Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

_____

_____

There was nothing Olienne liked more than peace.

After living in such an agitated world for a couple of centuries, his life as a grown dragon had slowly started to become quieter. Time had slowed down, the raging energy animating his body had slowly subsided. And as years passed by, he had caught himself enjoying calmness more and more. 

Nothing could compare to peacefulness. 

And nature was versed in providing different kinds of it. He was grateful to have an attribute so intimately related to it. 

This morning was a rather average one. Olienne was sauntering around his lair, nimbly advancing through the packed foliages and heavy vines dangling down trunks. He had grown them on purpose, with his own powers. He did not want people around the place he had decided would become his lair. Nosy humans or other creatures. 

Liking peace irremediably called for enjoying solitude. And Olienne was no exception. 

Dragons were loners.

So prideful and mighty - so powerful and egoistical, it fell to them to ensure the balance of this fragile world. And for this, they did not need anyone. Not even their own peers. 

They did not feel the need to socialize like other spices. They were not gathering into nations like humans nor forming packs like beast people. They didn’t even live at the same place like elves, assembled in hidden villages. 

Dragons could choose whether or not they were willing to get involved with others - and be content staying by themselves. 

Most preferred not to bond with anyone else, while a few would be a bit more willing to connect with others. It was a rare occurrence, but Olienne knew at least one of those oddities. 

Dragons, elves, beast people… not humans. Never humans. 

Human life was too short, and their bodies too frail. There was no purpose in engaging with such feeble beings. It would only lead to wasteful relationships. 

Olienne viewed himself as someone in between - he did not cherish solitude to the point of refusing others’ company, but did not feel like seeking for it himself. His younger self was more closed off, always looking for fights whenever another dragon would step in what he considered his territory. It was no longer the case now that age had grown him wiser. And yet, he wasn’t exactly welcoming any intruders either. 

As for the vines blocking his lair, he did not want to be disturbed by some wanderers mistaking his lair for some kind of cave or shelter. 

Olienne did not mind others’ presence, as long as the person was willingly coming to find him. With an actual motive doing so. Purposelessness was troublesome. Olienne couldn’t understand how people could commit to something without a clear goal in their mind. 

It felt pointless. 

Hence, all of his actions were motivated by clear reasons. 

It was also the case this morning. As he was doing his daily walk and relishing in the peace nature was granting him, his mind was busy with the investigation he was leading in the area. The disappearance of the monster of the Leeb-Ahn region had turned concerning a bit ago, and most of his days were now occupied with this matter. Something must be happening on his territory, and Olienne wasn’t fond of the idea. 

As his steps were guiding him through the familiar forest, he could hear the damp sounds of the river coursing nearby. This wasn’t his usual route. During the previous days, Olienne had felt something calling him towards this area of the forest. 

He hadn’t indulged in this right away. Why would he have ? 

And yet, as the investigation he was leading nearby the Leeb-Ahn region was still going on, this feeling had seemed to increase. Hence, he had let it guide his steps today.

Olienne walked towards the stream - his calm and green gaze falling on the river. He was expecting to observe the soft hues of the dawn mirroring in the clear water, thus his brows swiftly formed a scowl on his flawless features. 

An uncomfortable feeling stirred in Olienne’s chest as he approached the banks. It was not often that something like this was blooming in his dragon body. And with this consideration brought to his mind, the discomfort doubled. 

It was similar to what he would feel anytime he was coming across the corpse of a being whose demise was not due to natural causes. It was rather jarring. 

The flow of the usually calm and quiet river was violent and feral - the fishes were swimming away and the organisms around the form were dying. Even the mellow hues of the dawn were mixing within the torrent, morphing from those delicate pink, orange and purple tones to a gloomy crimson red. Something was surfacing, and getting dragged away by the unruly stream. 

The corpse of a monster. 

As Olienne wrapped it with his mana and brought it to the banks, his frown deepened. It was an unexpected find. But this was definitely interesting.

This monster was one of those that kept on disappearing lately in the Leeb Mount region. It was almost too easy now. Olienne was a dragon. As such, he was usually putting an end to whatever problem was coming up rather quickly. As for investigations, his deep connection with mana and nature was often enough to solve mysteries in a blink. But not this time. 

The mana gathered in the area was relentlessly fluctuating in a strange way, leading his tracks to being confused and blurry. 

For such a mighty being like a dragon, it felt as interesting as it was irritating. 

Olienne was curious - he couldn’t consider this monster’s corpse as anything else than a taunting invitation. And yet, he knew better than storming to the source head up to defy the mystery lying there. 

Something there was definitely wrong. 

Something there was daring to challenge a dragon. To compete with it in the very field dragons excelled at. Magic. 

How bold.  

Olienne’s piercing pupils scanned the lifeless form before him. 

This monster corpse was the clue he had looked up for quite some time. Something that had been concealed for so long, and was now casually thrown at him. Whatever was lying within this mount, it was directly addressing him. 

The gall of this thing was interesting. 

Olienne could somehow feel there was still something more behind all this. Again, this was an unusual feeling that was gnawing at his chest . One he could not ignore. 

It felt impregnated with divine aura. Like a message from the Gods themselves. 

The only beings mightier than dragons. The ones bestowing them visions anytime something was threatening the equilibrium of this world. 

Olienne could not mistake this with any other feeling. He felt it in his very core. 

There was something more behind all this. 

He still did not feel like passing on the call in spite of how shabby and brazen it was. Olienne would never decline such a dare. For a great and mighty dragon like him, it would be equal to give up and yield. 

For the sake of his dragon’s great pride, he shall go now that he had a formal invitation decaying at his feet. 

He shall go and defeat this thing. Whatever or whoever this was. 

Defying a dragon had a cost, after all. And Olienne would give it its nerve back. 

Tenfold. 

Chapter Text

‘The area around this place is dying.’

It was the first thought Olienne got approaching Grey Eye Lake. 

Thanks to the mana on the monster’s corpse, the green dragon had easily managed to find and follow a track leading to this place. The spot hadn’t been difficult to find, and this wasn’t even slightly dangerous to enter alone. Not for a dragon. 

However, Olienne admitted the forest was more sombre around this area. 

Grey Eye Forest.

This was a place no monsters nor humans needed to visit. Lost in the middle, this strange eye-shaped lake was hidden. 

A rather dark and concealed place.

Olienne was expecting dozens of corpses, monsters everywhere or even a strong being making experiments on them. Anything, really. 

But no this calm. 

It was not one of the peace Olienne could relish in. This one was heavy. Like carrying the weight of an impending doom. 

The peaceful waters of the lake seemed deceiving as well. Not a ripple was troubling its peace, but an oddly threatening energy was escaping from its depths. And they had this strange grey color that felt nothing like a natural one. Of course, it was nothing a dragon like him needed to fear. It was stirring his interest, at best. 

And yet, Olienne knew he had to be careful. 

This place had managed to remain hidden to dragon skills. His mana detection was still a bit shaken by how many waves of energy were colliding here. 

Everything seemed to converge in the center of the lake. And Olienne could sense the grip of Death towering over the spot. The rest was too messy for him to understand without focusing. He brushed this aside for now as he walked closer to the bank of the lake. The floor suddenly felt like needles under his feet. 

“Ah !” Olienne couldn’t help but scoff. Was this an attempt at stopping him? Such a weak power compared to the one of a dragon. He promptly casted a shield around himself. 

His green gaze had never left the inside of the lake. There, Olienne’s sharp eyes finally caught something lying under the surface. 

The lake started to blur as his steps reached the edge, and the calm waters formed a whirlpool. Yet, the red form underneath remained still. 

It was idle and big - it was decaying and dying. Olienne could feel this same feeling of unnatural demise again. It brought this disagreeable chill in Olienne’s back once again. 

Something was off in this place. And nature was angry. 

Olienne’s features crumpled up in a scowl. An egg. This peculiar thing was an egg. 

As he was focusing on the violent aura coming out the lake, he managed to discern the ones escaping the egg. His brows furrowed even more. 

The feeling of Death was coming out from it. As well as mana waves and… a dragon ?

Olienne couldn’t consider it any longer as a giant spear formed out the waters. The needles in the floor seemed to become more virulent as well. And water chains shot out the waters. Very troublesome. 

Olienne dismissed them with a flip of his hand charged with mana. The persistent attacks clashed against his shield, but his entire attention was still on the egg. 

His mana gathered under the unruly water, making a strong vine grow to snatch the egg. Before it could wrap around the shell, all the attacks at the surface ceased and spiralled around the egg instead to shield it from Olienne’s power. 

“Oh ?” Whatever was under the water, it was protecting the egg. 

Olienne formed another vine, a mana made one this time. The green binding wrapped around the egg and pulled it out of the water in a rather brusque way. 

The lake turned quiet again. 

Olienne’s brows furrowed once more. 

He would have expected some kind of trap or violent reply to the gesture of stealing the egg from the water. And yet, nothing. 

Had the egg been the one that had attacked him all along ? It hadn’t felt like it. The chains and spear looked like a different kind of power. 

‘It felt almost divine.’ Almost. 

It reminded Olienne more of something tending to parrot the gods. Whilst the egg felt like one of those doomed items he had got to examine during his youth. 

He didn’t get the time to question it further when he noticed the plant wrapped around the egg started to die, and his own mana to tarnish. 

How odd. 

The plant vanished, but the egg remained. 

Wet, worn and decaying. 

Looking up close, Olienne could definitely recognize the energy emanating from the scaly shell. Dragon. It was definitely the egg of a dragon. 

And yet, something still felt strange. Dreary and sombre.  

However, he paused and almost felt hesitation to approach any further. How ridiculous. He was a dragon - and yet, his senses were all repelled away as Olienne felt violent waves of dark aura escaping the egg. 

His senses had not betrayed him earlier. 

Olienne had already felt it hundreds, thousands of times. In dried environments, where all the plants were succumbing under the overwhelming heat. On corpses he was sometimes stumbling across during his walks in forests, or when he was ending up nearby human graveyards. From dead mana wells or emanating from the God of Death church. 

The scent of Death. And something akin to the aura of dead mana.

It was somehow even stronger and darker. The substance was not dead mana; it was something else. Something Olienne’s every sense rejected. Something nature probably rejected as well. 

This egg was drenched in it, decaying from the inside as Death was bitterly wrapped around it. 

It felt wrong. So wrong. 

What a waste.

For the egg of such a mighty being to end up in such a state. How could it be….

Olienne’s senses were revolted. Nature was angered as well - he could feel it in the air, in the unruly waters and breath of the plants around. Within the earth, branches and foliages. He could see it in the crimson dawn and moonless sky. 

How could faith let such a thing happen ? How cruel and nonchalant were the Gods to allow such a thing to occur ? And who could be so senseless, brazen and shameless to commit such a crime ? So fearless to strip away the life of a dragon egg…

Every fiber of Olienne’s great being was outraged. 

He approached a gentle hand to the egg, his move unhurried and cautious - as if a sudden movement would make the faint hopes of healing the already dead fly away. 

In an almost reverent gesture, Olienne calmly pressed his palm against the red scales to absorb the remnants of life this egg probably contained. The respect and pain charging his every move were the ones of nature.

Of their world bidding their farewell to a soul left oh too soon. 

Olienne hoped he could at least gather some of the egg remembrances doing so. To understand what had happened to it. What was happening in this world for such a tragedy to occur with gruesome impunity.

And then, it happened. 

Olienne’s eyes snapped back open, and his scowl furthered.

It was stirring. The being within this egg had stirred. He was sure of this.

It had been faint, but it surely had happened. For an instant. 

But this dark fluid… even a creature as amazing and mighty as a dragon could not remain unwounded drowning in dead mana. Especially not an unhatched dragon.

The substance was one of the few that could end a dragon - and this was also a sign the being had perished. And this was somehow deadlier than dead mana. 

And yet, the thing in there was alive. 

Olienne could not exactly understand what creature was inside of this dragon egg. He could still feel the mana and aura of a dragon. But somehow, another strength and wave of energies were wrapping around the damaged scales, bathing in dead liquid and veiling it with an aura of mystery Olienne couldn’t bring himself to ignore.

This egg was interesting. Just as it was dreading. It was not something Olienne had ever got to experience before, in his life as a young dragon. 

It had stirred Olienne's insatiable interest, barging in his peace and flipping over his mind.

There was nothing Olienne liked more than peace. But for such a loner being, piercing the mysteries of the world they lived to protect was rather exciting. 

Olienne was a lot of things - prideful and blunt, of course. But his stubbornness was probably one of the most distinct aspects of his personality. And now that his interest had been stirred, he would not let go of it - he would not rest as long as his question would remain unanswered. 

However, Olienne felt like he had discovered something he should not have - something that was not meant to be found. It was a troublesome feeling for a dragon. This world was his, and as one of its guardians, it should not conceal any of his secrets from him.

This egg would cause him a lot of headaches. 

“How dare you, little punk…” He scoffed, feeling the aura of Death rubbing off on his palm. Olienne moved it away, circling the egg with his magic to seize it - it was already starting to infect his green mana. Damn it. 

Olienne had felt like he had discovered something he should not have - something that was not meant to be found. It was a troublesome feeling for a dragon. Hence, it would be a shame not to share it with the golden punk, no ? 

He wasn’t about to deal with all this alone. 

Olienne did not need help - it was such a silly thought. He just felt like sharing the migraine with the closest thing he had from a friend. 

It seemed like the time had come to pay him a nice visit. It had been long since the last time they had got to see each other, after all. 

The biggest problem would actually be to find this idiot. He wasn’t sure if Eruhaben had found a location to build his lair yet. 

Olienne hoped the egg wouldn’t have succumbed to the veil of the Death surrounding it by the time he would have managed to find this “friend” of his.

Chapter Text

There was nothing Eruhaben enjoyed more than the thrill of new discoveries.

After hatching a couple of centuries ago, he had decided this world he had become one of the guardians of would soon hold no secrets from him. 

Oh, how childish he had been.

Eruhaben had spent years and years trying to learn everything. To see everything and understand everything. The pride and might coming along with being such a great being had been enough of a guarantee that his lifetime would be enough to reach this impossible dream.

It had been credulous to believe so, but youth was very rarely a synonym of wiseness.

