Chapter 40: The Explanation

The words had spread fast. By the time Neo managed to gather his thoughts, both sets of parents were already standing in the doorway of Nora’s room, Sylvia’s face pale with worry, Cassian’s arms crossed tightly over his chest, his expression unreadable. Liam stood just behind them, looking mostly curious, while Elara hovered near the bed, still staring at the small creature currently curled contentedly in Neo’s lap.

Neo sat frozen beside Nora, Yuki squirming happily against his knee, completely unaware of the tension thickening the air around them.

For a long moment, nobody spoke.

Finally, Sylvia stepped forward, her voice carefully measured despite the obvious concern behind it.

"Neo. Are you going to tell us what that is?"

Neo swallowed hard, glancing down at Yuki, who chirped softly and nuzzled against his palm, blissfully oblivious to the storm brewing above him.

"It’s, uh." He cleared his throat, forcing his voice to stay steady. "It’s an egg I found. A while back, actually. When we were staying at Grandpa’s place. I snuck out to the area behind the estate one day and found it just sitting there, half buried near some rocks. I didn’t know what it was at the time, so I kept it. I only found out it was actually alive when it hatched last night."

It wasn’t the full truth, not even close, but it was close enough to hold together, especially with the timeline lining up well enough to seem believable.

Sylvia studied him carefully; his face didn’t betray anything, though his tight grip around the small creature gave away just how nervous he actually was.

Cassian finally spoke, his tone quiet but firm, still keeping his eyes locked on the small dragon. "Sylvia. What exactly are we looking at here?"

Sylvia stepped closer, kneeling down slightly to get a better look at Yuki, her sharp eyes carefully scanning over its scales, the faint glow still pulsing beneath its skin, the crystalline horn resting on its forehead.

"It’s a Frostwyrm... I’m not entirely certain, but the markings match old records almost perfectly. The last confirmed sighting of one was centuries ago. Since then, there’s been no evidence they even still exist. Most scholars assumed the species had gone extinct." She said slowly, her voice tinged with quiet disbelief.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Elara’s hand flew to her mouth. "A dragon? An actual dragon, hatched right here in our home?"

Liam let out a low whistle, shaking his head slowly. "Well. That’s certainly not something you hear every day."

Cassian’s expression shifted from concern to something far more serious, his gaze sharpening as he looked between Neo and the small creature still curled peacefully in his lap.

"Neo, do you understand what kind of danger something like this could bring? If word gets out that you’re raising a living Frostwyrm, every kingdom in this empire will come knocking at our doors. Some of them won’t ask nicely."

Neo nodded quickly, his grip tightening slightly around Yuki.

"I know. That’s actually why I didn’t tell anyone in the first place. I was scared something bad might happen if people found out too soon."

Sylvia’s expression softened slightly at that, though the worry hadn’t fully left her eyes. "You should have told us the moment you found it, sweetheart. We could have helped keep it hidden properly instead of you carrying that burden all on your own."

Neo lowered his gaze slightly. "I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you two to worry more than you already do."

The room fell quiet again, the tension slowly easing, though it hadn’t completely disappeared. Yuki, sensing the shift in mood, let out a soft, worried chirp, pressing itself closer against Neo’s chest as though trying to comfort him.

Sylvia’s gaze dropped to the little dragon, and despite herself, a small, reluctant smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"It really is beautiful, I’ve never seen scales like that up close before."

Seizing the small opening, Neo carefully lifted Yuki up in both hands, holding it toward his mother.

"Look how small it still is, It can barely even fly properly yet. I promise I’ll take full responsibility for it. I’ll make sure it stays hidden, I’ll train it carefully, and I won’t let it cause any trouble. Please, can I keep it?"

Yuki blinked its wide, glowing blue eyes up at Sylvia, tilting its head innocently, its tiny wings fluttering weakly in an attempt to look even more endearing than it already did.

Sylvia’s resolve wavered almost instantly.

"Oh, for heaven’s sake, That is entirely unfair. How am I supposed to say no to that face?" she muttered, reaching out despite herself to gently stroke the top of Yuki’s head. The little dragon immediately leaned into her touch, letting out a happy, satisfied chirp.

Cassian sighed heavily beside her, running a hand down his face, though even he couldn’t fully hide the small smile creeping onto his lips as Yuki turned its wide, hopeful eyes toward him next.

"You’re going to be the death of me, kid, Fine. You can raise it. But you’re keeping it hidden properly, and the moment it starts causing problems, we’re having a serious conversation."

Neo’s face lit up instantly. "Really? Thank you, thank you, I promise it won’t cause any trouble!"

Elara, still watching the whole exchange with wide, delighted eyes, clasped her hands together. "Oh, this is wonderful. A real dragon. Nora, sweetheart, you two really do attract the strangest things, don’t you?"

Nora, who had remained quiet throughout most of the conversation, simply reached over and gently poked Yuki’s soft belly, earning another happy chirp in response.

"I like it," she said simply, as if that settled the matter entirely.

Liam chuckled warmly, shaking his head at his daughter’s blunt honesty. "Well, I suppose that’s that, then."

Sylvia let out one last long sigh, though the tension had mostly melted from her expression by now, replaced with quiet, resigned affection as she watched the small dragon nuzzle happily against Neo’s hands.

"Alright, But you two are going to help figure out exactly how we’re keeping this a secret from the rest of the world. Understood?"

Neo nodded eagerly, hugging Yuki close against his chest, relief flooding through him now that the worst of the storm had clearly passed.

"Understood, Thank you, really."

As the adults slowly filed out of the room, already murmuring quietly amongst themselves about the logistics of hiding a literal dragon from the rest of the empire, Neo turned back toward Nora, letting out a long, relieved breath.

"That went better than I expected," he admitted.

Nora nodded, gently scratching beneath Yuki’s chin.

Neo glanced down at the little dragon, who chirped happily in response, clearly quite pleased with itself.

"Yeah, I guess it really is."