The moon hung in the sky like a silent sentinel, casting its pale light over the dense forest of Lastra. The air was cool, and the quiet hum of the night was broken only by the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant calls of night birds. Aric and Elara walked side by side, their feet crunching on the forest path as they returned from gathering herbs. Their hands, calloused from years of farm work, were wrapped around bundles of leaves, their quiet chatter filling the space between them.

"It's been a good harvest this year," Aric said, his voice carrying a sense of quiet satisfaction. "The winter should be easier with the stock we've got stored."

Elara nodded, but her mind was already turning to other matters. "It’s good, but with the cold months ahead... we’ll need to be ready. There’s always work to be done."

They walked on in silence for a while, the peaceful night feeling almost too quiet. The air around them grew still, and Elara’s senses pricked as if something was amiss. She glanced over at Aric. He had stopped walking, his hand hovering near the hilt of his belt, his expression unreadable.

"Do you feel that?" she asked, her voice low.

Aric turned slowly, his eyes scanning the darkness around them. "Yeah," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Something’s off."

Suddenly, the stillness around them deepened, pressing in on them like a weight. No wind stirred the trees. No nocturnal creatures made a sound. Even the moonlight seemed to dim, as if the world was holding its breath.

Then, it came. A gust of air—strong, like a storm—but it wasn’t wind. It felt wrong, unnatural. Something enormous moved in the distance, the air vibrating with its power.

Elara froze, her heart hammering in her chest. "Aric..." Her voice caught, barely a whisper. "What... what is that?"

Aric’s eyes widened in fear and awe. "No... it can’t be..."

Before they could even react, a shadow larger than anything they had ever seen stretched across the forest floor. The ground seemed to tremble beneath them, and a massive, dark form rose above the treetops, blotting out the stars.

The dragon.

Its massive wings unfurled, creating gusts of wind that sent the trees swaying violently. The creature’s body was so vast, it seemed to swallow the entire sky. The dragon’s scales shimmered in the moonlight—dark, iridescent, shifting between hues of blue and black. Its eyes glowed, a piercing, unnatural shade of blue, cold and ancient.

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The air grew thicker, heavier. The very fabric of aether around them seemed to warp, dense and suffocating, as though it had been drawn to the creature’s presence. It was too much, too overwhelming. The weight of the magic felt as though it was pressing down on their chests, making it hard to breathe.

Elara gasped, unable to move, her eyes locked onto the dragon. She could barely comprehend what she was seeing. "Is this real?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, her heart racing. "Aric... is this real?"

Aric stood motionless, his hand still hovering near his sword but not daring to move. "I don’t know," he murmured, his voice shaky. "I don’t know, Elara... but I’ve heard stories. No one’s seen one in... centuries. Not like this."

The dragon moved slowly, its presence so immense that it seemed to consume everything around it. Without a sound, it leaned down, its massive head coming into view from behind them, blocking the moon. The weight of its gaze pinned them to the spot. Neither of them dared to breathe as the dragon’s enormous claws stretched out, placing something delicate and small onto the forest floor with the gentleness of a parent.

A child.

Wrapped in cloth, the baby lay perfectly still, dark blue hair cascading like a river of night across its tiny face. Elara’s breath caught in her throat, a strange, inexplicable warmth flooding through her chest. The child, so small, so fragile, felt like the only thing in the world that mattered.

The dragon’s gaze lingered on them for a moment, its eyes seeming to pierce through their very souls. Then, with a final, quiet exhale, it spoke. Its voice was deep, a rumble that echoed in their minds, not through sound but through feeling—a presence more than a voice.

"Kael."

The word settled in their hearts like a promise, and as soon as the dragon spoke it, the aether surrounding them shifted. The oppressive weight lightened, the air returned to normal, and the dragon slowly lifted its wings, its enormous form beginning to rise.

As the dragon’s wings flapped, powerful gusts of wind tore through the forest, shaking the trees and sending leaves spiraling into the air. But there was no roar, no great sound of battle—just the soft, ominous whoosh of the wind as the dragon took flight, vanishing into the night sky.

Elara stood frozen, her hands trembling as she reached down to touch the child, her fingers brushing the soft cloth. She looked up at Aric, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Did... did that just happen?" Her voice was shaking.

Aric swallowed hard, his face pale. He stared at the empty sky where the dragon had been, as if he could still feel its presence lingering. "I don’t know... but it was real. We... we saw a dragon, Elara. I’ve heard of them, but... to see one? It doesn’t make sense."

Elara didn’t answer right away. Her fingers traced the baby’s soft hair, her heart swelling with something she couldn’t quite name. "He’s ours now," she said softly, almost to herself.

Aric looked down at the child in her arms, his face full of uncertainty. "Elara, are you sure? What if this child belongs to someone else? What if... what if he’s someone of high status? We’re just farmers, Elara. What if they come looking for him? What if they execute us for taking him?"

His words hung in the air, heavy and full of fear. Elara’s heart ached at the thought, but she shook her head, determined. "Aric, he was given to us. The dragon... it gave him to us. If he was meant to be with someone else, the dragon would’ve taken him back. We were meant to have him."

"But—"

"No," Elara interrupted, her voice firm now. "This is our child. We’ve tried so hard for so long to have one, and we couldn’t. But now... we have him. I’m not going to let him go."

Aric’s hand tightened around the hilt of his belt, the weight of her words settling in his chest. "But... what if they come for him? What if they find out who he is?"

Elara looked down at the baby, her eyes softening with love. "We’ll protect him. No matter who comes. No matter what happens. The dragon... it gave him to us. He’s ours now. And we’ll protect him until our last breath, Aric."

Aric stared at her for a long moment, and then, slowly, he nodded. The fear didn’t fade, but it was replaced by something stronger—something deep within him that knew this was right. This child was their gift, their future.

"Then we’ll raise him," Aric said softly, his voice thick with emotion. "We’ll raise him and protect him. No matter what."

Elara smiled, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Thank you, Aric. We have him now, and we’ll love him like he’s our own."

Together, they turned toward their village, the child cradled carefully in Elara’s arms. They didn’t know what the future would bring or what dangers lay ahead. But they knew one thing for certain—this child, Kael,

was theirs now. And they would protect him until their dying breath.