And in spite of being a proud and mighty dragon, his younger self had been no exception to this rule. 

Eruhaben did not mind anymore. He strongly believed mistakes were teachable moments.

Pursuing this senseless dream, Eruhaben had treaded this world. From the two ends of the Western continent to the most remote place in the East.

He had seen a lot. Not everything. 

Of course not.

But he liked to believe he had seen a fair share of what this world had to offer. 

He was no longer surprised by anything. And the evenness of his life had started to wear out his resolve of living. 

Eruhaben was getting old. And the passion that had once lived within his body was now subsiding. 

It was only natural. It was in the cycle of life. 

Nevertheless, Eruhaben strongly believed the few things that could ever bring the flame of interest back to his body would forever remain hidden to him until the time of his death. 

He had learnt to accept this fact. 

He had even made peace with it. 

Or at  least, that was what Eruhaben thought at first.

“... How did you even find me ?”  The green punk was before his lair.

Eruhaben had strode out of his lair when he felt a great presence rushing towards the mountain. Mighty but familiar. 

The sense of nostalgia that had struck him would always be enough to make it recognizable to the ancient  dragon. 

“You bastard… why did you have to set your lair here of all the places ?” Olienne spat, glaring up at him but not showing any sign of preparing to attack. It was some kind of old ritual between them - anytime Eruhaben was stumbling across him, they were both promptly exchanging blows.

As years passed by, Eruhaben’s pride had only increased, but his sudden meeting with other dragons were more composed. Only biting words and harsh remarks, no blood nor mana blasts. It was probably a sign of the wisdom he had acquired after all this time being alive. 

But Eruhaben was very surprised to witness that Olienne, of all people, had managed to muster it up as well. That utter asshole. 

“Not to be bothered by nuisances.” Eruhaben’s eyes were slowly taking in the other’s appearance. Olienne’s usually tidy attire was a bit messy, stained at some spots too. Stray strands were unruly leaking out his bun, and his mana seemed agitated. Something was off. “Why are you here ?” 

The Yellia mountains. 

A place with very harsh weather - covered by snow all year-round. The summit was hard to access, and had numerous caves such as the one he had set his lair in. 

Eruhaben was not as isolated as the other dragons he knew, and had even found interest in wandering amongst other beings when he was younger. It was teachable. But he was not three hundred year-old anymore. He was slowly reaching his eighth century, and did not feel like getting bothered by some monsters or humans walking in. 

In such a place, he was certain only elves that knew him would be able to access. It was guaranteeing him peace to focus on his research, and stumbling upon others could be done outside. 

His lair was his, after all. 

Olienne just frowned when he heard this response. He didn’t seem satisfied with it. 

He probably expected something else. Eruhaben didn’t care.

He simply waited in a patient calm as Olienne was considering something one last time before pulling something out his spatial dimension. 

An egg. A red egg. 

Eruhaben’s every sense bristled, and his collected expression wrinkled up in a frown. He could feel his own mana stirring and irking, attracted by the scaly object. Even his dragon presence was warring against the mighty aura escaping the egg - clashing against the hand of Death itself that seemed to have a grasp on this thing. 

Eruhaben refused to acknowledge such a thing as a full dragon egg. Not when so many energies seemed to be channeling within this decaying shell. Eruhaben could see the dead mana leaking out on Olienne’s scaly hand - or was it even dead mana ? It felt different. Darker and deadlier.

For him to have to let out his dragon attributes like this… 

“You punk… What do you think you are doing, bringing such a thing here?” No anger could be heard in Eruhaben’s voice. In spite of his words, Eruhaben could feel a sudden wave of interest stirring and creeping up his body. It was unpredictable, but definitely not unpleasant. Merely surprising. 

Even after all those years spent on this earth, Eruhaben had never seen such a thing before.

It was thrilling - the same thrill he had gotten during all his travels and wandering when he was younger. 

A laugh almost escaped him. 

‘Just what…’ 

“Me ? I’m just visiting. And since it’s impolite to arrive empty handed…” Olienne’s lips curled up in a grin. This bastard. “Why, my present doesn’t satisfy the oh so mighty Eruhaben?” 

“Ah !” Eruhaben scoffed, his brows furrowing even more. He then sighed loudly. 

For more than a century he hadn’t seen this guy, and now that he was showing up again, it was only to bring problems to his lair. 

Olienne was truly an interesting person. 

Eruhaben couldn’t even feel bothered by this sudden disruption. His almond pupils couldn’t look away from the egg. 

“You and your present, enter. Or do you plan on freezing outside for the rest of the day ?” The victorious glint lighting up Olienne’s eyes was annoying. But there was nothing Eruhaben could do about it as for now - and he wasn’t sure he wanted to anyway. He would let the other have this small victory for now. 

It was something he could grant him in exchange for bringing him such an interesting gift to research.

Hopefully, Olienne would not get too used to this. Eruhaben would make sure he would not. 

He let Olienne in, guiding him to the inside of the lair. His steps held a certain sense of urgency as his interest for the egg was slowly growing by each second passing - he could feel it behind him. 

“You finally decided to get yourself a lair.” Olienne stated, looking around as they were advancing. Eruhaben could see the latter’s eyes linger on the treasures and gold filling his lair. 

“I got it long ago.” 

“An empty cave secured and left to wander is not the exact definition of a lair.” Olienne insisted. And Eruhaben sighed loudly. Of course, now that the other was there he had to make unrequited comments.

Olienne was an asshole. He happened to have opinions about everything, and those were never gentle. 

“A lair is a place to stock things and to return to. Nothing more.” Eruhaben knew how wrong those words sounded to a dragon. They did not feel right to him either. But listening to Olienne’s lectures was irritating. His dragon pride was roaring. 

Eruhaben was older, after all. But there was no such thing as respect between dragons. Even for the elder ones of their generations. 

Ancient dragons did not command respect amongst their peers. Only fear, cautiousness and envy - settling a typical sense of competition between them. 

Eruhaben had never tried to change this. He agreed to the way things were, as all the others did. Why would it be any different? 

Olienne was probably viewing him as a fool. Not for being so close to what humans called a ‘scholar’, of course not. But maybe for living like the other lowly creatures treading this world alongside them. 

Sociability. 

‘Human-like need’ Olienne had once said. That day, their fight had been more agitated. Violent. Two prides clashing in a weird mix of rage, passion and begrudging respect. 

Eruhaben wasn’t sociable. 

No matter what his peers could say, Eruhaben had never felt the need to live close to others. Nor had he ever needed to be part of a pack. Eruhaben had never helped his peers out of need. But duty. 

Dragons were sacred beings. It was common knowledge. 

And as the wise of age was sprouting in him, Eruhaben had witnessed this urge within him blossom. Humans were getting bolder. After the death of the ancient dragon lord, so many generations had remained without a dragon lord. And the gods had been very silent. Dragons were born, lived and died without everyone to notice or care. 

And everything seemed fine as it was. 

And yet, dragons hadn’t seemed to die naturally lately. So many great existences disappearing without anyone to notice - without anyone to care. It probably was the price of the dragons’ pride.  

And yet, Eruhaben had never believed it was fine. 

Dragons were majestic beings. And deserved to be known. Their existence deserved to be acknowledged and respected.

Eruhaben had thus started helping the ones he found to pass through their growth phase. It had felt natural doing so, but he had only understood why as years passed. 

Olienne was probably one of the first ones he had ever helped. 

They had somehow stumbled across each other’s paths a lot. Fought a lot, animated by the vigor and boldness of the youth. And somehow grew a bond resisting the dragons' arrogance. It wasn’t ‘friendship’, as humans called it. It wasn’t even close to fellowness either. 

Those were such human concepts. And things dragons didn’t need. 

And yet, seeing Olienne showing up here was unexpected. It had been very long since the last time he had seen him.

Eruhaben was not pleased or happy to have him there. 

He wasn’t bothered either. And inviting him in seemed the right thing to do. It seemed like Olienne hadn’t come to find him for naught - or to fight. 

Olienne’s gift had all his attention. 

With a flicker of his hand, a faint mana wave pulled the door of his laboratory open. The room was full of gilded furniture and treasures - what humans called ‘items’. Over time, Eruhaben had gathered quite a bunch, and spent hours and days examining them. He had once even got to analyse a divine item. All those were fascinating. And the mana variations within them were so peculiar. A singularity Eruhaben cherished. 

The odder, the more interesting. 

Not something Olienne agreed on. 

“So flashy, I’ll turn blind.” Olienne bit, his mana cautiously resting the egg on the examination table in the middle of the room.

Eruhaben ignored him. It was something he had learnt to do a couple of years ago as the combative fire of his young years had started to fade away. 

Olienne indeed always had something to say. 

“It’s a dragon egg…” Eruhaben mused out loud, observing as the red egg was bathing in the gold of his laboratory. He once again ignored the loud sigh behind him. 

“I’ve figured out that much, thank you.”

“Living in the greenery may have damaged your perception.” Eruhaben drawled half-heartedly. And Olienne just scoffed. No mana explosions. No threats. 

They definitely were old. 

“I found it close to the Grey Eye Forest. In a strange lake that seemed to have altered the beings around.” Olienne explained as he took a seat next to the table. He was already behaving as if he was owning the place. 

But what brought back a frown to Eruhaben’s face was different. 

“How so ?” 

“Monsters around started to disappear. I found loads of corpses there. The lake was judging the monsters.” 

Eruhaben just hummed, his palm pressing against the cracked shell. He almost retrieved his hand immediately when he felt dead mana mixing with his. It was as if his magic and energy were getting drained by the odd existence.

How bold. 

Eruhaben’s scowl deepened slightly. 

“Something else ?” 

Olienne seemed to consider something once again. He then reluctantly pulled something out of the green silk of his robes. Standing up from his seat, he dismissively placed a paper on the table next to the egg. The liquid dripping down the shell didn’t seem to impact the parchment - and Eruhaben could feel a thick layer of protection spells on the paper. 

“This was in the cave. I almost missed it because of the presence of the egg.” 

Eruhaben didn’t spare Olienne a glance, his eyes doing back and forth between the egg and the paper. 

‘Letter of resignation.’ 

“It’s impregnated with the same aura of the thing that attacked me when I approached the lake.” Olienne nonchalantly added. Eruhaben finally teared his eyes away from the two peculiar items to look at the green dragon. His eyes narrowed a bit, lingering on the discreet cuts on his sleeve. It was the only apparent sign of the battle that had occurred. 

“Something attacked you ?” 

“It seemed to be protecting the egg.” Olienne sighed at the memory. “It was probably what caused the disappearance of those monsters I mentioned. A rather ridiculous power, if you ask me.”

Eruhaben could understand Olienne’s feelings. 

< World Tree you stupid idiot! I am now free! >

< The Water of Judgment? I am a free spirit now! >

< You evil bastards! You dare to push me out? You damn white snake bastards. I will shoot water cannons at you bastards! >

< I am free! Judgment over my dead body! I’m going to play! >

< I will go cause trouble like the fiery thunderbolt cheapskate! Just watch! >

Those were the words written on the parchment. 

Very confusing, given what Olienne had told him. 

“You said this lake was judging the monsters ?” 

“It seemed so. Even though I wouldn’t call it a lake, to be frank. It was more of an arrogant power that resembled a god.” Olienne’s sharp eyes landed on the letter. “There must be a reason why nature left behind such a power.”

Eruhaben couldn’t help but agree on this. Nothing was purposeless in this world. And Gods, above any other beings, had their reasons. Always. 

Most of the time, those were enigmatic and selfish. It was tiring to try to understand them. 

“... Where is it now ?”

“It disappeared once I took the egg out of the water. Only a few traces remain on it, it will probably vanish soon.” 

Eruhaben could feel it too. But it was such a small power in comparison to the other forces colliding within the flawed shell. The remnants would probably be swallowed by the rest soon. 

“I see.” Eruhaben considered the items a bit more before approaching his hand of the egg once again. He did not feel as repelled away as the first time - and he let his mana course through the shell. “Anything else ?”

“Non.” 

The ancient dragon sighed at the sharp reply. His brows furrowed even more as he finally managed to pierce through the layers of mana and death aura to find the core of this  fragile life. 

“All this. It doesn’t look like something you’d busy your mind with.” Eruhaben simply observed. And Olienne frowned. 

“Now, what are you saying ? I do worry about the balance of my territory. Do you want to fight now ?” 

Straight to fighting. Eruhaben felt exhausted. Dealing with this bellicose temper was draining. 

“I meant going so far as entering the cave and coming to find me afterwards. ‘It's a needless issue', or was that not your motto ?” 

“It- ahh, we spent too much time together.” They definitely did. No dragons were supposed to know each other that much. It felt weird to think about it. 

Thus, they would not. 

“So ?”

“Yeah.” Olienne would never say Eruhaben was right. He did not need to. “What led me to the cave felt divine. True divine power, not the one contained in the water. This place is too peculiar to have been ignored by the gods as well.” 

Eruhaben understood this too. 

Something was happening. And for Olienne to be almost summoned in such a place… It was probably something big. 

However, Eruhaben wondered why it was revealed now. This egg was old. Too old for a regular dragon egg. If not for his state, Eruhaben would have easily considered this a sign of the advent of a new dragon lord. 

The letter too seemed rather old. Without the protection spells laid on the paper, it would have probably turned into dust by now. 

‘The Ancient times.’ This had probably been written during the Ancient times. 

A lot of complicated things were wrapped around this gift Olienne had brought him. 

His eyes widened slightly when he felt something stirring within the shell. And something else struck him.

Eruhaben turned to Olienne, effortlessly keeping his flow of mana even as it was coursing through the egg. 

“It’s not dead.”  Eruhaben frowned once more. “It looks like it has developed within the shell.” 

‘How is it even possible ?’

It made no sense at all. Eruhaben’s eyes sparkled a bit. 

Even after about eight hundred years in this world, it was probably the first time Eruhaben’s interest was so stirred by a single object of study. 

“I felt the time was a bit off around this one, yeah. But what do you mean, developed ?” 

“It has already passed its first growth phase.” Eruhaben just replied, lost in dozens of conjectures and new hypotheses flooding his mind. He barely noticed Olienne rubbing his nose bridge behind him as he was bent over the egg. 

