The dragon’s eyelids fluttered open, revealing a pair of eyes that were a beautiful, liquid golden color.
They didn’t just reflect the light in the room; they glowed with a soft, internal radiance that seed to pulse with the sa rhythm as the creature’s heartbeat.
There was an ancient depth within those pupils, a spark of high intelligence that far surpassed any common beast Noah had ever encountered.
The dragon blinked, its golden gaze locking onto Noah’s blue eyes.
For a few long seconds, there was only a heavy, profound silence between the two of them.
Neither moved, the air in the small room seemingly frozen as the hatchling processed its first sight of the world and the man who had brought it into being.
The connection between them thrumd, a silent wire of energy that vibrated with the weight of the mont.
’His eyes are really beautiful,’ Noah thought, his breath hitching.
He found himself captivated by that specific shade of gold.
The brilliant, shimring color reminded him exactly of the golden mana that surged within him. It was the color of the sun, the color of his resonance, and now, the color of his most loyal companion.
The silence was broken when the dragon suddenly purred.
It was a soft, rumbling sound of pure contentnt. The small beast leaned forward, rubbing its scaled head and those tiny golden horns against the center of Noah’s palm.
The scales felt warm and smooth, and the gesture was so dostic and affectionate that Noah felt a surge of protective warmth bloom in his chest.
Noah’s brows furrowed slightly as he looked down at the creature.
"You don’t have a na yet..." he muttered, his voice barely a whisper in the quiet room. "Should I give you one?"
The dragon reacted instantly. It stopped its nuzzling and nodded its head enthusiastically, its small wings fluttering with a sharp, papery sound.
Through the bond between them, Noah could feel a wave of eager anticipation. It wasn’t just a request; he could sense that the creature yearned for him to na it—to give it an identity that would tie it forever to his side.
Noah went into deep thought, his gaze drifting toward the window as he searched his mind.
’What na should I even give it...?’ he mused.
He discarded several nas that felt too aggressive or too mundane. He wanted sothing that captured the creature’s dual nature—the darkness of its scales and the brilliant gold of its eyes and horns.
He wanted a na that sounded ancient yet sharp, a title befitting a dragon of shadow.
Suddenly, Noah’s eyes sparked with a flash of inspiration.
"That’s it," he said, a confident smile spreading across his face. "Your na will be Kael."
The dragon let out a high-pitched, lodic purr of excitent. It didn’t just nod this ti; it rolled around on Noah’s palm like a playful kitten, its tail swishing back and forth and its small claws gently kneading the air.
It seed to vibrate with joy, the golden lines on its wings glowing brighter in response to its elevated mood.
Noah chuckled at the sight, the sound light and genuine.
’What a cute dragon...’ he thought, his heart softening.
He could sense through the connection between them that the dragon indeed loved the na. It felt "right" to the creature, a label that fit its essence perfectly. It was a strange, multifaceted sensation; it was as if Noah could now perceive Kael’s raw emotions directly.
He could tell when Kael was happy, sad, confident, or even slightly discontented.
Noah collapsed back onto the mattress, the emotional and physical exhaustion of the day finally catching up to him.
Kael, sensing his master’s state, didn’t stay on his palm; the small dragon scrambled up Noah’s arm with surprising agility and settled right onto the center of his chest.
The warmth and comfort Noah felt from Kael resting on him alone was quite surprising, but he didn’t hate it.
Suddenly, a sharp, rhythmic knock echoed from the sitting room, slicing through the silence.
Noah’s eyes snapped open, widening in shock. He bolted upright, his muscles tensing instinctively as he transitioned back into a state of high alert.
’Who is that?’ he thought, his mind racing through a list of possibilities. He moved quickly but carefully, picking Kael up and placing him gently at the side of the bed, tucked near the pillows where he would be less visible.
He was certain that neither his mother nor his sister should have returned by this hour, so he should be the only one at ho.
A cold sweat traced the back of his neck as he considered the possibility of a guild adventurer or, worse, another shadow assassin having tracked his house sohow.
He turned to look at Kael one last ti before heading toward the door. The little dragon was staring back at him, blinking those large, golden eyes in slight confusion.
Kael’s head tilted to the side, his small nostrils flaring as he tried to understand why his master’s emotions had suddenly spiked from contentnt to wary alarm.
As Noah turned to leave the room, he heard a frantic, papery rustle behind him.
