Tal awoke, drenched in sweat and suffering from a hazy, fever-like state. A dream, a vision, faded into the clouded recesses of his mind. An empty echo of rage was all that was left, simmering deep within him.

What– It doesn’t matter. He threw his covers off and pulled himself out of bed. I’m already in deep trouble…

Since his meeting with the High Prophet, Tal hadn’t been allowed out of his room. Trapped within, he had no idea how long it had been.

Days? Weeks? He let out a sigh, this was going to be his life from now on.

Making his way over to his wash basin, he began to clean himself. A knock at his door caused him to stop half-way through.

“Yes–”

The door swung open, revealing several guards. “Champion, His Holiness has requested your presence,” the lead guard stated. It was an order, not a request.

Tal paused, letting the wet cloth in his hands drip into the basin. “Understood, I shall be ready–”

“His Holiness has requested it now.”

He let the cloth fall away and made his way over to a wardrobe. Opening it, Tal wasted no time and picked out a clean white shirt.

“Take me to him,” he said as he quickly finished dressing.

The lead guard grunted before spinning around and leaving. Tal followed…

***

Once again, Tal found himself staring at a door while his escorts took positions to either side of it. Unlike last time, however, he felt nothing from his premonition. In fact, besides this morning, he hadn’t felt anything–

The thought was quickly swallowed in the haze of his mind…

Unsure what to expect, Tal gathered his strength and knocked. Almost immediately, there was a response.

“Come in,” he heard from the other side of the door.

Opening it, Tal stepped into a new room. This one, unlike the library, was well kept. It was also a lot smaller.

In the center of the room was a large, yet mundane looking, desk. Scrolls and various parchments laid neatly to one side, while a single letter sat in the center. An equally large red chair sat behind the desk with a much smaller one near Tal.

The rest of the room was taken up by a single bookcase, several tapestries, and a floor to ceiling window that, by itself, nearly made up the outer wall.

Finally, standing in front of the window was the familiar figure of the High Prophet. The pious man turned and flashed a smile. It sent a shiver down Tal’s spine. He felt a warning–

It was gone.

“Come, Champion, and close the door behind you.”

Recovering, Tal gave a prompt bow before doing as instructed.

“You had another vision last night?” The High Prophet asked.

“Yes, Your Holiness," he answered, holding back a flinch. Why can’t I…

The pious man made a tisk, “I thought I already told you, Brother Tal. You do not have to be so formal when we’re alone.”

“My apologies, Father Gabriel.”

“Good." The High Prophet made his way over towards the desk. “Now, unfortunately, we have much to discuss and very little time I’m afraid.”

He sat down and gestured towards the other seat, which Tal took.

Father Gabriel studied him for several moments before sliding the note towards him. “This, Brother Tal, is why I have called upon you.”

Doing his best to keep a neutral expression, Tal quickly lowered his eyes to the note.

The High Prophet spoke as he did.

“It came from our only spy embedded within the Endless Forest. He has been our most successful one to date. That note was sent to me last night. I’ve taken the time to properly decode it for you.”

With a silent nod, Tal began to read it.

Urgent report.

Heretic sighted, hatched a dragon egg. Is gathering individuals to raise more. Four known for now.

Requesting assistance and orders. Attempting disrupting actions until then.

Praise to the Holy Lord for our continued dominance.

K.

His eyes widened as he looked up, the fog lifting for a brief moment. “Dragons?” he asked, not believing what he read.

“Indeed, Brother Tal. A truly concerning event.”

He had a hard time accepting it. “I thought they all went extinct–”

Father Gabriel shook his head no. “They, along with the other unholy races, fled. We know of several who still guard the island to this day.”

A bead of sweat ran down Tal’s brow. This wasn’t good news, and his premonition was warning him…

The High Prophet straightened in his chair. “Brother Tal, our Champion, your first mission–”

Tal gulped. The fog began rolling back in, damping his emotions.

“–Go to the Endless Forest and kill Felix.”

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Zira watched from the edge of the hatchery, sitting in her usual spot. It was nearing the afternoon and there was a nervous, anxious feeling in the air.

The visions from this morning had mostly faded to afterthoughts, at least for her and Felix. Eri and Kyrith seemed to be still coming to terms with them…

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A noise from the den housing the eggs caught her attention. Felix emerged from it, and quickly he was surrounded. Zira chose to wait from where she was, wearing a dragon’s equivalent of a smile. She already knew what he was going to say.

“How much longer?!” Yedril asked, nearly shouting.

“They’re getting close,” Felix responded. “The four of you should get prepared, maybe eat something…”

Solanna scoffed, “Prepared? We’ve been ready since we started this. How much longer?”

Zira watched as Felix shook his head. “I don’t know exactly…” His eyes met hers. “Zira, do you want to check?”

She let out a hiss of air, as if annoyed, and stood up. “I suppose I can double check…” She kept up her annoyed appearance. However, deep down, she was feeling just as much excitement as everyone else.

Approaching, the elves made room for her. She stopped just before the den and lowered her head. A moment later, she began to ‘breathe’ in the mana. Her ability sucked it in, letting her taste it–

Her eyes widened, the scent, the taste… “We have a few minutes,” she said after a moment. “They’re fixing to hatch–”

“Wait, are you sure? I thought it would be longer?!” Felix interrupted.

There was an audible crack followed by the sound of ice fracturing.

“Yes,” she added, quickly stepping away. Felix was already overcoming his shock and taking charge.

“Quickly!” He gestured towards the den’s entrance. “It’s beginning, but they’ll need you!”

