Chapter 39: The Little Frostwyrm

Neo woke up stretching his arms above his head, letting out a long yawn before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He sat up slowly, blinking against the soft morning light filtering through his curtains, his mind still foggy from the deep sleep he’d fallen into the night before.

He shuffled to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and took a quick shower, letting the warm water ease some of the lingering soreness from yesterday’s fight still lingering in his shoulder. Once dressed in a neat, well-fitted outfit, he stood in front of the mirror, fixing his messy silver hair into something a little more presentable before finally turning toward the door.

Just as his hand reached for the handle, something tugged at the back of his mind.

"Wait, I forgot to hide the egg."

He turned around quickly, walking straight to his bed to check on it, only to freeze the moment his eyes landed on the empty space where he’d left it.

Nothing was there.

His eyes widened in shock. He yanked the blanket aside, then dropped to his knees, checking beneath the bed frame, then lifting the mattress itself in a mild panic, but there was still no sign of it anywhere.

’Where the hell is my egg?! Did someone steal it?! Did the maids find it while cleaning?!’

His heart pounded hard against his chest as he scrambled back to his feet, dashing out of his room without even bothering to grab his coat. He checked every corner of the hallway, peeking into empty guest rooms, the small sitting area near the staircase, even the linen closet, growing more frantic with every passing second.

’If someone found it and told my parents, I am so dead. If someone found it and took it somewhere else, I am even more dead.’

He was halfway through searching the entire top floor, breathing heavily and thoroughly panicked, when a faint, unfamiliar sound reached his ears.

"...Kyu."

Neo stopped dead in his tracks.

He turned slowly toward the source of the sound, his eyes landing on the closed door of Nora’s guest room just a few steps away. His heart hammered even harder now, though for an entirely different reason.

He crept closer, careful not to make a sound, and gently pushed the door open just enough to peek through the narrow gap.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed was Nora, her long violet hair falling loosely over her shoulders, still dressed in her sleep clothes. Resting comfortably in her lap was a small, glowing creature, its pale-white scales shimmering faintly under the morning light, deep blue crystalline markings catching the sun in soft, delicate sparkles.

The little dragon let out another quiet chirp as Nora gently stroked its stomach, its tiny tail flicking lazily against her arm, clearly enjoying the attention.

Neo’s jaw dropped.

He pushed the door open fully without thinking, stepping inside. "Wait, how did you—"

Nora glanced up at him, completely unfazed, her expression as calm as ever despite holding a literal baby dragon in her lap.

"It came to me, when I woke up in the morning. It was scratching at my window."

Neo walked closer, kneeling down beside the bed to get a better look. The little dragon turned its head toward him, blinking its bright blue eyes curiously before letting out another soft chirp, wiggling slightly in Nora’s lap.

"You actually hatched," Neo muttered, half in disbelief, reaching out slowly to gently touch the top of its head. The dragon leaned into his touch immediately, nuzzling against his palm. "After three whole years, you decide to hatch, and then you go straight to her window instead of staying with me?"

Nora tilted her head slightly. "Maybe it likes me better."

"Wow. Thanks for that," Neo muttered, though he couldn’t quite hide the small smile tugging at his lips.

He sat down properly beside her, watching as the little dragon crawled happily between the two of them, flapping its small wings experimentally, nearly toppling itself over in the process. Its wings weren’t quite strong enough to lift it off the ground yet, but it clearly wasn’t going to stop trying anytime soon.

"It’s so small... But warm" Nora said quietly, watching it tumble over itself for the third time.

"Yeah, Guess it takes after its element. It’s a Frostwyrm, remember? Ice types are usually cold, but this little guy feels the opposite." Neo agreed, gently steadying the little creature before it could fall completely off the bed.

The dragon chirped again, as if agreeing with him, before curling itself contentedly into the small space between them, its tail flicking lazily against the blanket.

Neo studied it for a long moment; the crystal horn on its forehead, the delicate snowflake patterns along its back, the soft glow still faintly pulsing beneath its scales.

Neo immediately picked out his notepad already resting in his pant as he picked out a pen from the desk as he wrote the words and showed her.

[We need a name for it.]

Nora looked up at him, her lavender eyes lighting with quiet interest. "A name?"

"Well, yeah. We can’t just keep calling it ’the egg’ anymore, obviously." Neo tapped his chin thoughtfully, studying the little dragon’s icy blue markings. [How about Yuki? It means snow, I think, in some old language I read about once.]

Nora repeated the word softly under her breath, testing it out. "Yuki."

The little dragon perked up immediately, letting out an excited chirp, wiggling its tail happily as though it somehow understood exactly what they were talking about.

Neo blinked in surprise. "Wait, did it seriously just respond to that?"

Nora reached forward, gently scratching beneath its chin, earning another happy chirp in response. "I think it likes it."

"Well, Yuki it is, then," Neo said, grinning slightly despite himself. "Welcome to the family, I guess. Try not to freeze anyone."

They spent the next few minutes simply watching Yuki explore the bed, tumbling clumsily over pillows, occasionally letting out tiny, excited chirps whenever it managed to flap its wings properly for even a second or two. Neo found himself laughing more than once, all traces of his earlier panic completely forgotten.

He was in the middle of trying to coax Yuki into hopping over his outstretched hand when a soft gasp sounded from the doorway.

Both children froze instantly.

Standing there, still dressed in her morning robe, one hand pressed lightly against her chest, was Elara. Her wide eyes moved slowly between the two of them and the small, glowing creature currently perched happily on Neo’s palm.

For a long, heavy moment, nobody said a single word.

Neo swallowed hard, glancing sideways at Nora, who simply stared back at her mother with the same calm, unreadable expression she always wore, even now, caught red-handed with an actual living dragon in the middle of her bedroom.

’Well... Guess our little secret isn’t a secret anymore.’