The day that had begun with laughter now felt impossibly distant. Sitting alone on the park bench, Starfania let her gaze drift over the rippling pond and the drifting clouds above, the soft traces of Daniel's smile still stirring faintly within her chest. She could have felt light—happy even—but as the wind shifted, a faint chill crept beneath her skin.
It was subtle at first, like a whisper of unease brushing against her thoughts. A droplet landed on her cheek. Warm. Sticky. Red. She blinked, confusion setting in as another fell, streaking down her face. Her trembling hand reached up, and her fingertips came away crimson. For one terrible heartbeat, her surroundings blurred—the sunlight dimmed, the colors of the world fading into ash and shadow. Then, as she blinked again, it was gone. The sky was blue, unmarred. The sun shone as if nothing changed. She pressed a shaking hand to her chest.
" Get it together," she whispered. But deep down, she already knew—something was wrong.
Without another thought, Starfania broke into a run. The path to Bone's cave felt longer than ever, the usual comfort of the wind now heavy, the air itself thick with dread. Every step forward tightened the knot in her stomach until she reached the mouth of the cave. A strange hum filled the air—an unnatural vibration that seemed to crawl along her skin. She hesitated at the entrance, whispering, " Bone?"
Her voice trembled, swallowed by the cavern stillness. Her hand brushed the stone wall, and a faint pulse rippled outward—soft, white veins of energy threading through the rock, flickering dimly as though guiding her forward.
The deeper she went, the colder it became. The torches had long burned out, leaving her surrounded by eerie shadows that swayed and stretched like living things. Then came the caw. A single crow perched on a torch handle, its feathers slick as midnight, its eyes glinting red in dim light. It opened its wings, cawing once—sharp and haunting—before spiraling upward, circling her, and vanishing into the darkness ahead. Starfania followed where it had gone. And then she saw it. Her breath hitched as she stumbled forward, the sight before her cracking her world in half.
Blood painted the cavern walls, still wet in places where it clung to the stone. Charred fragments of scales—blackened and broken—littered the ground like the remnants of a shattered star. The smell of smoke and iron filled the air, heavy and suffocating. Bone lay at the center of the carnage. Her beloved dragon. Her protector. The last living link to her mother. His once-glimmering scales were dulled to lifeless gray, his eyes closed as though in a peaceful sleep—but his chest did not rise. His wings were torn, his body scorched.
" No…" Her voice broke on the single word. " No, please…"
Her knees gave out beneath her, the cold stone biting into her skin as she crawled toward him. Her trembling fingers brushed against his muzzle, still faintly warm.
" Bone," she whispered, her voice dissolving into sobs. " Wake up, please... I'm here now."
She pressed her palm against his heart, waiting—praying—for the steady thrum she'd always known. But there was only silence. Tears blurred her vision as she pressed her forehead to his scales, her voice cracking through the hollow air. " Please don't leave me too…"
Her chest burned; her lungs fought for air that wouldn't come. She pounded the ground beside him; her knuckles splitting open, blood mingling with the stains already darkening the stone.
" Why?!" She screamed, her voice echoing off the walls. " Why does everyone I love have to leave me?!"
The cave swallowed her cries, offering no comfort—only the lonely sound of the wind slithering through cracks in the stone. Her sobs grew quieter as she curled against Bone's side, fingers clinging to his scales as though her grip alone could tether him to the world.
She could almost imagine him breathing again, could almost hear his deep, rumbling purr—the sound that always soothed her when she was little.
" Bone…" She whispered brokenly. " I'm sorry. I should have been here. Protecting you was something I should've done."
Her tears fell onto his hide, leaving tiny salt trails that glistened like dying stars. But then the grift shifted—its edge hardened into something else. Lifting her head, Starfania stared into the darkness, her face streaked with tears but her eyes alight with a quiet fire.
" You've already taken my mother," she whispered to the shadows. " And my brother. Now you take him too?"
Her voice rose, breaking into a scream that tore through the stillness. " What more do you want from me?!"
Her words echoed until only silence remained. The flickering light of the walls dimmed and vanished, leaving her alone in total darkness. For a long while, she didn't move. She simply sat there beside him, the last of her strength slipping away with each shaky breath. When she finally looked up again, her face streaked with blood and ash, but in her eyes burned a single thought—clear and unwavering. She would find out who did this. And she would make them pay.