“Where’s Alora?” A sky-blue dragon poked her head out of a tunnel and looked around. The annoying trio were wrestling with each other in a corner of the cavern while their parents slept. Sera was counting a pile of glowing gems while Vernon was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, looking for images that didn’t actually exist. “And Vur? Those two missed the curfew.”

“Vur’s not a child, Mom,” Sera said, her gaze still drawn to the mountain of gems. They clacked as she transferred them from one pile to another. “He doesn’t have to follow the curfew.”

“Not a child?” Vur’s grandmother asked, her eyes widening. “He’s not even half a century old yet! Of course he’s not a child; he’s still a baby. He’s even younger than the annoying trio!”

“Really, Grandma, really?” One of the dragons in the corner asked as he untangled himself from his siblings. “Even you’re calling us that now too? We’re not annoying!”

“Yeah! We’re not annoying. We’re … what’s the antonym for annoying?”

“Adorable?”

“We’re adorable, but that’s not the word. It’s, um, non-annoying!”

“Yeah, we’re nonnoying.”

“That’s not a word, stupid.”

“Don’t call me stupid, dummy!”

Vur’s grandmother ignored the trio as they resumed their wrestling match. “Whose rite of passage did Vur pass?”

“Dad’s,” Sera said. She picked up a particularly shiny gem and brought it close to her face, squinting it at and rotating it for a better look. After a thorough inspection, she nodded and placed the gem into its own separate pile. “I saw it with my own eyes. He didn’t go easy on Vur, so don’t accuse him of that.”

Vur’s grandmother snorted. “That reminds me. Why isn’t he here to visit me after waking up? It’s like he forgot about his own mate.”

“Well,” Vernon said, lifting his head off the ground. “Why weren’t you there by his side waiting for him to wake up?” Sera and her mother glared at Vernon, causing him to lower his head. He cleared his throat. “Forget I said anything.”

“I’m going to fly to the central continent to visit him,” Vur’s grandmother said. “Keep watch of my lands for me while I’m gone.”

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“Sure,” Sera said, still rummaging through the pile of gems.

Sera’s mother stared at her. “And why exactly are you going through my cooking ingredients?”

“Gemstone lizard’s gemstones are great for amplifying magic power,” Sera said. “I’m going to make a staff for Vur.”

“Why would Vur need a staff? He can turn into a dragon,” Vernon said, turning his head to the side. He reached over a picked up the gem that Sera had singled out. “I don’t see what’s so special about this….”

Sera snatched the gem out of Vernon’s paw. “Vur needs a staff for his own safety. If he fights someone as a dragon, then he’ll have to get close to them. What if he gets injured? He’s a blue mage, and he should act more like one.” She placed the gem down on the opposite side of her body, away from Vernon. “It’ll be best if he can defeat anyone with magic before they can even reach him.”

Vernon snorted as his head turned back to face the ceiling, his eyes closing. “I think you’re worrying too much.”

“It’s a mother’s job to worry about her child,” Sera said, thumping her tail on Vernon’s stomach. “It’s more like you’re not worried about him enough.”

“Eh….” Vernon rubbed his belly before scratching his snout. “Mm. Alright, what’s he lacking? Armor? But he doesn’t like wearing clothes. Then why don’t I give him a sword? Swords have defeated dragons before, right?”

Sera’s tail thumped against Vernon’s stomach again. “Didn’t you hear anything I just said? I’m making him a staff to avoid close combat; why do you think giving him a sword is a good idea?”

“Right, right,” Vernon said, lifting Sera’s tail and placing it on the ground beside him. “How about a bow?” Sera’s tail twitched. “Wait! You’re really not giving me many options to work with here. He doesn’t wear armor, and he already has plenty of accessories, and you don’t want me to give him any close-ranged weapons.”

“Aren’t you two spoiling Vur a little too much?” Vur’s grandmother asked as she left the kitchen, walking past Sera and Vernon towards the exit. “How can he mature without hardship? How will he face hardship if he’s constantly protected by you two?”

Vernon coughed. “Says the dragon who places her grandchildren under curfew to keep them from getting hurt.”

Vur’s grandmother’s eyes narrowed. “They aren’t at the age where they need to mature just yet. But if you claim Vur is an adult, then he should be treated as one.”

“Ah!” Vernon sat upright, his eyes lighting up. “I got it! I’ll make Vur a staff too. Two staves are better than one, right?”

Sera’s brow furrowed. “And just how is he going to draw on the power of two staves at once?”

Vernon tilted his head. “Well, he has two arms, doesn’t he? He can use one in each hand.”

Vur’s grandmother shook her head. “Whatever you two decide to do, don’t use up all of my ingredients, alright? They take a while to replenish. I do have some ten-thousand-year-old firewood harvested from Trees of Knowledge lying around; you can use some of them for the bodies of the staves.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Sera said. “That’d be perfect.” She raised an eyebrow. “But were you really going to use those as firewood?”

Vur’s grandmother snorted. “Of course! What else would I smoke my meat with? Every meal should be made with the most perfect of ingredients—including during the preparation phase.” She rubbed her chin. “Speaking of perfect ingredients…, there’s a few I can pick up at Nova’s place. That’s one more reason for me to hurry over. If any trouble that you can’t deal with arises, ask your sister to handle it. And be careful around the human ruler living in my territory. She has a nasty sword.”