Kael had suddenly flapped his small, golden-lined wings, his tiny body lifting off the bed in a desperate attempt to fly after Noah.
He didn’t want to be left behind, his bond urging him to follow the source of his mana.
However, Kael wasn’t able to get very far. His wings were still soft and lacked the muscle mory required for sustained flight.
After a few wobbly inches in the air, his strength gave out, and he began to plumt toward the hard floor.
Luckily for him, Noah’s reflexes were now at the peak of a Master Magus.
He blurred across the small space, his hand darting out to catch the hatchling just inches before he hit the floor. He cradled the small, warm body in his palm, feeling the frantic thrum of Kael’s heart against his skin.
Noah let out a soft sigh and patted the dragon’s head with a gentle finger.
"No need to rush..." he whispered, his voice low so as not to be heard from the sitting room. "You were just born, Kael. Your wings aren’t ready yet. Just stay here and rest a bit. I’ll be back soon."
Kael looked up at him, a clearly downcast expression crossing his small face. His golden eyes dimd slightly, and his wings drooped in disappointnt.
But despite his desire to follow, he nodded reluctantly, his little head bobbing in understanding.
He crawled back onto the bed and laid down, curling his tail around his nose as he watched Noah with a lingering gaze.
Noah smiled slightly, the tension in his chest easing just a fraction as he stood by the door.
’His intelligence is surprisingly high...’ Noah thought to himself, impressed by how quickly the hatchling had processed his command. ’I guess that should be expected, though sindd he’s a dragon.’
With one last reassuring glance at the dark-scaled beast, Noah composed his face into a neutral mask, and left his room to see whoever was outside.
He paused for a heartbeat, his hand hovering over the worn wooden handle as he strained to hear any movent from the other side.
Finding nothing but a faint, rhythmic breathing, he steeled his expression and pulled the door open.
The mont the door creaked ajar, a soft, unmistakable scent of lavender wafted into his nostrils.
His eyes widened in instant recognition as the floral aroma cut through the stagnant air of the sitting room.
Standing on the small porch was a beautiful, slightly chubby girl with a face that looked like it had been carved from soft porcelain.
She was dressed simply, but there was an air of grood elegance about her that stood in stark contrast to Noah’s rugged surroundings.
Noah subconsciously stumbled back a step, his mind montarily blanking in surprise.
"E-emily..." he mumbled, his voice cracking slightly. "Why are you here...?"
The girl hissed, a sharp intake of breath as her face—already tinged with a rosy hue from the walk—deepened into a darker shade of red.
She pointedly turned her head away, refusing to et his gaze as she clutched the strap of her bag.
"Is that... what you’re supposed to ask?" she muttered, her voice trembling with a mix of irritation and bashfulness.
Noah felt a flush of his own heat creep up his neck. He quickly scratched the back of his head, feeling the awkwardness of the silence stretching between them.
He pulled the door open wider, stepping aside to create a path. "You can... co in..." he offered, his tone uncertain.
He truly hadn’t expected Emily to visit him. In all the years they had lived in this secluded area, this was the first ti she—or anyone in particular, for that matter—had ever co to see him at his ho.
As she stepped inside, he felt a sudden, sharp pang of embarrassnt.
His internal gaze swept across the sitting room, and for the first ti, he saw it through the eyes of a guest.
He looked at the old walls, which were webbed with thin cracks that seed to tell the story of every storm the building had endured.
His eyes drifted upward to the slightly drooping ceiling, its ancient wood groaning softly under the weight of the years.
’Yeah... whatever,’ he thought, trying to suppress the urge to apologize for the state of his life.
He was a Master Magus now, a boy with a dragon in his room, yet the simple presence of a girl in his living room made him feel smaller than he had in the face of an assassin.
Fortunately, Emily didn’t comnt on the state of the house.
She stood in the center of the small room, her eyes darting around for a brief mont as she took in the sparse furniture and the clean but worn floorboards.
She didn’t look with pity or disdain; she simply observed before turning back to face him, her expression hardening again into that familiar, stubborn mask.
"W-why are you here...?" Noah started again, his voice gaining a bit more stability. "Are you sure your parents wouldn’t be angry with you? I an... you—"
"Shut up... you idiot," Emily suddenly snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence. Her eyes finally locked onto his, flashing with a fiery mix of worry and frustration. "W-why didn’t you tell you got... suspended...?"
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