“huh ?” How elegant. Very-dragon like. 

‘This fool.’ Eruhaben kept his thoughts for himself. 

“It seems to have an attribute already, but it doesn’t have Dragon Breath. And doesn’t have Dragon fear either yet.”

“... So it’s not adult.” 

Olienne glanced at the egg. His eyes were piercing and intense as they lingered on the decaying shell. Yet, Eruhaben could still read the fire of curiosity enlightening them. 

Eruhaben could understand this. He no longer felt bored. 

‘Just what are you, little one.’  Eruhaben wondered, quietly watching the dark mana wrapping around his claws. 

“That’s a very interesting gift you brought me.” He eventually turned towards Olienne, the corner of his lips discreetly tilting back up. The other just shrugged, nonchalance back on his traits. 

“I had the hunch it’d interest you.” 

They definitely knew each other a bit too well. 

Chapter Text

“The Gods did not send me an omen, but I’ll still scout around to see if something akin is happening on the Western continent.” 

That was what Eruhaben had said before almost kicking Olienne out of the lair. In spite of the nonchalant expression spread on his face, his eyes carried an unusual sense of worry - the situation was troublesome for him too. Dragons did not like when things weren’t going smoothly in their territory. To top everything off, being the oldest dragon of the Western continent had led Eruhaben to develop a deeper concern for the land.

And Olinne knew his insatiable curiosity was definitely not helping his roaring interest for their case. 

The green dragon felt like this golden prick would have snatched the egg from him a couple of centuries ago - dragons did not fancy sharing the object of their interest. Fortunately, he was now refraining from doing so out of respect or another odd feeling proud beings like them were not acquaintanced with. A good thing, since any attempt of the kind would have irremediably led to a fight. Olienne hadn’t battled against Eruhaben for a very long time, and those previous confrontations had been animated by the fire and passion of the youth. 

He wasn’t sure he’d win now. But Olienne was not about to admit it out loud. 

Yet, there was no need for such concerns - Eruhaben had not tried anything.

Olienne was pleased his judgement hadn’t deceived him when he had decided Eruhaben was trustworthy with this. 

As for Eruhaben’s decision, he did not feel like fighting it. 

If Eruhaben wanted to investigate on the Western continent, Olienne could not prevent him from doing so. And it would be foolish as well. 

It would be of a great help and maybe solve all the unanswered questions of his mind faster - but that too, Olienne was not about to admit out loud. 

He had waved off the topic rapidly. 

“Do as you want.” 

“I wasn’t asking for your approval.”

‘Bastard.’

“Sure. Contact me if you find something.” Olienne had simply demanded. And Eruhaben had just huffed something under his breath. The golden dragon then dismissively replied. 

“I will call you even if I don’t find anything. I want news about the egg.” 

“I’ll just ignore your calls then.” 

“Don’t act foolishly now.” 

Olienne’s pride and reasonable thoughts had battled during the whole discussion with  Eruhaben. It had been very tiring.

The golden prick was tiring.

And yet he did not feel like calling it a day now that he was back to his lair. 

His piercing green eyes were observing the egg.

Stained and cracked, this thing was probably the most difficult and interesting enigma Olienne had ever got to gaze at.  

An utter mystery.

No matter how many times he was trying to prevent its decaying or leaking with the help of his magic, Olienne could feel his  powers swallowed by the dark aura and dead mana gravitating around the egg. 

It was as troublesome as it was fascinating. 

It looked fragile and deadly. It stirred odd feelings in Olienne’s chest. The ancient dragon was already feeling protective of it - it seemed like his dragon senses had acknowledged it as a part of his treasure already. And yet, Olienne couldn’t help but be wary at the same time. This thing had divine imprints on it, as if the gods had already marked it as theirs before letting it rot away. The thought was upsetting.

This thing was dangerous. 

As Olienne walked into his lair, his mana immediately spread around the familiar place. The vines and branches on the wall of the cave drew forth and stretched out under the will of Olienne’s attribute. They filled the entrance and clogged it - preventing anyone from walking in. He himself wouldn’t need to go out anytime soon. 

Olienne had the hunch he’d be rather busy for the upcoming months. Eruhaben couldn’t be the only one to work, right ? It would be embarrassing if the other was to find something relevant before him when he was the one that had brought the egg to his lair. 

Over time, anything between Olienne and Eruhaben had turned into a tacit competition. They did not need to state it anymore, nor to set a prize for the winner. Their wounded egos were enough of a reward for the other. 

However, Olienne felt like his friend had got a newfound youth examining this egg - the boredom had been replaced by a burning interest. Maybe it would get the gold dragon to be so childish to actually claim the egg as a reward for his victory ? 

Olienne was not about to let this happen. 

In addition, the faster they would find clues, the faster they would understand what the gods wanted of them. If it turned out that the egg was nothing more than divine rubbish, Olienne’s mind would finally tranquilize itself. It could not rest knowing something related to the demonic race was maybe happening on his territory. 

Knowing the other dragons hadn’t received anything akin definitely soothed him a bit - a Great war wasn’t about to start. Not yet. 

But the thought of humans messing around with dragon eggs was not any better in his eyes either.

Olienne needed to know what was up on his territory before anything. Could it be demons or bold experimentations, both possibilities were infuriating. 

He would make it cease. 

Finally exiting the study, Olienne reached the bedroom. By far the simplest room of his lair. Whilst the others were filled with beautiful sculptures and way more elegant ornaments than Eruhaben’s gilded trinkets, the bedroom only had a nest and several shelves made by vines. 

Olienne settled the egg in a makeshift nest formed by his power. As soon as the shell touched the edges, it started to decay. The moss turned black under the drops of dead mana and dissolved. 

“Ah !” The old dragon scoffed. “You’re gonna give me trouble, don’t you ?”

He half-heartedly complained. 

In fact, the egg was already doing so. Causing troubles, that is. Olienne’s exhaustion due to dealing with Eruhaben for hours was already something, but it was now making his beloved nest rot. 

Curiosity had made Olienne’s greed soar - he had insisted on keeping it and examining what was probably the creation of gods. It was the price to pay to lay eyes on such an interesting being. Maybe it was only fair.

And yet, Olienne couldn’t help but rub his temples. He could already feel the headaches coming. First, the trip to Eruhaben’s lair. And now the need for a solution for his lair not to turn messy. 

This little egg was going to give him a lot of work.

Olienne’s power stirred the seeds of the soil and forced vines out the grass next to his nest. They knotted, modeled by the dragon’s mana into a display stand. He cautiously moved the egg to this spot, making his magic course relentlessly through the branches to keep them from rotting. It wasn't difficult to do. Not for a dragon. 

He sat on the nest, his eyes never leaving the flawed form of the egg. The cracks on its shell did not seem shaken or widened by the constant mana touch both him and Eruhaben had put on it - and the constant flow of dead mana was not damaging the egg further either. 

Olienne could feel the life within the egg now. Faint and frail. Irregular and altered. 

Now that his mana had sensed it, he clearly felt a connection between him and the being within the decaying shell. Olienne was certain Eruhaben had felt it too. Was probably still feeling it now. 

The deep bond between mana and dragons had only ever shown Olienne its pros. He was not sure if he should consider this odd feeling as a con. 

Olienne wasn’t sure of anything regarding this egg. 

“It will probably never hatch.” 

That was what Eruhaben had said. 

As he was contemplating the egg, he recalled the information the other had given him about it when he was still in the golden dragon’s lair. As expected, Eruhaben’s understanding when it came to the oddities of this world were slightly superior to his. Surprisingly, it did not hurt Olienne’s pride to acknowledge it - Eruhaben had spent most of his life wandering their world to learn everything he could about everything he knew. 

Olienne had also heard him mention he had kept on helping their peers through their growth phase as well. It was something Olienne couldn’t understand, but respected nonetheless. 

Given his friend’s experience, the green dragon only found it to be fair for Eruhaben to be more versed when it came to those kinds of things. He would never let Eruhaben learn about  this laughable feeling of his, of course.

However, no matter how much credit he was giving to the other, Eruhaben’s words had still been a bit of a shock for Olienne. 

“What are you saying now ?” 

“It’s not dead, but it’s close to dying. You can feel it too, no ?” 

“Yeah. Death seems to have a firm grip on it.” ‘It’s rather difficult to miss.’ 

The dead mana relentlessly leaking out its shell was enough of a cue. No beings, not even those as mighty and powerful as dragons, could survive for a prolonged period of time in such conditions. And yet, the thing looked rather old. 

“Indeed. But the life inside remains. It’s weak though.” Eruhaben had seemed as upset about this as Olienne himself felt. “Maybe there’s a way to cure this. If it’s due to human experiments, it should be easier.” Eruhaben’s voice had sounded darker as he spoke. Of course it had. To think humans would do something like this… “If it has something to do with the demonic race, I doubt we can do anything for it.” 

‘And if it’s due to the divine, the egg is damned.’ Those words remained unspoken, but the two dragons hadn’t needed to utter them to understand each other’s thoughts. 

‘Let’s not assume the worst for now, shall we ?’ Olienne couldn’t just say this.

Punny humans being so daring to challenge the very order of the universe somehow seemed as threatening as demonic race - a term every dragon knew about since their hatching, but had never truly understood. The fear and avoidance related to it was so strong they had never pondered over its true meaning. 

Olienne didn’t know either. That didn’t mean he had started to question it.

It was in a dragon’s very existence to prevent their return. They did not need to know more. It was the will of the gods. 

“Something is missing.”  A lot was missing, actually. They needed more information. They needed a deeper understanding of this egg - especially if this was an omen from the gods. And yet, Olienne had felt like Eruhaben wasn’t referring to this. The punk was not fond of stating obvious things. Something Olienne appreciated greatly. “The soul is messy and incomplete. It misses something. Did you find something that felt like this egg in the Lake ?”

“Don’t disrespect me now. I’d have taken it with me.” 

“Yes, you would.” Eruhaben frowned a bit, and Olienne could almost see the gears spinning in his head. “Did you feel something else ? Other than the arrogant power you mentioned earlier ?” 

“No.” 

“...The cure is probably the missing part it seems to tend to.” 

The egg was full, and surprisingly alive. But the soul within it was so wrapped it was difficult to understand everything. And yet, the core of this being seemed flawed. ‘Incomplete’, as Eruhaben had said.  

This was a meager clue. Both Olienne and Eruhaben were acutely aware of this. This maybe was not the solution they were seeking for, but that was still the only one they had at the moment. They needed to start somewhere. 

“That can be a solution, yes. Let’s try this for now.” 

Olienne and Eruhaben had decided they would share the work - while Eruhaben would investigate the Western side, Olienne would try to connect with the egg while focusing on the mana fluctuation of the Eastern continent. This egg must be coming from somewhere, and the amount of mana converging within its shell should be enough to leave a track. The advanced state of decay must have impacted the environment around as well. Olienne could work with this, his attribute will be quite helpful too. 

He just needed to focus for an extended period of time. 

The tip of his claws brushed against the hurt shell, tracing the red scales absently. 

‘It will probably never hatch.’ Such a waste. 

Olienne was upset considering this outcome. The feeling blossoming in his chest was new, and hard to describe. He never thought he’d develop such a thing at such an advanced age. 

Olienne couldn’t put a word on this, but decided to categorize it as annoyance. 

This egg truly was dangerous. 

Chapter Text

The egg was still living. 

As years passed by, it seemed the condition of the egg did not worsen. It didn’t get better either. 

Olienne could not exactly tell how long it had been since he had returned from the Yelia Mountains. Time was very different for dragons. 

And Olienne hadn’t got to leave his lair often during the previous decades since he was rummaging through old files and meditating for weeks. He was very satisfied with how things were going. 

Eruhaben had called him, just as promised. Of course he had. 

It had been his only contact with the outside world for decades. And Olienne felt more aware of his surrounding than ever before, during his former daily walks. A true contact to the outside world, that his. Not just outside his lair, but outside his territory as well. 

His discussions with Eruhaben had been very quick at first. Efficient, and strictly a share of information. And since both of them had been struggling with finding new tracks to investigate, the exchanges had never been long either. 

“Did you find something ?”

“No, I just wanted to make sure you’ll pick up if there was an emergency.” 

“Now I’m certain I won’t.” 

“Sure.” 

“The trail of energy stops near the lake. Grey Eye Forest isn’t impacted by the power of the lake.”

“Then why are you calling ?” 

“What about your research ?” 

“There is nothing feeling like the letter or the energy coming out the egg in my area. I’ll look for different books about Ancient times.” 

“Fine. I’ll read the ones I have here.” Olienne’s library was endless. Probably even bigger than Eruhaben’s since he didn’t stock all those shiny trinkets the punk had taken a liking to. He surely had some he hadn’t skimmed through yet. Numerous, actually. 

“Sure.”

“About the state of the egg, were there any hints about why it didn’t drown in the dark liquid before ? It seems to fill up quickly whenever we stop inputting our mana inside.”

“Good morning as well.” 

“I thought you didn’t like human manners ?” 

“That’s proper decency when you call someone in the middle of the night.”

“It’s the end of the afternoon.” 

“...”

.

.

.

“The elves don’t recognize the sample of dark liquid I brought them. They doubt even dark races would be able to purify it.” Olienne nodded as he was impatiently taping his finger against the edge of the tub. He had thought a bath would rest his restless mind, but Eruhaben had decided to call at this precise moment. He had always got this sense of timing - always showing up at the most annoying moment. And with bad news, at that. 

It commended respect. 

Olienne sighed loudly, brushing the green strands of his hair back. 

“So that’s a dead end too ?” 

‘How troublesome.’ 

“For now.” 

Olienne hummed. 

Thinking about it, Eruhaben was definitely doing most of the annoying work - going out and asking around his acquaintances if they had seen something, that is. Willingly, at that.

Olienne did not like spending too much time with the elves. They were strange, and behaving like fools anytime a dragon was showing up. It felt as normal as inconvenient. 

Olienne had met some of his peers over his countless years of existence. Of course, to know that some of them would be regarded as highly as himself by any elf passing by was a rather irritating thought.

