The journey north would be long, and I wasn't stupid enough to face the white dragon empty-handed. Blárdynja's advice echoed in my thoughts as I flew back to Sanctuary. Food and diamonds were easy to obtain. I was more than willing to give them to the white dragon if it would placate her.

The irony wasn't lost on me. She was the only one that I had to make an offering to. The others were smart enough to realize the benefits of what I was offering. Although it was possible that she would as well, I wasn't willing to take that risk.

As I approached my city, I thought about each of the dragons that I'd met. Each of them was different. Einvaldskonungr's raw strength was intimidating. Silfriglóa's wisdom impressed me. Gullhyrndr's sense of justice made even me feel nervous about doing something wrong. Banisámreitr was cunning enough to make me cautious. As for Blárdynja's insight, it was equally impressive. Yet here I am, preparing gifts like a nervous suitor for the supposedly least sophisticated among them, I thought.

Landing in Sanctuary, I wasted no time before traveling invisibly through the city. The city had grown since I'd last visited, its buildings a testament to the industrious nature of my kobold followers. Kobolds really were the perfect race, with the exception of dragons, that was, I thought. I had been really lucky to have been reborn as a kobold

I gathered the finest cuts of meat from the storehouse and used Faith Points to preserve them at the perfect temperature. The scent alone was mouthwatering, and I found myself hoping Skjallgarganíss appreciated good food. I also picked up the few flowers that had been sacrificed and preserved them as well.

Next came the diamonds. I'd received many as sacrifices to the draconic system while I was out meeting each of the dragons. It felt weird that the least powerful dragon was receiving a gift while the others didn't get anything from me. I couldn't help but wonder if this said more about me or about her. Maybe having an intimidating reputation is as powerful as being intimidating in reality. I doubted that, though.

After leaving, I made one final stop. Along my travels, I'd seen patches of wildflowers growing nearby. I quickly flew there and gathered the most beautiful blooms. Then I used Faith Points to preserve them. That way they would stay fresh even in the bitter cold of the north.

The whole situation was ridiculous. Here I was, the god of death and twilight, and I was stuck gathering flowers and preparing a feast for a female dragon. Was this what godhood was about?

Taking flight once more, I flew northward. Soon, the air started to grow progressively colder. The landscape below also changed gradually, with green giving way to brown, Soon, everything was white. Snow-covered peaks rose in the distance, marking the beginning of her territory. Icehold lay somewhere ahead, a frozen fortress in a land of eternal winter. From what I knew, her lair was located almost due west of the city.

My thoughts eventually turned to my own divine spark, the divine spark of death that was given to me by the Ouroboros System. Did it make me the god of twilight as well? If so, how? Was it because of my bloodline, or was there something more to it? Could I somehow help Skjallgarganíss find a divine spark? These questions nagged at me as I soared through the increasingly bitter wind.

I'd brought everything Blárdynja suggested, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that this meeting would be different from the others. The white dragon might be the least sophisticated, but that could make her the most dangerous. Sometimes the simple approach is the deadliest. From all the stories I had ever heard about white dragons, they were little more than beasts.

The bitter wind howled around me as I approached Icehold, its frozen spires rising like crystalline daggers against the steel-gray sky. It looked nice for a fortress. I had actually expected something much less intimidating. Realizing I was close to my destination, I adjusted my course.

Skjallgarganíss spotted me before I saw her. Her white scales helped her camouflage herself extremely effectively. She erupted from a snowbank, scales gleaming like fresh frost in the wan northern light. My heart jumped, but not from fear. Her expression wasn't threatening. If anything, she looked... curious.

I'd prepared myself for aggression, for territorial posturing, and perhaps even for combat. What I hadn't prepared for was enthusiastic hospitality. She actually looked eager to see me. It was as if she was a bored teenager. Then again, judging by her size, which was smaller than the other dragons, she might just be an adolescent dragon.

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Just to be on the safe side, I flew down toward her and said, "I have brought some gifts for you," as I landed.

"You brought me things?!" she exclaimed, her voice carrying clearly despite the howling wind.

I nodded, and summoned the food first since it was one of the items the blue dragon had mentioned that I should bring. Her nostrils flared as soon as she caught the scent of the preserved meat, followed immediately by the flowers and diamonds.

