Chapter 38: The Hatching

The moment the carriage carrying Cassian and Sylvia’s message reached the estate ahead of them, word had already spread that the two missing children had been found. By the time Eiris walked them both back through the front gates, guards were already scrambling, and within minutes, Sylvia came rushing down the front steps so fast she nearly tripped over the hem of her own dress.

"Neo! Nora!"

She reached them in seconds, dropping to her knees in the snow and pulling both children into a tight, desperate hug, checking every inch of them for injuries with shaking hands. Cassian arrived right behind her, his face pale and tense, though the moment he confirmed they were both breathing and mostly unharmed, relief quickly gave way to something far sharper.

"What were you two thinking? Running away from home alone?"

That was the start of a very long, very thorough scolding.

Neo sat stiffly on the couch in the private study, his head bowed low as both his parents took turns lecturing him about the dangers of sneaking out, the dangers of the city at night, the dangers of assassins, and the general recklessness of an child deciding a festival was worth risking his life over. Sylvia’s voice cracked more than once, somewhere between anger and lingering fear, while Cassian paced back and forth in front of him, running a hand through his hair every few seconds.

Beside him, Nora sat perfectly still, her expression as blank and unreadable as always, staring straight ahead without so much as a flinch.

Neo glanced at her sideways, a small twinge of envy creeping into his chest.

’How lucky.... She can’t hear a single word of this.’

Liam and Elara had been informed as well, and while Elara had cried and hugged Nora just as tightly as Sylvia had hugged Neo, Nora simply sat through her own scolding with the same calm silence, occasionally tilting her head whenever someone’s expression grew particularly animated, clearly missing most of the actual point being made.

By the time dinner rolled around, the scolding had finally run its course, replaced by quiet, exhausted relief. The meal passed with far less conversation than usual, everyone still a little too shaken from the day’s events to manage much small talk. Neo picked at his food, stealing occasional glances at Nora across the table, silently glad she at least seemed unharmed, aside from the faint exhaustion still lingering behind her eyes.

Once dinner ended, Neo said his goodnights and trudged upstairs, his body aching in places he hadn’t even noticed during the fight itself. He changed into his sleep clothes, wincing slightly at the bruise forming along his shoulder, before climbing into bed and pulling the wrapped egg carefully out from its hiding place.

He unwrapped it slowly, resting it against his chest, and let out a long, tired breath.

"Well, little guy," he murmured, stroking the smooth shell gently with his thumb, "today was pretty eventful."

He told the egg everything, starting from the walk through the snowy field, the glowing lanterns of Valoria, the clumsy dance in the square, the fireworks lighting up the night sky. He even mentioned the kiss, his cheeks warming slightly all over again just recalling it, grumbling under his breath about how confusing Nora could be sometimes.

Then, more quietly, he told it about the alley. About the assassins, the pill, the crimson petals, and Eiris arriving just in time.

"You should’ve seen her, Nora, I mean. She was terrifying. But she also looked like she was in pain the whole time. I don’t like that." He whispered, his eyelids growing heavier with every word.

He yawned, snuggling deeper into his pillow, still cradling the egg securely against his arm.

"Anyway. You should hurry up and hatch soon, little one. There’s a lot of cool stuff out here waiting for you."

His words slowly faded into soft, even breathing as sleep finally claimed him, one arm wrapped protectively around the egg resting against his chest.

The room fell quiet, lit only by the faint glow of the floating orbs dimmed low for the night.

Then, slowly, a faint light began to pulse from within the shell.

A thin crack split across its surface, followed by another, spreading in delicate lines across the deep navy blue shell. Soft blue light leaked out from the widening gaps, growing brighter with every passing second, until finally, the shell shimmered and dissolved entirely into fine, glowing particles, absorbed instantly back into the small creature curled up where the egg had once been.

The small creature slowly stretched its tiny limbs as though waking from a very long sleep. Its body was covered in soft, pale-white scales with a faint silvery shine, catching the dim light of the room like scattered frost. Deep blue crystalline scales grew in delicate patterns along its back, tail, and limbs, glowing softly like pieces of frozen starlight. Thin, feather-like structures extended from its shoulders, somewhere between wings and icy plumage, folding gently against its small frame.

Its long tail curled naturally around Neo’s arm, the white scales gradually shifting into brilliant shades of blue toward the tip. A small, elegant crystal horn sat at the center of its forehead, glowing faintly, and delicate snowflake-shaped markings decorated its head, with tiny crystalline spikes rising just behind its ears.

Slowly, its eyes opened.

Bright, brilliant blue, like sunlight filtering through the clear ice.

The little dragon blinked several times, taking in the unfamiliar room around it, before its gaze finally settled on the sleeping boy beside it.

It tilted its head curiously.

For a long moment, it simply stared at Neo, studying the steady rise and fall of his chest, the peaceful expression on his face.

Neo remained completely unaware, one arm still stretched loosely across the pillow, breathing evenly in deep, undisturbed sleep.

The little creature crawled closer, its tiny claws carefully stepping across the fabric of his sleeve before finally settling down snugly against his arm. Its wings folded neatly against its small body, and its tail curled gently around his wrist, like a soft, living blanket.

It rubbed its head lightly against his hand.

Neo’s fingers twitched slightly in his sleep.

The little dragon froze instantly, going completely still.

When nothing else happened, it slowly relaxed again, nestling a little closer against him.

A faint, quiet sound escaped its throat, barely more than a whisper.

"...Kyu."

Neo simply turned over slightly in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent before settling back into stillness.

The little dragon watched him for a moment longer, its bright blue eyes blinking slowly, before it finally curled itself fully against his arm, tucking its head beneath one small wing.

The faint blue glow surrounding its body gradually faded, dimming softly until it disappeared entirely.

And just like that, the creature that had spent years sleeping quietly inside its shell finally closed its eyes once more, falling into a peaceful sleep beside its new owner, completely unaware of just how much chaos it was about to bring into his life.