Eruhaben’s ego was probably flattered by this display. Good for him. This fool. 

As for Olienne, he was making sure to keep them all at a comfortable distance. 

“Anything else ?” Olienne asked as he was about to turn off the device. He had stopped after seeing the thoughtful look in Eruhaben’s eyes. 

“I plan on going to the World Tree once my research here is over.” 

“Oh, yeah that’s a good idea.” 

“I know.”

“Cocky.” 

The video communication got turned off. And Olienne just huffed. 

He was also content with Eruhaben visiting the World Tree as well. 

The list of beings Olienne held in high regard was ridiculously short, but the World Tree definitely was on it. Being a dragon, he shared a deep bond with this world he was the guardian of. And the World Tree, as its core, was somehow connected to all of them. 

Olienne respected the World Tree, but the elven village around was troublesome to visit. And the information he would get would probably end up being even more confusing than his original hypothesis. This old trunk had something for giving the most implicit replies. And by hurting herself, most of the time. 

The green dragon’s curiosity was still a bit stirred by what the World Tree would have to say - especially since it was about a being as enigmatic as her. But having Eruhaben to do so himself was good as well. He trusted the other with it. The Gold dragon wouldn’t have any interest in keeping information to himself now. 

Olienne sinked in the hot water of his bath. 

It was definitely easier that way. 

.

.

.

“I didn’t find anything regarding human activities in my notebook.” After he had almost finished the first half of the unread books of his library, Olienne  had decided he could also rummage through his notes and dairy. He remembered rather well anything he had recorded there, but it would have been foolish not to double check. His pride had rejoiced when he had got the confirmation that he hadn’t forgotten anything relevant - nothing apparently related had ever occurred before. 

Whilst it had indeed tranquilized his pride, the same couldn’t be said for his brain. The constant state of frustration due to the little egg seemed relentless. Any tracks they were following seemed to be a dead end. He added between his teeths. “Or at least, I did not spot it.”

“Let’s set the experimentation hypothesis aside for a while then.” Eruhaben sure had a knack for getting on his nerves, but the sense of begrudging respect he held for Olienne prevented him from doubting his peer’s word. If Olienne hadn’t spotted it, then it was highly probable that those had never happened in the first place. 

In spite of humans and monsters ruling over a dragon’s territory, the great and mighty being would always be the guardian of the area. Nothing escaped a dragon’s watch.  

“Yeah.” Olienne glanced at the egg resting idly next to him. Stuck in the same state as Olienne had found him - utterly unaware of the struggle he and Eruhaben were having when trying to make sense of all the elements they had. It was almost like it was taunting them by its silence and lack of change. 

‘This punk.’ 

“Did you find something else ? About the resignation letter ?” 

Eruhaben’s inquiry managed to grasp Olienne’s attention back to the conversation. The green dragon’s pupils returned on the communication device. 

“Nothing. I can’t find any tale or record about it either, even if such a power likely has legends. The fact that it happened during the Ancient times probably doesn’t help it.” ‘Or maybe it’s not from the Eastern continent.’ 

Eruhaben had said he found nothing akin on the Western continent. And yet, this idea didn’t leave Olienne’s mind. If this power had arrived on the Eastern territory during the Ancient times, then remnants of its passage on the Western one would barely subsist there. 

Eruhaben understood it as well.

“You know, I feel like the more we find about this egg, the more interesting it becomes. Don’t you feel it as well ?” The Gold dragon’s pupils were still glinting with this fierce sense of interest that had lit up his eyes decades ago, when Olienne had brought him the egg. 

It got Olienne scowling. 

Death, time, dead mana, strange liquid, the Ancient times and the gods…

“It just becomes more complicated.” Olienne bluntly replied. And Eruhaben just threw an unimpressed look at him before shaking his head. 

“I see.” And Olienne just nodded when he heard that response. Eruhaben then added more casually. “I’ll look for the Ancient times legends on the Western continent after my visit to the World Tree.”

Olienne’s lips curled up slightly. His friend had understood.

This case was definitely the most frustrating he had ever got to take interest in during his six centuries of life. And yet, working with Eruhaben on it was not the worst thing. 

It was rather gratifying, actually. 

Chapter Text

The egg was still alive. 

As years passed by, it seemed the condition of the egg did not worsen. It didn’t get better either. 

Olienne could no longer estimate how many years had passed since he had found this egg in the Grey Eye Forest. He hadn’t got to leave his lair often during the previous decades as he was rummaging through old files and meditating for weeks. And Eruhaben had kept on calling him every once in a while.

Their calls had somehow seemed to turn less factual. More casual. 

“Hey, the- what happened ?” 

“I tried to bathe the egg.” Since he had found it in the Lake, Olienne had thought maybe someone had placed it there on purpose in an attempt to heal it or make it hatch faster. Maybe it could have been a good way to prevent it from decaying too. Olienne still hadn’t determined what was the connection between the strange power that had attacked him when he approached the banks and the egg. He was no longer feeling the power on the egg either. It had vanished. It didn’t help answering the dragons’ questions. 

There must have been a way how it had subsisted so long before Olienne found it. Or maybe the gods had summoned him there precisely to save it. 

They should have offered him a bit more cues, then. It felt like they had just half-heartedly led Olienne there and were now having fun seeing them struggling to find a way to heal the rubbish they had doomed. 

‘Those bastards.’ 

Olienne was mad. Not only because of those considerations. 

The green dragon smoothed the folds of his emerald robes in an irritated gesture. 

“The dark aura almost breached the tub.” 

“My, such a tragedy.” 

The sardonic smile tilting Eruhaben’s lips up got a groan out of Olienne’s. 

“I’ll hang up.” 

“Don’t.” 

Olienne was very satisfied with how things were going too.

As their investigation was advancing, the lists of potential tracks they had gathered had started to shorten significantly. The picture it was depicting definitely sounded off to the two dragons, and neither of them liked the direction where all this was going. 

The divine. 

With the tracks of human experiments being discredited, and the information about the Ancient times being so scarce and lacking, the only trail remaining led them straight to something bigger. Greater than this world. 

Olienne could feel this now. 

After living for so many years with the egg, he could somehow decipher some of the messy energy and auras colliding beneath the breached shell. It was still a bit confusing, but Olienne was certain of one thing by now - one of them was not from this world. 

He still hadn’t talked about it with Eruhaben. Not yet.

He wanted to have more answers to provide to the relentless stream of questions his friend will probably throw at him as soon as he would bring this up. 

However, Olienne was also doubting those responses would ever present themselves to him. 

The thought did not bother him as much as it should have. As it would have a couple of decades ago. How odd. 

“Just what are you, little punk ?” Olienne had caught himself asking this same question out loud often lately. In the emptiness of his lair, his words were always finding silence as a tacit reply. 

This thing was definitely taunting him. 

A bitter yet amused smile tilted up the corners of Olienne’s lips as his fingers were back to tracing the cracks on the crimson scales. 

It was nice.

.

.

.

Olienne had grown used to the presence of the little egg by his nest.

And to the constant smell of Death and dark mana weighing the air of the lair. That much  had been a bit more difficult to adapt to. Especially since the waves of dark aura were constantly escaping the thing, making most of the organism in the room rot after some time.

The first time Olienne exited his meditation state and saw half of the vines of his room decaying on the floor had been quite the experience. He had mourned his previous, peaceful life dozens of times during the first weeks of this strange cohabitation. 

It had been a big change. 

Olienne couldn’t exactly tell yet if it was a good thing or not.

Now that his dragon senses had identified the frail life within the shell, not a second passed without Olienne being aware of this small being growing by his side. His lair had started to feel a bit more lively. It was not something he had ever considered a need. 

Even now, Olienne did not see it as a drastic improvement. It had just happened. And was now remaining as an inherent piece of his daily life. 

And yet, he somehow didn’t regret the previous state of things. 

Eruhaben’s sudden passion may have seemed a bit laughable to him at first. But now, Olienne fully understood the sudden youth returning within his friend’s eyes. He could feel it blooming in his chest too. 

For a dragon who lived such a long, tedious life, interest was probably the only thing able to keep it amusing. And Olienne now felt like having a purpose.

A real one. 

Finding the origin of this mysterious egg. 

This was an enigma his pride wanted to hatch open rapidly - and a puzzle his bored existence felt like cautiously analyzing for as long as it was possible. It kept things entertaining. And Olienne had grown accustomed to this life made of research and meditation. 

Having a goal truly was the best. 

He had adapted eventually. Rather quickly, in his opinion. 

Now, Olienne was making sure to always keep the plants healthy by constantly nourishing them with mana. The green dragon was also making sure to check on the egg almost everyday - weeks at least, in cases he was focusing for too long. The soft curves of his mana were always wrapped around the shell to prevent him from drowning in the dark liquid and keeping it as healthy as possible. The scales were now almost bright red. 

“A Red dragon, huh ?” The Gold dragon’s piercing eyes were scanning the now clean scales through the communication device, a thoughtful expression stirring in his almond pupils. Olienne had called Eruhaben to show him the state of the egg after months of mana cure and cleaning. They were now certain the color was not due to the mix of energies or mana gravitating around the shell.

“Did you meet one before ?” Olienne asked, mildly interested as he was skimming through an old book about the ancient times. Eruhaben hummed.

“No. Our generation didn’t have one. Books don't mention one either.” Olienne lifted his eyes up from the book, taking in the shape of the egg next to him. His eyes narrowed a bit. Eruhabenn didn’t miss that. “What do you think ?” 

Olienne thought it was a pretty color. 

The one of blood and fire. Resolve and Strength. 

He was certain the dragon that would escape it would grow strong. And yet, whenever it was leaking on his bed or making his lair decay, Olienne couldn’t help but think this one might grow into a troublemaker as well. He couldn’t explain it. Dragon hunch.

But if this one was living through such a predicament, Olienne believed it would be able to face anything in the future. At the thought, strange feelings made his chest swollen. He frowned a bit. 

“It’s probably due to the age of this one.” This egg was older than them both. Probably of both of their ages combined, actually. Because of how messy the time of this being was, not Olienne nor Eruhaben were able to tell exactly when the egg had been laid. But they were both sure it was at least two or three thousand years old. “If this egg was supposed to be the Red dragon of a previous generation, the following ones shouldn’t be able to get one.” 

“Probably.” 

It was probably the case. And yet, neither of them could state anything about this egg. About this case in general. Information was scarce and lacking. That was what made it all the more interesting. 

‘The more we find about this egg, the more interesting it becomes. Don’t you feel it as well ?’ 

Eruhaben was right. 

The thicker this puzzle was becoming, the bigger it was getting in Olienne’s mind. 

The more entertaining this mystery was, the more it was growing on Olienne.

The egg was growing on him. 

.

.

.

“I went to the World tree today.”

“How did it go ?”

“Well. Everything is still a bit blurry, but I should be able to discern things more clearly after a bit.” Eruhaben’s brows furrowed, as if he was cautiously picking his next words. Olienne frowned too at the sight. “I’ll leave for a bit.” 

“Mmh ?” 

“Those who seek an answer all across the world shall find a great doom. And an even greater answer rewarding their hardships. That’s what she said.”

Olienne remained silent for a while before letting out a scoff. Of course. 

He was definitely pleased with himself that he didn't go visit the World Tree himself. 

“So you know where to start ?” 

“I’ll search the Western continent first. I probably focused too much on the energies emanating from the egg the first time. Then I’ll probably return where everything started. The World tree mentioned this as well.” 

“The Grey Eye Forest ?” Why returning there ? Olienne was certain there were nothing left to find in this doomed place. He had made sure of it himself. Eruhaben just nodded. 

“What had once been the prison of a forsaken being. They didn’t say more, a small branch fell off.” 

“Ah ! Of course.” Olienne couldn’t say he was surprised. The gods were such cunning creatures. Sprouting a being holding all the knowledge of this world as a way to help its protector - just to cancel them whenever important things were about to come out. 

Everything in this life has a purpose. And yet, Olienne could not understand the gods’ motives lately. He never had, but had never really tried to question them before either. 

The green dragon glanced at the egg, his emerald pupils scanning the blackened edges of the cracks. 

Olienne truly couldn’t understand the gods’ motives at all. 

“I didn’t find remnants of this dark liquid anywhere on the Western continent the first time. I have my theory about this, but any clue about this I don’t know about?” Eruhaben eventually asked, his full attention back on the parchment in his hands. It seemed like he was listing out the items he would need for his trip. 

“It seems like it only developed in the Grey Eye Lake. The forest around hadn’t been impacted either. Why?” 

“You won’t blow the area if I come to investigate, right ? I want to get closer to the source and analyse it. And maybe find a sample. That’s maybe what the World Tree wants me to find there.” It was the only thing Olienne hadn’t investigated while in the area. 

The reason why was very simple - the egg was producing daily more than enough for him to sample it all he wanted. 

He could also understand why Eruhaben insisted on seeing by himself this enigmatic place Olienne had described countless times. Thus, the green dragon yielded. 

“Hmph, I’ll allow trespassing this time.”

Eruhaben was definitely not impressed. 

“Says the one who came to my lair without invitation.” 

“I’m ending the call.” 

“Wait.” Eruhaben lifted his gaze up his list to look at him through the communication device. ”How is it ?” 

There it was. ‘How is it?’ was something he was often asking whenever their call was about to end. The golden punk would never admit it, but it seemed like he did not wish for the egg to die just yet. Neither did Olienne. 

Mana bond was a pain. But it was somewhat satisfying to know the egg had started to grow on Eruhaben as well. If he was to suffer because of this little one, so will Eruhaben. 

Olienne indulged the other by cautiously taking the egg in his hands, bringing it on his lap for Eruhaben to see it through the video communication device. 

“Here. It’s still decaying. And messing up my clothes.” Olienne added, glaring at the dissolving fabric of his sleeves as big drops of dark liquid were falling on the elegant silk. 

Eruhaben scoffed. 

“If it’s still causing you trouble, then it’s alive.” 

“I’m delighted.” Olienne deadpanned. In spite of his tone, he caught himself believing his words. It was troubling.

And Eruhaben probably knew it. Fortunately for Olienne’s pride, he did not mention it and just mercilessly huffed before hanging up. 

Olienne looked at the communication device a bit longer, staring at the dark orb before letting out a heavy sigh. 

He kept the egg on his lap a bit longer before placing it back on its stand. 

Chapter Text

A loud blast echoed within the lair. 

Energy waved between the shaking wall, waking Olienne up as well as the rest of the mountain probably. 

“What the-”

As soon as he opened his eyes, the disheartening sight of his room being a mess struck him. Most of the plants had died already, and the rest was in an advanced state of rotting. The explosion had made every piece of furniture fly around and crash against the walls - fortunately, he had a protection spell applied to all of them. Olienne had never thought this safety measure would ever become useful. Who, in their right mind, would attack a dragon’s lair ? 

An egg. 

Unhatched and decaying egg. 

Olienne groaned as he raised his hands to the shell. 

He was not a morning person, and getting woken up by this mess was definitely not the most pleasant surprise that could have helped his mood. He didn’t even dare to think about the clutter the quake must have caused in the other rooms of his lair. Especially the library…

“Enough with this.” He sternly ordered, his palm reaching the shell. His hand soon was wrapped by the dark liquid and Olienne barely got enough time to let out his scales to protect himself. The egg was drenched. 

And the faint life remaining at the center of this flawed shell was slowly fading away. 

An acute feeling creeped down his spine. Olienne hardly ever felt something akin to it before. 

Dread. 

The egg was dying. 

Olienne quickly stood up, rushing to the egg’s side. His second hand reached the shell, and he immediately tried to make the flooding stop by letting his mana course through the egg. As he had always done. As he thought he would always do until its hatching. 

Olienne had been wrong. 

It did not work. 

Olienne’s brows further furrowed as he felt the aura of Death increasing around the scales; and the liquid absorbing all his mana away. 

It wouldn’t do. 

The liquid was piercing the scales of his right hand, and he could feel the dangerous warmth approaching his flesh underneath. Olienne felt like he could not take it away nonetheless. His mana had stopped the swallowing of the soul inside.

Olienne increased his focus. He channelled more mana. Input more of his magic inside the egg. 

And his hands were burning. His palms scorching, and the scales he had let out his wrists and forearms were slowly decaying as well.

Olienne pulled the egg to his chest. 

Nestling it closer to himself as mana was escaping each pore of his body. It emanated out, clashing against the deadly aura and energies leaking out the egg. 

Olienne held tighter. 

Explosions echoed. 

The earth shook under those two mighty powers colliding. 

Olienne felt like the shield of scales he had let out was about to be torn open.

And then, everything stopped.

The dark liquid promptly disappeared, swallowed by the dragon’s violent mana waves. The aura of Death started to subside. And the weak existence within the egg remained still for a while - close to extinction. 

It stirred once more after long seconds of nothing. And Olienne let out a sigh he hadn’t noticed he was holding. 

As the dark urges slowly diminished, Olienne kept on holding the egg close. He felt like letting go would lead to the instant reaction of the soul passing and vanishing forever. Olienne focused on steadying the steams passing through the egg. It was a ridiculously easy task for a dragon, but Olienne still mobilised his full focus and energy on this one. 

And then, it had been as if nothing had ever happened. The faint remnants of energies had disappeared, only leaving a messy room and wounded scales. Olienne’s robes were a mess too. 

Olienne sighed again. Not the loud sigh of relief from a couple of seconds ago. A weary, exhausted one. 

He let his body slump in his nest gracelessly, carefully hugging the egg against his chest. His eyes never left the scarlet shell as the long strands of his hair connected to the vine of his nest to regrow the rotten plants. Soon, the vines, grass and branches of his room were covering walls and soil once more. 

Olienne would put away the rest the next day. He hoped the explosion of dark energy hadn’t impacted the nature around the mountain too much either. Maybe he will need to take a look around in the morning, just to be sure.

He didn’t like the idea of turning off the reinforced protection spells to exit the lair - especially not after what had just happened. But it still needed to be done. 

The green dragon decided he would decide once he’d wake up again. For now, his main concern was snuggled up his chest. 

‘He truly chose his moment to leave.’ Olienne thought bitterly as he recalled Eruhaben’s words. Even if the ancient dragon had said he would wander around the Western continent, Olienne would try to call him later too. Probably before even researching the causes of such an outburst of energy and mana. 

He felt like his friend would probably like to know this occurrence as well. Sharing seemed only fair. 

Olienne glanced at the stand next to his bed, but then gazed back at the egg. His hold tightened cautiously. 

It didn’t feel safe to let go just yet. Probably another dragon hunch.

Instead, Olienne kept the egg close and sighed once again. He decided he would remain like this for the duration of the night and see tomorrow. 

He’ll handle everything tomorrow.  

For now, he was exhausted. The mana battle against the egg had worn him out. And his pierced scales were uncomfortable. 

Olienne still looked down at the egg with a bittersweet look in his eyes. His lips twitched up slightly, and he scoffed. 

“You’re definitely going to be a troublemaker…”

Chapter Text

“I didn’t find remnants of this dark liquid anywhere on the Western continent.”

“It seems like it only developed in the Grey Eye Lake. The forest around hadn’t been impacted as well.” 

“You won’t blow the area if I come to investigate, right ? I want to get closer to the source to analyse it. And maybe find a sample.” 

“Hmph, I’ll allow trespassing this time.”

“Say the one who came to my lair without invitation.” 

“I’m ending the call.” 

This was what Eruhaben had said; but he had then passed on their regular calls and did not visit yet. 

Olienne had expected to feel his presence on his territory a couple of days after this - maybe even a week or two. But nothing. 

For years. 

Years were not as long for dragons as it was for other mortal beings, but it was still peculiar. Especially for a thorough person like Eruhaben. 

Olienne had a bad feeling about this. 

The green dragon had tried to contact his friend.

A few times. And had then stopped. Eruhaben would call him later. He was probably busy. Knowing the golden punk, it could only mean one thing: he had finally found an interesting track. The World Tree had surely given them promising hints. It would probably help them to trace back the origin of the egg. Or maybe that second part Eruhaben had mentioned decades earlier. That much had remained a mystery until now. 

This was probably the reason why Eruhaben didn’t call. They both were tired of dead ends, after all. It would be better to have something to discuss over. 

And yet, Olienne couldn’t help but have a very bad feeling about all this. Eruhaben hadn’t ignored his calls for a very long time. Strange. 

Hopefully, it only meant he was onto something big. 

Thinking about it, they had grown accustomed to light chats. Olienne too had almost started to enjoy them. 

He just saw here a testimony of how slow they have been advancing. In their defense, gathering hints about a being the gods seem to have discarded and left to die was not the easiest. Even for two mighty dragons, it was quite the ordeal. 

But on the other hand, it made it all way more interesting. 

Olienne was aware the bond they were sharing was definitely unusual for dragons. And whilst he should probably feel bothered by this fact, he caught himself thinking numerous times it was maybe for the best. It was more convenient to work with Eruhaben once their pride had been swallowed and they were both agreeing with the fact they were more than tolerating each other's existence now. 

Olienne didn’t know how to feel about this - hence, he did not try questioning it. 

This was until he received a magic note. 

Olienne was freshly out of his bath. He had just returned to his room to dive into ancient texts once more. As he was settling in the nest calmly he noticed his communication device had registered a message during his absence. 

It could only be one person. 

“This golden punk truly has the worst timing.” Olienne sighed, setting the egg aside to stand up and walk to the table. He turned the device on, and the magical note instantly showed up. 

‘Coming in four days.’

“Ah !” Olienne couldn’t help but laugh out of incredulity seeing the note.

How eloquent. And disrespectful. 

Very much like Eruhaben. 

He couldn’t bring himself to feel more than slightly irritated. The interest and amusement stirring within his chest felt stronger than his initial annoyance. 

Somewhere in the middle, an ounce of relief was piercing. It was something Olienne chose to ignore too. 

.

.

.

The Golden dragon had shown up a few days later.

Olienne didn’t ask what had taken him so long. He could easily guess it was not a good thing given Eruhaben’s gravity as he walked into the lair. Olienne’s brows furrowed slightly. 

Something was off.

“You look like you haven't slept for days.” Was the first words escaping Eruhaben’s lips when he had arrived. Lovely. And the nonchalance they were carrying seemed a bit forced. 

Olienne just sighed. 

“I was meditating.”

Olienne had been busy meditating in his nest when the other walked in. 

He had been quite startled when he had felt a strong presence stepping on his territory while he was so connected to the environment. But the familiar aura did not alert his senses. It hadn’t been jarring, just a bit surprising. 

Crossing his arms over his chest, the green dragon stood there quietly - observing as Eruhaben was brazenly looking around his lair. It had changed since the last time he had come there. Maybe, what, about four or five hundred years ago? 

Olienne couldn’t remember exactly. 

It took Eruhaben quite some time to finish his tour. 

“You have some pretty sculptures. I thought you didn’t like human arts.” 

“I don’t. Those are elven creations.” 

They did not speak after this. The light chat seemed to have calmed Eruhaben a bit nonetheless. 

Eruhaben let Olienne lead him to his room, to the place where the egg was remaining. He guessed the reason why Eruhaben had passed by was probably because he wanted to investigate the egg and check if his new theories were correct. The Golden dragon hadn’t got to see it in person for a very long time - a bit ridiculous given he was the center of all his ongoing studies and investigations. 

It had been the case for the two of them for at least the previous century.

This egg was occupying their days, filling their minds with the same endless flow of questions left unanswered. 

It surprisingly wasn’t as infuriating as it has once been.  

“Here.” Olienne dismissively waved at the stand. Eruhaben promptly approached to examine the stained shell closer. His golden eyes sparkled. In the same way they had when Olienne had shown him the egg for the first time. And in the same way they had kept on doing so since then. 

“It truly didn’t worsen.” The tip of Eruhaben’s fingers lingered on one of the cracks, his expression as complicated as usual. 

“It did not.” Olienne simply confirmed, observing as his friend’s hand was pressed against the flawed shell. Eruhaben simply nodded. His eyes still lingering on the breaches on the uneven scales, the ancient dragon spoke again. 

“Corpses of dragons. The great doom the World tree mentioned, it was this.”

Olienne froze. His eyes widened a little, focusing on the man standing before him. Silence settled between the two beings for a bit longer. And Olienne eventually spoke again. 

“How many ?” Corpses. Eruhaben had found corpses. 

Dragons returned to nature whenever they passed away. It was the natural order of things. And yet, Eruhaben found corpses. 

Not just one. But numerous of them. A sign they did not meet the faithful end they were supposed to. 

It was forceful.

Almost sinful. Like a crime perpetrated against nature itself. Against the order of this world. 

The odd gravity surrounding Eruhaben had never been mere interest. It was the faint and concealed hint of a mastered anger. 

Olienne could definitely understand this. All his senses were repelled away. He felt like the first time he had found the egg in that lake, so long ago. 

The air of the lair filled up with two tremendous and crashing heaviness of two dragons’ rage. 

What dared ? Who dared. 

“I’ve found three. Maybe there are more of them.” Eruhaben frowned a bit, his fingers absently brushing against the stained crimson scales. He then eventually redirected his gaze towards Olienne again, taking in his friend’s quiet and growing rage. “The second I found was rather old. The third was recent, but no trails to trace those bastards back.”

Olienne couldn’t say he was surprised to hear the slur escaping Eruhaben’s lips either. He too could feel his blood boil under his skin. 

What troublesome thoughts were crossing his mind.

Maybe they have been deceived. The gods’ schemes were something they could hardly guess. 

They could not relish in the satisfaction of finding another track or hints. Not like this. Not when the situation was this way. 

Another silence passed, heavier than the first time. 

Eruhaben suddenly sighed loudly. He ran a hand through his long hair in an exhausted way. 

“And you - ahhh, you chose your time not to pick my calls.” 

“Were you worried ?” Olienne almost blurted out, incredulous. He couldn’t exactly say he regretted it when he saw Eruhaben’s disgruntled expression. Olienne didn’t ask further. 

Eruhaben's reaction didn’t deny his guess nonetheless. 

“What nonsense are you saying now?” 

“Thought so.” The Green dragon dismissively replied. He parroted Eruhaben's previous and failing attempt at looking nonchalant. He definitely understood now. 

The Golden dragon just shook his head. Olienne clicked his tongue in annoyance. “You still took four days to get there.” 

“I stumbled across an acquaintance.” Eruhaben shrugged off his question, his full attention back on the egg now. How convenient. 

“Hm ?” Olienne quietly inquired as he was observing the warm waves of golden mana wrapping themselves around the egg, mildly interested nonetheless.

“Dragon acquaintance.” The dust sprinkled over the shell absorbed the remnants of dark liquid in an attempt at stealing the cracks. It obviously did not work - Olienne had tried this as well. “They could be helpful.” 

“... In what way ?” 

“I did not mention the egg, if that’s what is bothering you.” Eruhaben stated, and Olienne clicked his tongue again.

“Tch, of course you didn’t.” 

Eruhaben would have never disclosed such important information to just anyone. Especially not to another dragon. This egg was their mystery to solve and keep. Dragon’s pride and seeking for treasure was not something even them could bypass nor underestimate. And they did not feel like trying to either. 

Olienne knew Eruhaben would never jeopardize the egg - whether it was out of care or sheer greed. He didn’t mind which one over the other. Both worked just fine.

“Of course, indeed.” Eruhaben hummed, letting his attribute linger on the flawed form of the egg. The particles kept on feeding it with mana as the Golden dragon’s eyes skimmed through the titles of the stacks of books resting by Olienne’s nest. “I simply told them to be careful.” 

Olienne nodded, silently waiting for Eruhaben to keep on speaking. The other seemed a bit slower to unfold his course of thinking today, but Olienne could hardly guess the shock and disgust he must have felt seeing those dragons’ desecrated corpses lying idly before his eyes. 

Eruhaben was definitely the most social of them both. He probably knew some of them as well. 

‘Four days is a short period to mourn.’ 

That was what Olienne thought. Dragons were not mourning often. Hardly ever, to be more precise. It was a short-lived beings concept.

And dragons were clever enough not to commit wasteful relationships with short-lived beings. 

