---
Zephyr stroked the hatchling's sleek head and felt the fresh weight of his vow. The world had mocked him. Now the world must not see him until he is ready.
"I need to keep him hidden," he said. "The academy cannot know he's a dragonling."
Fenna nodded. "We must make a lie. Let's call him a Hollowback Hatchkin, a ruin-scout beast. Harmless, too rare to study, too weak to steal."
Zephyr looked at her with quiet gratitude. "Will you help me keep that lie strong?"
"I will." She laced her fingers through his. "We will keep him safe, we keep your secret, and one day we tell the truth when you are strong enough to stand against anyone."
Star shifted, blinking awake again. His silver eyes met Zephyr's. In that gaze lay trust unbroken, ancient and new at once.
A golden screen sparked into view.
[Ding! System notifications-
Bond Level: Absolute.
Dragon Sovereign Bond synergy detected.
New Trait unlocked for Star: Ember Vein (infant), body remains warm and can heal 1 hp per hour.
New Host Quest: Nurture of the Dawn.
1. Feed Star three times with mana-infused food.
2. Allow Star to walk under open sky for at least ten minutes.
3. Keep Star's existence hidden from staff for seven days.
Reward: Blood-line purity +2 %
Skill Fragment: Dragon Sense (Passive map awareness).
Failure: Bond strain. Star growth will be slowed by 50 % ]
Zephyr read the lines and leaned forward. "Mana-infused food… My Beast Feed Cultivation should do that. I can grind high-grain feed, add moonleaf pollen, and channel warmth through my skill."
He glanced at the door and told Fenna, "Let's move him to a safe room." The furnace chamber was hidden, but cleaners could wander in. He needed somewhere no one entered.
Fenna tapped her chin. "The herb cellar under Greenhouse Wing is empty during winter. I have the key for plant storage."
"That is perfect," Zephyr said. "We make his nest there."
They worked fast. Fenna wrapped Star in a linen sling beneath Zephyr's cloak. His body kept the hatchling warm. Together they climbed a service stair, crossed a quiet courtyard, and ducked through a frost-streaked arch into the greenhouse annex.
Inside, rows of empty planter beds lay dormant, dirt sleeping until spring. At the far corner a wooden trap door opened to a short set of stone steps. Dim crystal lamps ringed shelves full of clay pots, dusty jars, and dried herbs.
Fenna swept a shelf clear. Zephyr laid out straw, moss, and a folded wool scarf. Star crawled off his arm, sniffing the soft bed, then plopped down, satisfied.
Zephyr set a small heat rune stone under the nest to keep steady warmth. The dragonling purred and curled tight.
"It is good," Fenna said. "Now, food?"
He unpacked grain, moonleaf, and a pinch of sunstone dust. His palms glowed faint green as Beast Feed Cultivation woke. The mix shimmered, releasing a gentle sweet scent. He offered a fingertip's worth. Star licked it, wings fluttering happily.
When Fenna left to attend her morning classes, Zephyr locked the trapdoor from inside and sat beside Star. With the hatchling fed, silence returned, and with it the memory of searing light, the second awakening, and an SSS-Rank skill resting on his soul like a crown too large for his head.
"I was an F-rank feeder yesterday." He hugged knees to chest. "Now the System calls me Dragon Sovereign. How do I carry that?"
Shame from his first awakening flickered, brown light, laughter, the label "useless." He clenched fists so tight knuckles popped.
"Not again," he whispered. "Never again. I will write a new story."
He opened his status window, staring at the glowing letters until they steadied his heartbeat: Rank F primary, Hidden second skill SSS Rank. The lines looked impossible but they were the truth.
He breathed out. "Step by step," he said, stroking Star's tiny back. "We will grow quietly. When the day comes, no one will sneer again."
Fifth hour after hatching…Low bell echoed across the academy: time for caretaker lunch. Zephyr slipped upstairs, washed soot from his hands, and joined the queue in the mess. Grent bragged nearby, but Zephyr barely heard. His mind kept drifting to the herb cellar. He felt Star's warm pulse through the bond, a soft assurance that the hatchling rested.
Nightfall came soon…Zephyr snuck bread crusts, dried meat, and a kettle of warm water back to the cellar. Star woke, squeaked, and bounced on four stubby legs. Zephyr laughed, quiet and pure. "Hungry again already?"
Star gobbled the food and fell asleep stretched across Zephyr's boot.
The System pinged: Quest progress 2/3 feeds. Time passes by very quickly.
On the seventh night after hatching, clouds cleared. Zephyr carried Star under his cloak to the secluded top of a disused observation tower. Cold wind tugged at his coat, but Star's body stayed warm. Silver moonlight painted the stones white.
Zephyr opened his arms. Star trotted out, wobbling. The hatchling gazed up, wings spreading. Moonlight caught the starlit flecks in his scales until Star glowed faint purple, a walking shard of night sky.
For ten minutes they stood: man, hatchling, moon. Zephyr felt tears prick. "Welcome to the world, little one."
The System chimed: Open-sky condition met. Quest complete.
A surge of warmth rolled through his body. New text flashed:
[Blood-line purity increased to 10 %.
Skill Fragment gained. Dragon Sense (passive search radius 5 m). ]
He smiled. "One step stronger."