"Oh, that smells divine," she said. I could already see drool forming at the edges of her mouth. She licked her lips and then said, "And are those... flowers and diamonds? She leaped forward and started staring at each one, clearly thinking about which she wanted the most. Finally, she chomped down on the food while examining the flowers.

She mumbled something like, "So good," as she ate. I wasn't sure which item was good, but I wasn't about to complain if she was happy.

Caught off guard by her friendly tone. "Yes," I said. "I thought you might appreciate them."

"Oh, how thoughtful!" Then her form began to change. At first, I wasn't sure about her race, but then I guessed she was turning into an ice elf, a young elf at that. She looked like she might still be a teenager.

She then picked up the items and placed them into a Bag of Holding before gesturing toward a nearby ice cave. "Come in, come in! It's much too windy out here for proper conversation."

As I followed her into the cave, I couldn't help but marvel at how wrong my preconceptions had been. The white dragon, supposedly the most aggressive and least sophisticated of her kind, was practically bouncing with excitement over a few simple gifts.

The cave's interior was surprisingly comfortable, with smooth ice walls that somehow trapped heat rather than reflecting cold. Skjallgarganíss settled onto a pile of furs.

"I know why you're here," she said as she took out the items once again and laid them on the furs. "You're the twilight god who's been uniting the dragons. But first, oh, such a large diamond?"

I sighed as she lost her train of thought . "Yes," I said, still adjusting to her directness. "I thought you might like them."

"Like them? I love them!" She carefully picked up one of the larger stones, clearly admiring it. "You know, most visitors just try to kill me or run away screaming. It's so refreshing to meet someone with manners."

She didn't spend too long on the diamonds though. Instead, she started digging into the food, making appreciative sounds that seemed almost inappropriate. Considering the low-cut dress she was wearing, I was starting to think about how smart I was to bring such a lovely dragon gifts on first meeting her.

Dragging my thoughts away from her flawless white skin, I cleared my throat and tried to redirect her attention to the reason I had visited. I quickly explained why I had come. She listened while demolishing a particularly large steak, occasionally nodding. It was obvious that she wasn't really listening, but I continued on, just in case I was wrong.

"Oh, that's perfect!" she exclaimed when I finished. "I've actually been hoping for something like this. You see, I have a divine spark already."

I blinked in surprise. "You do?"

She nodded enthusiastically, licking meat juice from her fingers. "I got it from an ice elemental. Poor thing thought it could become a god but didn't know how. When it felt threatened by me, it tried to absorb the spark." She sounded offended that someone might find her threatening.

Didn't work out well for it." She shrugged. "I've been keeping the spark safe, waiting for the right moment. I knew I needed something else before I could use it properly."

The simplicity of her explanation was refreshing after the complex negotiations with the other dragons. "So you're interested in joining the pantheon?"

"Of course!" She beamed. "It's lonely up here, you know. And you're obviously not like others who visit. They just attack me. It gets so boring here." She tilted her head, studying me. "You're quite young, aren't you? Still growing?"

"Yes," I admitted, wondering where this was going.

"Well, if you turn out to be male when you're grown, we should definitely consider having eggs together." She said this with the same casual directness she'd shown about everything else. "Our offspring would be extraordinary, don't you think?"

I nearly choked, completely unprepared for this turn in the conversation. "That's... very kind of you to offer," I managed, trying to maintain my composure. "Perhaps we should focus on the pantheon for now?"

"Oh, of course!" she agreed cheerfully. "Should I swear the oath now? And then you'll give me that ritual you used to become a god?"

I nodded, still slightly dazed by how easy this was turning out to be. As Skjallgarganíss spoke the words of the oath, her voice clear and strong, I couldn't help but reflect on how wrong I'd been about her. She might not be subtle or sophisticated, but her straightforward nature was its own kind of wisdom.

When I handed her the scroll containing the Ritual of Apotheosis, she clutched it carefully, as though it were more precious than all the diamonds I'd brought, which it actually was. "Thank you," she said, and for the first time, her voice was completely serious. "I won't let you down."

As I prepared to leave, she called after me, "Visit again sometime! Bring more of those wonderful steaks!" Then, with a playful glint in her eye, "And let me know when you're fully grown!"

Flying away from her lair, I found myself chuckling. Of all the dragons I'd met, Skjallgarganíss had been the most surprising. That was when I realized that I hadn't made any immediate plans of what to do