brother Nongramos.”

I left the room, lightheaded. I wasn’t so sure where I was going, focusing more on talking with Hikari, thinking about Papa while also reminiscing about my time in the Belzac Forest. I gave my old self a big thumbs up for telling myself to not just accept our dragon parents. It helped me gain a healthy relationship with Mom by questioning her, and it got to the point where I truly considered her my mother. No lies or mental gymnastics needed.

I was truly wise even back then. It certainly helped me accept this news. If I hadn’t, I probably would have—Awch!

I yelped, jerking back as I felt myself suddenly hit something. I looked up, noticing it was a door, wondering where I was going. Thankfully, those thoughts disappeared when I remembered this was my room. I probably got tired.

Opening it up, I immediately threw myself onto my bed, enjoying the soft, bounciness of the mattress, letting the stress just melt away as I laid there. I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes, trying to go to sleep. I waited, waited, waited, waited so long I started to ask myself why I was trying to go asleep. I wasn’t tired.

In fact, I couldn’t help but stop thinking about how weak I must be compared against the rank As of this continent. I had to become stronger, but what should be my first goal? I kept thinking, but nothing came up, making me remember I wasn’t the smartest girl out there. I was a terrible student, after all, always prioritizing something else instead of bettering myself.

I have somebody who can help.

I stood back up and pulled out my [Room] runes and opened it, ready to hop in to ask Saori for some tips.

“Hestia, stop.”

I froze in place as I knew that voice. I turned around, seeing Mom had entered my room, looking at me with a horrified look.

“You’re not allowed to enter the subspace. I told you that your Father—”

“You said it yourself, Mom. He doesn’t consider me his daughter, so why should I reciprocate it? If he isn’t my father, then why should I listen to him?”

She came closer. “Regardless of what your opinion of him is, he still is our ruler, dear. Please, calm down. I know you’re—”

“That’s not exactly true, and you know it. I wasn’t born on this continent, so why exactly should I be bound by the empire’s rules? It makes no sense. I was born inside the Belzac Forest, so I might as well be a feral dragon, right?” I argued. “How is he my father then? How is he my emperor then? Why the hell should I listen to him!”

“Hestia!” Mom shouted, but I only clicked my tongue. “He is still the ruler of this place! He make the rules. You can’t leave Miononbolax until you are an adult. Please, calm down, and let’s return to—”

“No!” I interrupted. “No, I won’t. Right now, I want to see my friend. It’s been a year since she met me, and I haven’t gotten the chance to meet her or the rest of Aurora. I deserve some time to meet them! I deserve to know how they are and if they have any issues, because they are my friends! They are my family! Why are you stopping me from seeing them when some asshole is telling me to go fuck myself!”

I stomped forward, looking up to my mother, pointing my finger at her as my emotions dictated my body’s movements.

“The fuck does he mean ‘his daugther’ is dead? The fuck does he mean he’s dying because he broke his oath to you? I am here! I am here! Alive!” I slammed my tail and foot on the ground so hard I heard them both creak. “If he’s not my family, does that mean Neill isn’t my sister? Is that what I am supposed to get out of this? Then am I supposed to treat her differently? Does Nong count then? Am I supposed to feel differently, or should I keep some distance from him? If I am not his daughter, then the fuck do I care what happens to this family? The fuck do I care what happens to those bastard ice dragons? Why should I care?”

I then pointed at my portal. “Meanwhile, I have people who adore me. Wish for me to come back. Wish for me to spend quality time with them, yet this asshole is telling me to not enter the subspace? He knows, right? He told you this rule after you told him about me. He made that rule to torture me! Why the hell would a subspace not be on Miononbolax? I am not stepping foot on Altrust, so why the hell is this forbidden? Tell me! Tell me, Mom!”

I felt the heat rise in my head, reaching my brain and causing me to feel even more lightheaded. I was dizzy, wobbling on my feet as I silently stared at Mom’s conflicted expression. She was trembling to the point of tears.

“… Did I really kill your daughter? Am I really unwanted? Did I really reincarnate into somebody’s body and kick them out?” Water dripped on the wooden floor. “I should have just stayed dead, right?”

Mom embraced me as my voice broke, tears streaming down my face as I couldn’t control myself any longer. Was I really this body’s original owner? Did I really steal Mom’s only chance to be a mother? Was I nothing but a leech that stole her real daughter from her?

“You’re my daughter. There is no other answer. You and Hikari came out of that egg. You survived the Belzac forest all alone. You accepted me and called me ‘mother.’ You gave me my daughter, Hestia—you. You survived to give my soul the hope to live on.” She squeezed me even tighter. “I just need you, my hatchling. My little Hestia. I just need you, and nothing more. Please, stay with me. I am sorry I nearly kept this from you.”

“… Then why doesn’t Father want me, Mom?” I wrapped my arms around her. Her cold body felt warm to me.

“Because he is an idiot who doesn’t know how adorable our little hatchling is.”

… This wasn’t how I had thought my life in Kargryx would begin. I wanted more time to come to terms with everything that was waiting for me, yet time was a cruel mistress indeed. Three days passed too quickly. I had so much of it back on Altrust, but the days here felt so short knowing I had to meet my drag—the emperor of this country.

I clutched onto Mom as we took flight from our Nest, on our way to the mainland where the rest of my family would meet me. Yet, with every second in the sky, all I wanted was to remain in Frozen Nest.