It was a word he had read in a human book long before. Olienne couldn't exactly remember what was important about this information, but he had made sure to remember it in the corner of his head. Just in case. 

The book didn’t say how much time was recommended, but it wasn’t something one could determine, was it ?

“Hopefully they’ll be clever enough to listen to your words.” 

“I have no doubts they are. They seem less rash than during our first meeting.” Eruhaben confirmed. The vague sentence got him wanting to know more. Maybe it was on purpose. 

Olienne couldn’t care less.

“It didn’t answer my question, though.” 

“Ah, sure. They have a restoring attribute. They can reconnect any pieces together, whether the object is living or not.” ‘Including the shell.’

Olienne’s interest soared up. His eyes quickly directed towards the egg, scanning once more the shell like he had countless times throughout the past century. His gaze lingered on the cracks. 

“You think that could be a solution?”

“I just think we should keep this in mind.” 

“Ha !” Olienne let out an exhausted scoff. Of course. 

Eruhaben was still a cautious person. As much as he was. 

This was also why Olienne enjoyed working with Eruhaben as much. “I guess we should, yes.”

Silence settled between them once again. The heaviness caused by Eruhaben’s former words was still filling the room. The two dragons seemed both deep in their own thoughts. Olienne’s eyes hadn’t left the egg. He had a hunch. 

Everything seemed related to this little one. He was convinced of it but couldn't quite explain it for now. 

As soon as they pierced the secret of this egg, everything would become understandable and the truth would unfold. 

He wasn’t certain of what would happen next - maybe not all the truths were good to be found out. And what was related to the divine never ended easily. 

Olienne thought about the sudden energy outburst that had kept on happening more and more lately. His dragon form was still wearing the painful traces of those moments, when the dark liquid was leaking on his scales in an attempt to swallow him whole. A very pathetic attempt against a dragon. . 

Maybe he should have left this egg in this lake centuries ago. Maybe this being was part of the forsaken whose life was cursed and destined to perish quietly. Maybe he had interfered with the judgement of some god. 

And yet, as he was taking in the complicated look in Eruhaben’s eyes as he was rubbing his mana coated palm against the wounded scales, Olienne couldn’t help but believe he had made the right decision. 

As Olienne’s eyes were still tracing the cracks and breaks on the egg’s shell, he couldn’t help but think they had to continue. 

May it be because of their dragon pride or curiosity, they had found too much to simply give up now. 

Olienne could feel it. He could still feel the faint life battling against all the energies coursing through the egg. It was still there. It was alive. And Olienne wanted things to remain just like this. 

Thus, he would not yield. He wouldn’t give up. 

It was the right thing to do. 

Eruhaben frowned a little after some time, directing his gaze back to Olienne. The green dragon took in the upset scowling quietly, waiting for his friend to talk. 

“Something happened when I was away ?” 

Maybe it was time for him to tell Eruhaben about the explosions. If the golden dragon had felt it as well, then it was a testimony to Olienne not being overly paranoid. 

Something was happening inside the egg. 

The end was nigh. 

“Ah… yes. Quite a lot.” 

Chapter Text

The egg had been growing weaker day by day. 

The occurrence had become more frequent, but had morphed from a violent burst of mana to a faint, weak filling of dark liquid. It was quieter and gloomier. 

And it was breaching the shell a bit more every time. This was what was worrying the two dragons the most. 

The two dragons had never put a word on this. Deep down, neither of them wanted to acknowledge the obvious fact the egg was dying. But as time was passing by, the quest of healing him had slowly started to feel like a rush against time - a race to get it to live one or two months more. 

They had never said it out loud. 

They just knew it. 

Eruhanen knew Olienne felt the same about the entire predicament. 

It was greatly annoying.

The words Olienne had told him on that day, a couple of years before when he had visited the green dragon’s lair. 

“It felt like the mountain and the forest around was about to be torn open. I’ve rarely felt something so strong, even when fighting ancients dragons. Only god-like powers have such strength.”

Eruhaben frowned a bit. 

“You mean divine items ?” 

“Whatever humans wish to call it.” Olienne irritatedly responded, running a hand through his untied green strands. Eruhaben hadn’t understood this reaction at first. 

Then it hit him. 

“You think this egg is a divine item ?” Of course his friend would be annoyed. The thought was not pleasant to him either. 

It was upsetting. 

“I don’t know.” Olienne admitted with a sigh, taking the egg from Eruhaben’s hands to settle him back in the nest for the time they were talking. Eruhaben huffed. 

“It surely feels like one. But I’ve never heard of a divine item being a living being.” 

“And I’ve never heard of a dragon being a saint for some god.” If neither of them had heard of those before, they had probably never existed in this world. It was not pride. It was a fact. But the problem remained. What was this egg? 

A discarded experience of gods merging dragons and the divine ? Or was it truly just bearing the doom of a god? 

Eruhaben didn’t like either of those options. 

None of the options they had seemed to help them find anything lately. 

Nothing was working, but it hadn’t been enough to discourage them. 

Never. Not over Eruhaben’s dead body. 

He had heard Olienne curse at the gods countless times. And was tempted to agree now. 

Feeling like a puppet in their hands was not a pleasant sensation. Especially for a dragon. 

They would flip over the situation. 

They would pierce the gods’ secret. 

.

.

.

Their calls never ceased. Not anymore. 

Olienne thought they had never called so often. It had almost become a weekly occurrence.

“I couldn’t feel the soul distinctly tonight either.”

“It should be calmer tomorrow.” 

“Sure.”

.

.

.

“It was weaker tonight. The mountains had been barely shaken.” 

“But it still occurred again.”

“Yes. That’s bad. One of the breaches is wider today too.”

“Show me.” 

.

.

.

“... What's with your hands ?” Eruhaben had once asked when he saw the discreet bandage around Olienne’s scaly hand. Even in human form, his scales were out and showing. Something was off. 

“It happened again tonight.” He hadn’t needed to be more specific. Eruhaben had got it already. “I got a bit reckless.” 

“That’s embarrassing.”

“It is.”

A beat. 

“... be more careful next time.” Olienne just scoffed hearing this. 

“Ah! Sure, anything else or did you just call to lecture me ?”

“I’m older than you, you punk. Show some respect. I don’t have the energy left to deal with your idiocies.” Eruhaben sighed loudly, and yet there was no bite in his tone. 

“Sure, gramps.” 

.

.

.

“What will we do once it hatches?” Olienne had once asked during one of their late night calls, breaking the comfortable silence between them. That too had become a rather laughable routine for two adult dragons. 

Weirdness surely came with age.

Eruhaben was in his study. Olienne was in the secret hidden forest of his lair,writing his diary. 

The question had surprised them both. 

Olienne didn’t let his surprise show at his own words, only discreetly scowling as he was still appearing nonchalant. He was not looking at Eruhaben either. 

Eruhaben didn’t need this to understand Olienne’s point. 

Reassurance. Begrudging reassurance. 

That was what Olienne was quietly looking for. His pride was just too strong to admit it. 

Because the thought the egg might never heal had long since been tacitly admitted. 

And because the thought the egg might never hatch was so annoying neither of them were accepting it. 

Because the thought the egg might never hatch was scary. Annoyingly scary. 

Eruhaben picked his words cautiously after considering what reply he should go for. 

It was probably more reasonable not to entertain the other’s illusions. But realistic, bland truth was not what Olienne was looking for asking him this. 

And it wasn’t what he needed to hear either. 

Maybe even Eruhaben somehow didn’t want to acknowledge it out loud either. It was troublesome. 

And Eruhaben was too old to bother with troublesome things. 

“Watch over the baby if they suffer the after-effects of the unhealthy hatching.” Eruhaben just told Olienne what he wanted to hear. 

And it maybe was what he wanted to say as well. 

He found no problem in indulging them both with his words. 

“You’ll help them to go through their first growth phase ?” ‘Like you did for me ?’ 

The egg had an attribute already. But the mana well of the sound within was definitely weaker than the one of a baby dragon. It will probably go through another one.

As for Olienne's question...

The answer to this didn’t need to be thought over. 

“Of course.” The discussion was troublesome. It was no longer pleasant. 

Because deep down, an irritating feeling was starting to gnaw at his chest. Raging in his ribcage and creeping down his spine. It was chilling. 

And very annoying. “Stop asking obvious things.” 

“Ah, of course.” 

They did not speak after this. 

The silence no longer felt pleasant. It spoiled Eruhaben’s mood for the rest of the night and day. 

And the feeling hadn’t subsided. 

Eruhaben could feel it. 

The end was nigh. 

Chapter Text

Eruhaben had been woken up by a tremendous source of energy rushing to his lair. 

It was fast and heading straight for the mountains. 

For a moment, he had thought he was about to meet the one who had left all those dragon corpses behind on the Western continent. He was ready to greet him. 

But his mana was somehow soothed when as soon as he felt Olienne’s presence in the middle of all this bundle of energy. As for himself, he didn’t feel any calmer. 

What was this punk up to in the middle of the night ? 

This didn’t look good.

He swiftly exited the golden cave, greeted by the sharp wheezing of the wind and cold of the snow outside. His dragon’s sharp eyes couldn’t discern his friend’s figure yet - Olienne was too far for now. But given how fast the presence was approaching the peak...

The green dragon would soon reach him. And alongside him, whatever was the source of this mess.

Eruhaben felt a chilling sensation creep up his chest - he had a hunch this was caused by the egg. 

He felt like frowning. 

Something was off. 

Olienne would have usually just called him if an issue had happened. Just as he had done during the previous incidents since Eruhaben’s return from his trip. Since those occurrences had seemed to grow weaker, it was hardly a problem for a powerful dragon like Olienne to handle without needing his assistance. 

‘Even if the idiot seems to react funnily sometimes.’ Olienne sometimes got hurt because of his rushing. Just a few burns here and there, as the green dragon said himself. It wasn’t exactly what a dragon would consider a wound. 

And yet, Eruhaben felt like he wasn’t aware of everything happening. 

The thought was troublesome. And it had led him to consider odd ideas, like visiting Olienne for a prolongated stay. Just to be sure everything was alright. 

It wasn’t exactly something dragons did. And not something Eruhaben felt like doing either. He doubted Olienne would allow it anyway. 

The bastard was way too proud for this. 

Eruhaben could understand this. 

He wouldn’t like having another strong being remaining in his lair for too long. 

Eruhaben could feel the nature around the mountains already reacting to the presence. The wind seemed to grow sharper, and the cold of the snow turned harsher. As the flakes were morphing into tiny blades, Eruhaben’s golden pupils shone through it all. His eyes hadn’t left the horizon where he could feel Olienne approaching.

He recalled how Olienne had described the first occurrence a couple of years ago. 

“It felt like the mountain and the forest around was about to be torn open. I’ve rarely felt something so strong, even when fighting ancients dragons. Only god-like powers have such strength.”

To this day, he still didn’t like the thought of the egg, their precious study object for years,  being a doomed being or the failed experimentation of some gods. 

It wouldn’t do. 

It had to be something else. 

And yet, the evidence seemed to stack up before their eyes just for the sake to prove them wrong. How annoying. 

The golden dragon scowled even more. 

The energy he was feeling as Olienne was approaching the peak with what he guessed to be the egg, this thing was powerful. The aura heading to him was very strong. 

And here lies the main problem. 

‘How did it turn from barely living to such a sheer source of power ?’ 

The end was nigh. 

The bothersome feeling Eruhaben had felt growing within his spine was slowly returning in an even more ominous way. It had become an omnipresent sensation he could discern in his back anytime he was glancing at the egg through the video-communication device. It was swelling in his chest anytime he was taking in the ragged hems of Olienne’s silky clothes, stirring in his stomach when the thought of everything abruptly ending soon was haunting his mind. 

It truly was an annoying feeling for a dragon. 

Suddenly, the wind seemed to freeze. 

The snow stopped. 

And silence fell down the Yelia mountains. 

A beat. 

Something plummeted down before Eruhaben in a loud strike.

He remained still for a while, staring down at the figure lying in the already blackening snow. 

Then, the wind started to hurl in his ears again. And the snow violently dropped back down again. 

“You-!”  Eruhaben didn’t remain stunned for too long. As soon as he recognized the familiar dragon curled up in the snow, he rushed to Olienne’s sides. 

The green dragon’s scales were burned, their former brightness blackened by dark stains. Olienne’s breathing was uneven, and his mana had never felt that unstable before - even during their teenage fights, none of them had ever ended up in such a pitiful state. 

Still, Olienne had enough control of his mana to slowly shift into his more elven-like form. Eruhaben stopped by his side, observing wordlessly as his friend was slowly turning back. 

Soon, Olienne was lying in messy green robes in the bloody snow. The only hints of his dragon form remaining were his wounded scaly hands. 

Clenched around the egg. 

“That…” Eruhaben wasn’t sure he would have been able to tell this was the egg if not for the strong energies escaping it nor the dark liquid staining everything around. 

What a mess. 

He quickly crouched down to examine Olienne’s state, but his move stopped before touching his friend’s shoulder. His eyes narrowed a bit, and he slowly retrieved his hand back. “Hey. Can you stand up ?” 

“Ah !” Olienne scoffed, but it sounded closer to coughing. “Now, what kind of question is that, bastard…? Of course I can.” 

In spite of his words, Olienne did not make any move to stand back up. He still moved his head in a rather jagged motion, his glowing green pupils meeting Eruhaben’s golden ones. A complex look was stirring within them - a mix of annoyance, pain and relief at seeing him. 

He coughed once more, and stretched his arms with difficulty to hand Eruhaben the egg. Or at least, what remained of it. “Take this one for a bit, will you ?” 

“... Of course.” Eruhaben cautiously took the egg from his friend, making sure not to damage the shell further. The mana around his hands promptly got absorbed, and his scaly fingers were soon covered by the dark liquid. 

Eruhaben’s eyes narrowed. He could no longer feel the presence inside of the egg. And dead mana was starting to mix with the rest. True dead mana this time.

It was not good. 

“Yes. Just… take them for a bit.” Olienne was now on his back, his eyes closing as soon as he discerned Eruhaben’s figure taking the egg in his hands. 

The golden dragon’s eyes widened slightly at this. 