Zira could only watch in amusement as her partner ushered the four elves into the den, practically pushing them forward. Behind her, Eri and Kyrith observed. A quick glance to them told her they were finally forgetting about those visions…

“Okay, remember, you’ll need to press your hands against the shell! Close your eyes and call for them! Their names will come to you!” Felix was starting to let the excitement take control…

Calm yourself, she chastised Felix. His emotions were flooding over their bond and making it hard for herself to think.

S-sorry, he apologized. Already, she could feel his emotions calming down.

It’s fine, you were like this too when Eri hatched Kyrith.

A brief wave of embarrassment passed over to her side of the bond, she just let out a single snort of humor.

“You two can come closer now, there’s plenty of room,” Zira said out loud to the two other bystanders.

“Watcher come as well?” a new voice asked from further away.

Her head whipped over to his direction. “Are you going to do anything weird to the eggs?”

Watcher shook his head vigorously, no.

“Then you may come and watch, but I’m keeping an eye on you,” she said curtly.

The silvery-gray kobold scampered over, joining her. Zira’s attention went back to Eri and Kyrith. “Well? Are you two going to watch from back there or…?” She let the question hang, until Eri finally responded.

“We’ll join you…” The elf didn’t sound exactly thrilled.

Maybe she is still worried?

Zira waited until she and Kyrith were closer. “Everything alright?” she asked, as the other two got comfortable. Meanwhile, inside the den, the four elves were kneeling in front of their respective eggs, eyes closed and hands reaching out.

“No…” Kyrith responded.

Eri let out a sigh. “It’s about our visions.”

“What about them?” Zira asked.

The elven woman took a moment to respond. “I…saw all of us happy, we were enjoying the open skies–”

“A mean human burned it all away,” Kyrith interjected. “Only, he seemed more sad as the fire spread.”

Eri cleared her throat while throwing Kyrith a glare. “There’s more that happened.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, her eyes fixating on the four other elves.

“I saw them all burning.”

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Felix watched carefully with his mana sight, noting every minor fluctuation he saw. His primary concern was Yedril, but a cursory search showed him nothing was wrong. Breathing out a sigh of relief, his focus shifted to the eggs.

He could see the cracks in the shells, slowly growing as time progressed. They were ‘breathing’, sucking in the mana from their respective partners only to push out their own.

Alright, everything is looking good. He took a brief moment to calm himself. “It’s working, I can see something happening in each egg. Go ahead and give it some encouragement. Don’t be scared, guide them out of their shells.”

Yedril was the first. “Come on, I know you can do it!”

“I know you are strong, I can feel your power! Come on and hatch, show the world your strength!” Lorem shouted.

“I’ll take good care of you! You don’t have to be shy!” Solanna begged.

Noria was last and a little meek. “W-we’ll be good friends… I-I mean, we will take care of each other and grow strong.”

Felix didn’t correct her, instead he let a smile show. The eggs were responding. Inside, he could see movement, a burst of mana coming through from each one.

“Keep it up, keep calling for them!” he shouted. He could feel it, he could see it. They were about to hatch.

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Noria was squeezing her eyes shut, mostly out of panic. Her hand tingled with mana, and she could feel the egg flexing underneath.

Come on, come on, come on… She forced herself to breathe, she was nearing a panic attack…

Mana burst forth from the egg, traveling through her hand and into the rest of her body. It calmed her, strengthened her. An itch started to form in the deepest part of her mind.

Come on! You can do it! We will be good friends!

“Please–”

Azelea.

“–Azelea, hatch!”

Her egg exploded...

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Lorem was smiling. When he first set out to Bernel village, his only desire was to be closer to Noria. Now? Now she was right next to him, and together they were hatching dragons.

How exciting!

“Come on, little guy! I know you want to hatch, I can feel your power!” None of that was a lie, he could somehow tell. The dragon within wanted to show off and prove itself to the world.

His smile grew into a wide grin as he heard Noria let out a gasp. Just a bit more I think.

The egg underneath his grasp trembled, the dragon fighting hard to breach its shell. Lorem used his mana to help subtly guide the little guy inside.

You’ve got this, I know you can do it–

Mana shot through Lorem, causing him to shiver. A dull, yet growing itch forming in his mind.

“That’s it! Come on–”

Tzarin.

“Come on, Tzarin! HATCH!”

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Solanna was secretly panicking, she hid it well but deep down her emotional state was a wreck. Ever since her realization about her brother, her life had been turned upside down…

Please hatch! I-I need you. “It’s alright, you can come out. I promise to take care of you!” She tried to keep the fear out of her tone. That was the last thing she wanted, to scare or spook the dragon inside.

She sucked in a breath, as she felt something peck at the shell just under her hand. He’s trying!

A moment later a gust of air blew through her. Solanna shuddered, feeling a tingling sensation in the back of her mind.

“You’re so close! You can do it–”

Falzan.

“Falzan!”

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Yedril was sweating, his hands shaking, the pain mounting…

Through all the trials and tribulations, through the tears, the blood. With all his self-doubt and his convictions. Of constantly stumbling and falling, of picking himself back up.

This was his moment.

This was his time to show the world.

He would not go it alone. He would not be left behind. His name would go down in history, it would be marked for all to read.

We’re going to change the world! We’re going to show them our strength! “I know you can do it! Come and show yourself! Show the world!”

Yedril felt a soothing radiating feeling wash through him from his hand. He was ready, the dragon inside was ready. The world watched.

“Say hello–”

Zarrina

“Zarrina!”