Lily opened her eyes slowly.
At first, there was only sound.
The endless roar of ocean waves crashing against the shore.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The sound rose and fell like a heartbeat too vast for the world itself, the tide endlessly reshaping unseen sand in the darkness.
But when Lily blinked, she saw nothing.
No stars.
No sky.
No village.
Only blackness stretching in every direction.
Her bare feet touched something cold and smooth beneath her, like wet sand kissed by the sea.
Then a voice shattered the emptiness.
"Lily!"
The cry echoed through the darkness, filled with desperation and aching love.
Her heart lurched.
"Papa?" she called out, her voice small and trembling.
Silence answered.
Only the waves remained.
The smell hit her next.
Smoke.
Blood.
Burned wood.
Burned flesh.
The memory came rushing back so suddenly it stole the breath from her lungs.
The bonfire.
Her mother's blood.
The dragon's fire.
Her father screaming her name into the storm.
"Mama…" she whispered.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
Then another.
Her small shoulders trembled.
This was supposed to have been the happiest day of her life.
Her birthday.
The day her father came home.
Instead, it had become the night the world broke apart.
The warmth of breakfast sunlight.
Her mother's braid.
Her father's laughter.
The dancing by the bonfire.
The villagers.
The lanterns.
All of it felt like it had been stolen in a single cruel breath.
Gone.
Leaving only darkness.
And Lily alone inside it.
Then the gentle voice returned.
"Lily, don't cry."
Her breath caught.
It was the same voice.
The woman from the caravan.
The whisper that had led her to the egg.
The voice that somehow felt safe.
"You still have your dragon with you."
Something in Lily's chest loosened.
Her tiny hand rose to wipe her tears, smearing ash and dirt from her cheeks.
"H-hello?" she whispered into the dark. "Can you help me find Mama and Papa?"
The voice softened with sadness.
"Of course, Lily."
A trembling breath escaped her lips.
"Thank you…"
For a moment, Lily's fingers drifted into her tangled curls.
She remembered the way Lucy's hands used to gently braid her hair in the mornings—the soft tug, the warmth, the feeling of being cared for.
The memory wrapped around her heart like a blanket.
"I know how much you hurt right now," the voice said gently. "But you must remember this, little one… everything will be alright."
Then, in the far distance, a light appeared.
At first it was no bigger than a candle flame.
Then it bloomed into something breathtaking.
A radiant glow of silver, pearl, and pale blue shimmered across the darkness, illuminating the unseen shore in a thousand dancing colors.
Lily stared in wonder.
The dragon egg floated there.
Its light pulsed softly, like a living star.
"Come, Lily," the woman whispered. "Do not be afraid."
Lily hesitated.
Her grief still sat heavy in her chest.
But the warmth of the egg reached for her, gentle and familiar.
"It's alright," the voice reassured.
Then the egg's light expanded.
A brilliant white glow unfolded before Lily's eyes, slowly taking the graceful shape of a woman.
She was breathtaking.
Her figure was woven from light itself, delicate and luminous, like moonlight given form. Her long hair flowed like silver mist, and her presence felt both ancient and kind.
She cradled the egg in glowing hands before kneeling in front of Lily.
"To truly bond with your dragon," she said softly, "the egg must be kissed."
Lily looked up, confusion clouding her tearful eyes.
The woman smiled gently.
"This is no ordinary kiss. It is a promise. A vow of love, trust, and devotion from the heart. The dragon must know your soul, and you must accept theirs."
Lily did not fully understand.
She was still only a child.
But she understood love.
She understood trust.
She understood what it meant to hold something precious and never want to lose it.
Her thoughts drifted to Lucy's gentle smile.
To Eliot's warm embrace.
To the way they had loved her without question.
"I miss Mama and Papa," Lily whispered, tears spilling freely.
The woman's glowing eyes softened.
"I know."
The words carried a sorrow so deep it almost sounded like mourning.
Lily closed her eyes.
She remembered sleeping safely in Lucy's arms.
Listening to Eliot's stories.
Feeling loved.
Feeling safe.
Those memories steadied her trembling heart.
With careful hands, she took the egg.
It was warm.
Alive.
Its heartbeat pulsed against her palms.
Lily leaned forward.
Her tears fell first, warm drops landing against the shimmering shell.
Then she kissed it.
A tender, trembling kiss.
The moment her lips touched the egg, light erupted.
Silver radiance exploded outward in waves, swallowing the darkness, the shore, and the endless night.
The egg pulsed brighter.
Faster.
The heartbeat inside it thundered in perfect harmony with Lily's own.
The light wrapped around her body, warm and weightless.
Her feet lifted from the unseen shore.
She gasped softly as she began to rise.
Higher.
Higher.
The woman of light watched with pride shining in her luminous face.
The brilliance surrounding Lily swirled into the shape of enormous wings.
A dragon's silhouette.
Majestic.
Ancient.
Legendary.
For one breathtaking moment, Lily floated within the heart of that celestial shape, as though the dragon itself had wrapped its spirit around her.
The woman bowed her head.
"Good luck, little one," she whispered.
And then the light carried Lily beyond the darkness.
Toward destiny.