“Hey.” ‘What do you think you are doing now, you punk ?’ 

His voice had sounded slightly more strained than usual. Eruhaben’s eyes were going back and forth between Olienne's darkened clothes and form, the numerous mana burns on his body and the decaying egg in his hands. He spoke again, his tone more urgent than before. 

“Olienne.” 

For a bit, only silence met his call.

Then, a discreet cracking answered it.

And another breach formed on the egg as Olienne’s faint breathing was being taken away by the wind. 

Chapter Text

Olienne’s body felt heavy. 

His eyelids had refused to open at first. But as he was slowly gaining back consciousness, he eventually managed to open them. 

His eyes were soon greeted by the irritating gold filling Eruhaben’s lair. 

Olienne’s eyebrows twitched faintly, but he couldn’t prevent the deep sense of relief rising within his chest. 

His memory was messy. He couldn’t quite recall where nor when he had fainted. 

Knowing he had made it to Eruhaben’s lair was reassuring. It meant the egg was with him now. 

The sense of urgency he had felt when storming out of his lair with the egg suddenly returned as pieces of memories were flashing in his mind. He shifted in Eruhaben’s nest. 

The egg. Eruhaben and the egg. 

Where were they ? 

Olienne was keenly aware he was not exactly being an example of poise and discernment as of now given his state. But he knew for sure the golden punk was more than able to get himself in a similar situation by trying to find the origin of the sudden occurrence that had got the egg in this state. 

How long had he been unconscious ? 

Olienne couldn’t feel Eruhaben’s presence around either. His senses were blurry, and everything was confusing around him. His body hurt a lot as well.

It was a complete mess.

‘This is bad.’

Olienne was slowly starting to remember. 

The outburst. His ragged lair. The mountains being cracked open as nature was loudly cried outside.

And the life of a dragon going extinct within the shell. 

The egg had died. 

After so long, the weak soul they had felt inside it had died. 

And dead mana slowly filled the shell up, mixing with the dark substance it already contained. 

His chest tightened, and Olienne promptly propped himself up on his elbows, readying to stand up. A vivid pain suddenly coursed down his back, and a hiss escaped his lips as he almost fell back on the bed limply. 

Olienne remembered the burning sensation as he tried to contain the progression of the dark liquid. He had always managed by himself until now. ‘Just one last time and he would call Eruhaben’ as he had repeated to himself anytime those had occurred.

It had ended up being one time too much. 

The dark liquid had been too strong this time. It had taken him off guard. 

And his mana had started to blur. His power had been sealed, and he managed to turn back to his dragon form just in time to leave the lair and rush to Eruhaben’s place. It turned out they hadn’t discovered all the attributes of this thing. Or maybe the sealing was due to another energy coming out the shell ? 

Olienne didn’t know. He couldn’t remember. 

It didn’t matter anymore. 

He had been reckless.

Olienne was angry at himself for these mistakes. 

If only he had teleported faster…

“Now, what do you think you’re doing, you punk ?” A familiar voice rose from the entrance of the room. The owner of this irritated tone was walking in, a thick book in his hand as his gold mana was casually closing the door behind. 

Eruhaben’s eyes carried a complex expression as they were observing Olienne in the nest. The green dragon didn’t even bother answering, his focus on another worry than the source of his friend’s irritation. 

“Where’s the egg?” 

Eruhaben stared at him, almost incredulously as he heard his friend’s question. Confused feelings were dancing in his golden pupils, and Olienne could almost see the wave of thoughts storming behind those eyes. After having considered his answer a bit more, Eruhaben eventually sighed loudly. The amount of exhaustion it was containing was beyond words. 

Eruhaben then gestured towards the side of his nest. Olienne frowned a bit, his pupils swiftly following the motion. 

The green dragon's eyes widened slightly as he spotted a dark form settled on a stand.

The scales were now entirely blackened, as if ready to crumble to dust under the faintest gust of wind.

The relentless steam of dark liquid had stopped now that it had managed to consume the egg. And Olienne could no longer feel the life within the wreck anymore. 

Even with his senses returning back to normal, Olienne felt nothing coming off this egg. 

It was over.

“It’s dead.” Olienne’s blunt sentence hung in the room. It wasn’t a question.

So Eruhaben didn’t answer it. He didn’t respond with anything yet either.

Olienne didn’t mind. He wasn’t talking to him anyway. 

He didn’t know what to feel. 

His chest had once felt clenched at the thought of the life inside the egg disappearing. Now he felt emotions raging within his ribcage, tearing everything apart. 

And yet Olienne didn't feel like saying anything nor moving. He didn’t react, his eyes riveted on the egg as the emotion was threatening to take over his entire body. 

A wave of rage had attempted to overwhelm the rest, but the other feelings battling inside him soon managed to make it fade away. 

They eventually vanished as well, leaving Olienne staring at the egg wordlessly.

It felt empty.

“Yes. I know.” Eruhaben sat on a seat next to the table of his room. His voice sounded distant. For a while, only the dry sound of the pages filled the room, the echoes of bitterness the Golden dragon’s voice carried haunting the silence. 

At first, Olienne felt irritated by this behavior. 

More than irritated, he was angered. 

How could Eruhaben be like that after so long ? After centuries of researching and trying to understand this egg and its mysteries. After years wasted looking for a way to cure its doom. 

They had been convinced they would manage to save it. To find a way to heal it. As the state of the egg was worsening and the mana outbursts were becoming more frequent, they had decided to contact Eruhaben’s acquaintance. They were looking for her. They felt like they had never been closer.

And now only this empty, blackened shell remained. 

In a single evening, the hope they had grown for centuries had been mercilessly crushed away. 

And Eruhaben was reading.

Olienne felt like screaming at him for a while. 

But then, he understood.

“How long have I remained unconscious ?” It was strange for Olienne to hear his own voice sounding that cautious. It only deepened his scowl.

A beat.

Then Eruhaben eventually answered, not even sparing a glance at him

“A month.” 

“...” 

Olienne didn't know how to reply. Thus, he remained silent as Eruhaben was quietly flipping the page of his book. 

His eyes focused on his friend’s back - and he silently remarked it had never felt so small. 

Eruhaben’s shoulders were strained, and a bit slumped. 

The silence stretched. 

It wasn't the comfortable one of their late night calls. It was so different from the thoughtful pauses they were taking anytime they were exchanging information. 

It was different. And it somehow felt worse than anything Olienne had ever known before during his almost seven centuries of life.

It was almost laughable to consider a great being like him was experiencing new feelings after so long. It has happened quite a lot during the past couple of years. And the cause had always been the same. This time was no exception.

‘You never cease to surprise, little one.’

Emptiness was soon replaced by the bitterness of failure. And maybe something else Olienne didn’t manage to put his finger on for now - nor did he even want to.

And Eruhaben remained silent, quietly reading at the table.

And Olienne understood. 

.

.

.

Year 720 FC; 

Note: I'm writing those records on parchment since the golden punk doesn’t want me to travel back to my lair to get my notebook until I am ‘fully recovered’.

<The egg is still in one piece.>

<Everything feels on hiatus for now.>

<It feels pointless.> 

<I am not sure of what I’m going to do anymore.>

<Waiting a bit more seems like the right thing to do.>

<It’s troublesome.>

<I think I hate this period of the humans call fall.> 

<Eruhaben told me they had a name for this period as well.> 

<November.> 

<This month has to be cursed.>

<The lair is filled by the aura of death.>

<Eruhaben seems normal, but more irritable lately.>

<The shell has two more cracks today again.> 

<I’m able to walk without using my mana now.>

<The golden punk is still complaining about me doing so.> 

<He always complains and mumbles.>

<He’s definitely too old.>

<I’ll start my research again tomorrow.> 

<Eruhaben said it was useless now yet kept on reading books about the Ancient times during the night.> 

<He can be such a pain sometimes.>

<The shel

l started to crack again today.>

<It seems like the gods have decided to put an end to this.> 

<It’s irritating.>

<Is that what humans call mourning?> 

Chapter Text

The time was passing very slowly.

The impending end was approaching, and it just felt like waiting for the shell to tumble down.

It felt heavy and ominous.

Olienne was certain one morning he would open his eyes and see a pile of dust on the pillow the egg was now resting on. Both him and Eruhaben kept it with them whenever they were reading. 

The aura of death had slowly subsided, but still hadn’t vanished entirely. 

Maybe it meant no hope remained. 

Maybe it meant it was time to move on. 

That was what Eruhaben and Olienne thought to be reasonable. 

“What should we do now ?” The question burning Olienne’s lips was finally spit out by Eruhaben as they were both hunched over the table of the lab over some ancient parchment. 

The golden dragon didn’t look up at him. And Olienne didn’t search for his gaze.

And he somehow knew Eruhaben felt the same. 

Thus, none of them raised their eyes from the ancient texts before them. 

What should we do now ? 

Eruhaben didn’t need to specify what he meant by this. What were they supposed to do now that what had occupied the previous centuries of their dragon life was gone? Olienne’s entire routine had circled around it for decades and decades. He was certain it was the same for Eruhaben. 

Now everything they had done before felt pointless. 

An interesting object of study. 

That was how Olienne had grown used to refer to this egg in the past. Only now that it was gone, he was realizing he had started to consider it not for its cursed shell or mysterious energy streams, but for the being growing within.

For the weak life stirring inside, resisting to the relentless waves of dark aura and this damned black liquid. 

Olienne was certain of it, this one would have grown into a very strong dragon.

From interest - and a bit of disturbance at the gal of the troublesome being- Olienne had grown a certain form of admiration for this egg. Thinking of the state only a bit of this liquid had left him in, he couldn’t help but begrudgingly admit he respected  the little one for his resilience. 

Or maybe had respected it. 

‘What should we do now ?’

Olienne eventually looked back up from his parchment. Eruhaben did not look at him. He didn’t look at the egg either. 

It was as if he hadn’t talked in the first place. As if the question came out the thick, heavy silence of the room - straight out Olienne’s troubled mind. 

But Olienne talked anyway. 

“I’ll return to my lair as soon as I'm in a proper state.” ‘Or you’ll keep on nagging at me to rest, bastard.’ Olienne was certain Eruhaben was able to personally beat him up like they used to when they were younger. Just for him not to leave in a state the elder thought of as unstable. Such a pain. 

It wasn’t the answer Eruhaben wanted to hear, Olienne was certain of it. It somehow wasn’t the one he wanted to give him either. But he didn’t care. 

Eruhaben remained quiet for a while. He then merely hummed, nodding slightly as his eyes didn’t leave the dry paper before him. 

Olienne kept on staring at him. 

It wasn’t the reaction he wanted either. 

“Do whatever you want.” The golden dragon eventually replied. 

It still wasn’t what Olienne wanted. To be fair, he didn’t know what he expected. He wasn’t sure if anything Eruhaben would say could improve his mood. It seemed to be the case for his friend as well. 

It was such a peculiar state for a dragon. Olienne didn’t like this feeling. Not one bit. 

“I will.” It wasn’t what any of them wanted to hear. But that was what felt right to say.

Olienne couldn’t demand Eruhaben to give him the response he wanted when himself wasn’t indulging the ancient dragon with it - when he himself wasn’t certain of what could be pleasant to hear.

Olienne looked back down, his eyes skimming over the half-faded ancient characters. 

He felt Eruhaben’s gaze on him after a while. 

And his own kept on focusing on the old stains of ink sprinkled over the parchment. 

It was not a comfortable evening. 

.

.

.

The time was passing very slowly.

The impending end was approaching, and it just felt like waiting for the shell to tumble down.

It eventually happened one morning. 

Olienne wasn’t sure of the time. Eruhaben had shaken him out of his meditating state. 

With a groan, he had opened his eyes. He was about to ask - demand - an explanation for the disturbance.

Olienne surely wasn’t the most agreeable person to live with. He was always saying opinions about everything, even when unrequited. He was a bit irritable, lately more than usual. And preferred being alone. 

He knew Eruhaben thought so too. It was strange for a dragon to shelter another one in their own lair. On their territory. 

Olienne surely wasn’t the most pleasant person to live with, but he had never disturbed Eruhaben during his research. Maybe the punk didn’t understand the importance of meditation given his attribute - reconnecting with dust wouldn’t be of a great help in Olienne’s humble opinion - but still. 

However, before he could say anything, Olienne felt something was off. 

He could feel dust under his robes and fingers. Speaking of which. 

His eyes snapped open, and he quickly gazed down at his own lap where the egg had been remaining since he had started channeling his mana in the nature around the peak. The green pupils shook a bit as he took in the new form of the egg. 

Red. 

The shell was red. Of a bright, shining egg. With healthy scales and no missing spots. 

The previous blackened one had finally turned into dust. Only to discover this smaller version. The only problem was… 

“Is it alive ?” Olienne couldn’t feel anything coming out of the egg. His brows furrowed as he was observing the form on his lap. It truly was small for an ancient egg. 

Eruhaben didn’t reply, but was looking at him for good this time. After a beat, he eventually took Olienne’s hand to press the green dragon’s palm against the shell. 

‘Huh?’ 

Olienne couldn’t exactly feel life inside it. 

But this sensation… It was warm. 

“I’d say it’s growing.” Eruhaben casually replied, his own hand still brushing against the bright scales. He could act as nonchalantly as he wanted, Olienne knew better than to fall for this. He could see the way Eruhaben’s eyes glinted. 

That same complex look was dancing in his pupils. Deeper than curiosity, and different than mere curiosity. Olienne felt like he could understand what it was now.

He couldn’t exactly explained it. He just knew. 

“When did it happen ?” Olienne didn’t look at Eruhaben this time either. But it was for a different reason. All his attention was focused on the egg. 

He knew it was the same for Eruhaben as well. 

“Not so long ago.” Eruhaben frowned a bit, recalling the previous events. “I came as soon as I felt the aura of death leaving completely. It happened very quietly.” 

“I see.” Those words were not enough to convey what Olienne was feeling. He could feel his chest swelling as the warmth under his palm was taking over his whole body. 

A smile tilted up the corner of his lips. “What a little punk.” 

“Ah! You don’t say.” Eruhaben sighed. One of those exhausted sighs he was often doing - however, this time it also contained a bit of relief. Olienne didn’t comment on it. 

Why would he ? 

He understood. This, he could understand. 

“If it’s growing, I guess the egg will become bigger.” It was a statement. But Eruhaben still nodded. 

“Yes.”

The thoughtful hum of his friend didn’t calm Olienne’s thoughts. 

Far from it. 

The pleasant feeling he felt as his eyes were wandering over the egg didn’t manage to put a stop to his questions. 

If this one was growing, what happened to the one contained in the previous egg ? Was the life within still the same ? 

The black dust he could still feel dirtying his robes was a vivid reminder of what happened to the egg. It had died. And now, this new version was lying on his lap. 

Olienne couldn’t help but still feel a bit uncertain about all this. 

He knew it was the same for Eruhaben. 

But none of them would mention this. Because none of them wanted to hear this. 

Olienne scoffed.

This little one truly had a knack at being a pain, creating so much problem while still inside this new shell of his - or at least, Olienne hoped it was the case. 

He eventually sighed, his green pupils gazing back up at Eruhaben. The other was looking at him too this time. 

Olienne’s smile broadened. 

“So, what should we do now ?” 

Chapter Text

Time was passing by very slowly.

The days were alike. But Olienne found this newfound peace a bit refreshing. 

He was slowly starting to realize how tense he had been during the past few centuries. Having a half-dead being in his lair, making research that felt like a run against the gods and the time itself was not exactly what one could call a very peaceful activity. 

And yet, he couldn’t say he regretted it one bit. 

As Eruhaben said, the egg was growing. 

It kept on doing so. And as the life inside was forming, Olienne’s mana could recognize the familiar energy coming out of it. Eruhaben had the same feeling. 

This was the same soul. They were certain of it. 

They couldn’t quite understand what happened - what led the egg to decay and die, what led it to reform under relentless waves of mysterious and poisonous liquid. They also felt something was different. All the energies within were not converging anymore but were still hovering around. Neither he or Eruhaben could tell exactly all the things that had changed but one thing remained certain. 

The soul inside no longer felt tied to another world. 

It was strongly rooted in this world now. But yet, it kept on being rejected by it for now. 

Olienne couldn’t say if it was a progress or not. Not yet. 

But he didn’t care. Not anymore. 

The egg was alive and well. It was the same egg as the one they had taken care of together for so long.

And it was what mattered the most. 

As for the rest, they would see for themselves later. Maybe when the egg would have hatched, so they could probably get new hints. Olienne was certain they were both equally curious regarding what type of dragon would exit it. 

‘A very troublesome one.’ 

Olienne couldn’t help but scoff anytime this thought was coming to his mind. It felt ever more true than the first time he had considered this, centuries ago. 

Eruhaben was often saying the soul inside was very unlucky. Olienne could understand his point too. 

They would see sooner or later who was closer from the truth, even though Olienne felt like they were both onto something with this. 

Still, it didn’t matter. For now.

They had time. 

For the first time in centuries, they had plenty of time. 

.

.

.

“It’s heavier.” Eruhaben absently noted as he was carrying the egg back from the library. He settled it in the nest snuggly, close to Olienne's sitting form.

“It grew bigger.” Olienne replied, observing as his friend was cautiously setting the shell next to him. There was something oddly pleasing in seeing the bright and healthy scales of the egg glow under the gilding of Eruhaben’s lair and nest. 

Olienne thought gold suited the egg.

But it definitely looked better in green. 

“When do you think it will hatch ?” He eventually spoke again. Eruhaben scowled a bit at the question. It was as if the egg was starting its growth again from the beginning. 

“Hopefully not in thousands of years.” 

“Ah!” How funny. Olienne hoped they would at least get to see this punk hatching before passing. 

Eruhaben still had his brows furrowed as he was staring at the egg. 

“Don’t look at it like this, you’ll crack it, you punk.” 

Eruhaben stopped staring at the egg. He glared at Olienne instead. The green dragon just raised a brow. And his friend sighed loudly once more. 

“Maybe I should continue my study on the age of the previous egg.” Eruhaben just replied, sharing his thoughts with Olienne instead of picking on his previous words. It didn’t feel like he was asking Olienne’s opinion. The green dragon still gave it to him.

“It’s dust now.” Olienne just pointed out. 

And the golden dragon’s lips curled up, a grin lighting up his delicate traits. 

“Precisely.” 

.

.

.

“You’re not returning to your lair?” Eruhaben had asked once as Olienne was heading to the library. He didn’t need to use his mana to walk around the lair anymore. His recovery had been quite long - and needlessly extended by Eruhaben’s begrudging worries. 

What a way to discover his friend was such a worrywart after so many years of knowing each other. Maybe it was the age. 

“It’d be easier to be here in case something else happens.” He shrugged Eruhaben’s inquiry away. The other just hummed, looking a bit dissatisfied with the answer the green dragon gave him. Olienne clicked his tongue. “Why, you want me off ?” 

Olienne frowned as he waited for Eruhaben to reply, an uncomfortable feeling growing in him.

If the golden punk said he wanted him to go, Olienne would. 

Eruhaben’s lair was his, after all. 

“You idiot.” 

“Huh?” 

Olienne’s confusion only increased when he saw Eruhaben move his full attention back on the egg, wiping imaginary dust away from the scales absently. He wasn’t about to explain himself. 

And it irritated Olienne a bit. 

He closed the door behind him when heading to another part of the lair, his scowl crumpling his face. 

Still, he could feel another familiar feeling blossom in his chest. Relief. 

Olienne just shook this thought away and focused solely on the ancient volumes Eruhaben had stored for the rest of the day. 

When Eruhaben joined him there in the evening, none of them mentioned earlier’s discussion. 

Maybe it was for the best. 

Eruhaben’s lair truly was peaceful. 

.

.

.

The time was passing by very slowly.

Days were alike. But something had changed. 

The egg had stopped growing about a year before. 

Neither he nor Eruhaben wanted to decide if it was a good sign or not. It could mean it was close to hatching. It could also mean something was up, again. 

Olienne and Eruhaben didn’t know what to expect anymore. It seemed like a normal occurrence whenever the egg was involved by now. The little one wanted to keep them busy.

Olienne didn’t know if he appreciated the thought.

But if Eruhaben was pessimistic, Olienne had a good feeling about this. To think that he would end up being considered the most optimistic of a pair was something he had never expected. How laughable. Age was doing funny things to him. 

The impending end was approaching, and it just felt like waiting for something new to happen. 

Neither of him or Eruhaben wanted to admit the burning flame of their hope had roared back up during previous days. Something was stirring inside the shell. 

Despite forbidding themselves to expect anything, they couldn’t help but stare at those red scales, the word ‘maybe’ repeated in their busy mind.

They had plunged themselves in their research again, with maybe even more interests and motivation than ever before - if this was even possible. 

Crack.

Olienne stopped all motion. 

He had been busy quietly scribbling on a piece of parchment his observations of the day. But as soon as he heard the sound, his full attention snapped back to the egg on the cushion next to him. 

A long crack was now crossing the scales.

It didn’t look bad. It didn’t reek of Death. It seemed clean and healthy. 

“Eruhaben.” He called the other’s name out. 

His friend was sitting in his nest, reading as always. He gazed up, and his eyes widened. 

Before he could say anything else, another faint sound echoed in the gilded room. 

Crack. Crack.

Eruhaben strode to the table, quietly sitting next to Olienne’s to examine the egg. 

None of them moved after that. Neither of them spoke. 

The cracks widened. 

Again, and again.

And one scale finally fell, allowing them to see what was lying inside. 

Olienne’s eyes caught the gaze of the reddish brown eye visible inside.

His lips parted a bit, and warmth puddled in his stomach as the rest of the scales of the egg was smoothly falling off, darkening a bit as they were no longer held together by the baby dragon’s unstable mana. 

“Ah-! That’s…” Eruhaben’s voice trailed off after his scoff, his eyes not leaving the little form curled up in the pieces of the broken shell. 

Olienne's green pupils mirrored the dark red scales as he couldn’t look away. 

The color of this one… 

Dark Red. 

Definitely darker than the bright color of the egg they had seen grown during the previous decade. It was probably due to all the dark energies they had been subjected to during their time as a decaying egg. 

And yet, they didn’t seem weakened nor unhealthy. 

Olienne let out a trembling breath as both of the baby dragon’s eyes looked up at them. The expression within them was very calm and peaceful. As if they were unaware of the ordeal that their birth had been. 

As if telling them everything would be okay for now. 

It was somehow convincing. 

‘I guess there isn’t a single normal thing about this little punk.’ 

Seeing Eruhaben patting the little dragon’s back, Olienne cautiously approached his hand, landing it on the dragon’s little head in a thoughtful move. The reddish brown eyes didn’t look away. 

Seeing those eyes, Olienne’s chest warmed up even more. 

Everything would be okay from now on. 

Everything would be peaceful. 

He observed Eruhaben patting absently at the baby dragon’s back as the little one was closing his eyes, already falling asleep. They had probably hatched earlier than planned. It was happening sometimes to dragons whose birth had been a bit urged, and it led to a hibernation state for a while - just for them to finish their growth even outside the egg. 

Olienne and Eruhaben should have known it would happen given how troubled the hatching had been. Olienne wasn’t concerned.

Surprisingly, he had a great feeling about all this. 

Everything would go well. From now on, everything would be okay. 

His eyes remained a little longer on Eruhaben patting the crimson hatchling, and his lips curled up. 

It truly was great. 

It was peaceful.

Olienne thought he might get used to this kind of peace.

Probably to this feeling too. 

Chapter Text

Year 728 FC; 

<The phial of dark liquid remnants Eruhaben sampled before at the Lake has started to subside.>

<He said he’ll rush the research on this one.> 

<I’ll continue reading and wait.>

<The dust of the previous shell will soon be purified from all the dark energy it had on it, and a further analysis will be possible in the future.>

<The Red dragon is still sleeping now.>

<His mana well looks unstable and messy.>

<The last wound on my dragon form seems to have healed just fine.>

<The bastard keeps on looking upset anytime I mention it.>

<I don’t know what’s wrong with him.>

<The Red dragon seems peacefully asleep next to me for now.>

<My mana well has finally recovered fully.>

<Eruhaben can’t say anything about me using the lab anymore.>

<I know it’s annoying him, but he agreed on working together there for a bit.>

<That’s a good thing.> 

<The Red dragon did not wake up today either.>

<The different sources of energy that had a hold on his body while in the shell are starting to subside.>

<They will probably vanish after a bit.>

<The Golden prick estimates it will be after seven months.>

<I say a year.> 

<The Red dragon did not wake up today either.>

<I went out today to connect with the nature around this part of the Western continent - the baby dragon remained with Eruhaben (the bastard seemed way too happy about having me away for a while.) >

<I am not used to this place even after so long.>

<My attribute has weakened a little because of my prolonged stay here.>

<It could be bad if we were to face sudden attacks.

<Better be careful with this.> 

<The mana around the baby dragon seemed to balance today.>

<And the soul doesn’t seem as restless as before.>

<Maybe it too will be fully accepted by this world as its own soon.> 

<The end of the year is near.>

<The baby dragon hatched a year ago, in November.>

<Nature is fading, and I feel my power become weaker again.>

<It seems cold is even harsher on the Yulia Mountains.>

<The faint remnants of nature are fading away, and the ones down the mountains are fading as well.>

<I don’t like where this Golden prick settled his lair; as soon as the Red Dragon is up and stabilized, we’ll decide what we want to do.>

<I think of returning to the Eastern Continent.>

<What humans call ‘automn’ is less harsh there.>

<It would be safer.>

<Based on Eruhaben’s estimation, the egg was over 5 000  years old.>

<Because of the damage made by the dark liquid and the other energies’ influence on the baby dragon’s previous egg, the date is probably far from the truth.>

<It’s already older than what we estimated at first.> 

Year 729 FC;

<Eruhaben plans on returning to the World Tree.>

<He contacted that Beige dragon he met before.>

<It looks like she has laid an egg too, she said we can meet once it’s hatched.>

<The new generation is about to start.>

<Eruhaben keeps on repeating it’s a good thing.> 

<Nothing notable happened during the previous months.>

<It feels too calm.>

<My attribute seems to strengthen up again.>

<Winter will soon be over.>

<The Red dragon’s scales have finally brightened.>

<Dark auras left, but the red of his scales didn’t become clearer.>

<I was closer in my estimations.> 

<An ancient book about that area around the World Tree disclosed details about a tale from Ancient times.>

<It seems connected to that power I felt around the Grey Eye Forest.>

<I’ll write more information if it turns out to be a promising track.>

<The Red dragon did not wake up.>

<We have no estimation about when the baby dragon will wake up yet.>

<The Red dragon stirred in its sleep today.>

<It’s alive.>

<The Red dragon seems close to waking up.>

<Eruhaben estimates two months. I say three.>

<Maybe this year’s autumn won’t be as terrible as the previous one.> 

<The Red dragon woke up after one more month, at the start of November again.>

<There has to be something around this month.>

<He didn’t speak yet, he just observes us.>

<He seems healthy for now.>

<His soul is starting to grow stronger.>

<It shouldn’t impact his future abilities.>

<That’s a good thing.> 

<The Red dragon’s mana is still unbalanced.> 

<I planned on going back to my lair to find a book Eruhaben doesn’t have here.>

<He’ll protect him until my return.>

<As soon as the Red dragon will be in condition to take magical teleportation, we’ll decide how we want to proceed.>

<I’d still prefer to return to the Eastern Continent.> 

.

.

.

Year 730 FC; 

<My lair got destroyed.> 

<The attacker could be the one that killed the dragons of the Western Continent.>

<That much remains a bit unclear.>

<They seemed to be looking for something, but didn’t find it.>

<They did not take anything.>

<The fool worked cleanly, but I felt remnants of energy that reminded me of something.>

<I need to decipher what exactly, so that the hint they left on their way out would be enough to give us enough clues on what to do next.>

<Me and the baby dragon will remain with Eruhaben for now.>

<It’s safer.>

<The Red dragon still seems healthy to this day.>

<He’s growing healthily.>

<He said his first words today. It's probably his chosen name.>

<Kim Rok Soo.>