Before Callen questioned further, a sharp whistle cut the courtyard. Captain Reilas Marron strode by, blue mantle snapping. Callen snapped to parade stance; Zephyr used the moment to slip away.
"They're watching everything," he thought, pulse racing. "We must be perfect actors."
Night settled. In the herb cellar, Fenna crushed the auric ash with a mortar while Zephyr mixed sunstone grit, cloud-spring water, and pulverized moonleaf to form a thick paste. Incubation Aura heated the blend gently until it glowed soft orange.
Star perched on a shelf, chirping. "Patience," Zephyr laughed. He shaped marble-sized pellets and cooled them. "Three a day. Ember pellets, your first real growth feed."
Star snapped one up, eyes going wide as internal heat flickered. Tiny tongues of flame puffed from nostrils. Fenna clapped delighted.
[System: External mineral digestion complete.
Fire attribute +2.
Growth multiplier stacking (1.3×).]
Zephyr's status ticked: Mana Capacity +1.
He leaned back against the wall, exhaustion tugging at eyelids. Fenna sat beside him, knees brushing his. Straw rustled under Star as the hatchling practiced Flicker Glide between crates.
"Guild scouts lurk everywhere," Zephyr said quietly. "We need better hiding spots."
Fenna nodded, producing a rough map. "Old water tunnels run beneath Wing Four to the rookery catacombs. Few people go there since the collapse." She traced a line. "Tomorrow we move Star there. I'll keep keys from greenhouse and blame broken valves if anyone asks."
Zephyr smiled at her foresight. "What would I do without you?"
Her cheeks pinked. "Star would sneeze flames on everyone without me, clearly."
He laughed, the sound echoing against brick.
Two hours before dawn they slipped through empty corridors. Star rode Zephyr's shoulder under the cloak, head peeking, eager for night air.
At Wing Four they pried open a rusted hatch. Stale air wafted up. Fenna went first, lantern swinging. Zephyr handed down the crate of straw and heat stones. He followed, sealing the hatch.
The tunnel walls dripped with slow seepage; crystals glinted in cracks. They walked bent under low arches until a collapsed chamber opened wider, lit by faint blue lichen.
At the far side a natural alcove rose, dry and sheltered. Zephyr set the crate there; Star scampered, sniffing new scents. Incubation Aura pulsed, raising temperature gently.
"This will be home," Fenna said, arranging blankets. "No inspectors will crawl this far."
Zephyr leaned against the stone, sudden weariness heavy. He closed his eyes for a breath then another until Star chirped urgently.
Faint footsteps echoed above. Dragon Sense pinged three signatures near the hatch: guards.
Zephyr motioned silence. He and Fenna pressed into shadow, cloaks wrapped tight. Star crouched between them, scales dimmed to dull grey.
Voices drifted through cracks: "No sign of that caretaker tonight." "Seer said keep patrols random. We will definitely find something." Boots crunched then faded along another passage.
Zephyr exhaled, pulse slowing. Star nosed his hand in comfort; Fenna squeezed his shoulder.
"We were almost found," she whispered.
"Not yet," he said, determination hard as quartz. "We must stay unseen."
Days blurred into a rhythm: Caretaker duties at dawn, secret feeding at dusk, night training in the collapsed cavern. Star's Flicker Glide became a five-meter swoop, then ten. The System recorded every breakthrough:
[Wing Power +2. Agility +4.
Tremor Sense, host synergy: Zephyr can now feel subtle quakes within twenty meters.]
Zephyr used Tremor Sense to avoid patrols, memorizing guard routes. Fenna gathered more feed ingredients: ember thistle, ironseed, dried kestrel hearts to bolster muscle fiber. Star devoured everything. His scales shine brighter each night.
Blood-line purity crept to 12 %. Zephyr's Dragon Sense expanded to twenty-five meters; small auras looked like floating candles in his mind.
But tension grew. Royal Guild scouts questioned students. Callen shadowed corridors. Rumors hinted the Seer possessed a new scanning orb due to arrive within a week, an artifact able to read beast cores through walls.
"We need a plan," Zephyr said, pacing the cavern.
Fenna studied Star's widening wings. "We train him to hide deeper. Those tunnels lead to outer cliffs. If danger comes, we run."
Zephyr clenched fists. "Always running." Star cooed, wings patting his cheek. Zephyr's anger cooled. "For now, yes. Until we're strong enough."
Three nights later, Grent descended into the cellar at moonrise. Zephyr nearly drew a blade of broken shovel wood before recognizing the caretaker.
Grent scratched his scarred chin. "Kids, I ain't blind. I seen you sneakin', and that 'wyrm' gleams like a forge ember." He stepped closer, eyes gentler than his gruff tone. "I ain't snitchin'. Just tell me this: Does it bite?"
Star peeked from Zephyr's cloak, chirped inquisitively. Grent chuckled. "Cute as a piglet. I brought somethin'." He produced a vial of powdered seacoal. "Old smuggler trick it boosts inner fire without flaring mana." He handed it over. "Might help your friend grow silent flames."
Zephyr stared. "Why help?"
Grent shrugged. "I saw how you saved that Bristle Fang weeks back. Good hearts deserve a nudge." He ruffled Zephyr's hair like a big brother and left.
Fenna beamed. "We're not alone after all."
Sixteen days after Star's hatching, snow melted into sleet, then cold rain. Guild wagons entered again, carrying a silver chest runed with detection seals. Seer Kalthis announced a mandatory full-campus resonance sweep at sunset of the third day.
Wren's voice trembled when she told Zephyr in Wing Two. "All beasts will be scanned. Even support pets."
Zephyr's stomach twisted. Star's dragon core would blaze under such scrutiny. He hurried to Fenna. They huddled in the rookery's loft, rain drumming the ceiling.
"We can't outrun a full sweep," Zephyr said. "We either mask his core or flee the academy."
Fenna's brow furrowed. "If we flee, watchers will follow. If we hide… we need something stronger than Quiet Glow."
Star climbed Zephyr's shoulder, tiny wings flapping anxiously. The System chimed: