1 My mother, Matron Aelys, the Azure Dragon, often forgot about me after birthing me, this half-dragon, half-human anomaly. It was Lord Kaelen, the Archmage of the Celestial Spire, who took me in. He was my sole anchor in a chaotic existence. Until the Wellspring of Fates, within Lady Seraphina's Oracle's Grove, revealed that I was his destined, inescapable match. From that moment, he grew distant, eventually abandoning me. A century later, I found him again, but he was a mere mortal healer, vehemently denying his past as an Archmage, refusing to acknowledge me. ... My mother's dragon life was refreshingly simple: sleep and eat. Beyond that, she’d seek out handsome males from various species for an evening of shared revelry. If an egg appeared, she’d lay it and leave its hatching to fate, letting it fend for itself. But this time, she unexpectedly birthed me, a peculiar creature. Scaleless, naked, squirming, and crying – I was truly an enigma that caught her off guard. "No fangs, no claws, not even a shell." She poked me curiously with the tip of her claw, then tried tossing me high into the sky. When I plummeted straight down, she frantically caught me, murmuring, confused, "Nor can it fly." Fortunately, I was, after all, her flesh and blood. Though perplexed, my mother understood she couldn’t leave me to perish. So, she carried me everywhere, sometimes clamped in her jaws, sometimes balanced atop her head, never letting me out of her sight. Even when she transformed into human form to savor delicacies in the mortal realm, she’d absentmindedly tuck me under her armpit. Until the old crone, her hands trembling, asked her, "Lady, what... what is that creature under your arm?" "A human babe. Mine," my mother replied, chewing on a candied nectarine. The old crone nearly fainted upon hearing this, only then pointing out that I was on the verge of starvation, not peacefully asleep. "Babe needs feeding every hour," the old crone patiently informed her. "Why not let the maids feed it once and for all? I, myself, can go sixty years without sustenance," my mother pondered, utterly baffled. The old crone looked at her deeply, shaking her head with a sigh. "No wonder you know nothing of nurturing young. You are truly an outsider." Before, my mother's life revolved solely around sleep and food. With me, a new task was added: finding milk for me. In her eyes, all beings across the realms were equal, noble or lowly. So, her quest for milk knew no bounds: whenever she spotted a lactating female, regardless of species, she’d simply pick me up and command them to nurse me. Thankfully, my mother was Matron Aelys, the Azure Dragon, and few in all the realms dared to refuse her. Thus, my mother carried me across the realms for an entire year. I transformed from a toothless infant who could only suckle into a mischievous sprite capable of snatching food from a dragon's maw. Though my front teeth hadn't fully emerged, my four canines were already sharply pointed. More strangely, two bumps appeared on my forehead. Upon first sight, my mother frowned, poking and prodding them. "Is this ugly thing a dragon's horn?" she muttered uncertainly. Later, the bumps receded, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Just bumps from a knock, then." Seeing that I could now gnaw on beast bones on my own, my mother concluded I could also forage for food. She reverted to her true dragon form, balanced me atop her head, and plunged straight into the deep ocean. "My child, your mother will treat you to seafood." I could only make gurgling sounds, helplessly bobbing in the waves. My mother soared through the deep sea, chasing fish and feasting. But I, caught in the tumultuous currents, choked on mouthful after mouthful of saltwater. For dragons, born to the water, the word "drowning" simply didn't exist. By the time she realized I wasn't close behind her, I was already floating lifelessly on the surface, eyes rolled back. "My child has no appetite? Why is it sleeping here?" Seeing no response, my mother simply hoisted me back onto her head and shot straight into the clouds. My mother often recounted how, if it hadn't been for Emissary Aerion, a celestial envoy, who stopped her, insisting I was on the verge of death... After a hearty meal, my mother and I squatted on the edge of the cloud sea, meticulously picking bits of leftover food from between our teeth. A wisp of white cloud suddenly zipped past us. Whoosh! The magical current flung me to the ground. As I struggled to my feet and steadied myself, I saw my mother standing with her hands on her hips, eyes blazing. "Which mage was so rude? Flying through the clouds, crashing into a pedestrian, and not even an apology?" My mother roared towards the clouds, but no one answered. A dragon's roar sliced through the sky, and my mother instantly transformed into a massive azure dragon, soaring into the distance, leaving me, a small dragonling, standing alone and bewildered in the chilling wind. Watching my mother disappear, I sighed deeply. This wasn't the first time I'd been forgotten on a desolate mountain. Hopefully, this time she’d remember sooner that she still had a daughter. Alas, the sky cycled through day and night, darkness and light, yet my mother never returned. Suddenly, a celestial figure, robes billowing, descended from the clouds. He rested his chin on his hand, observing me for a moment, then chuckled softly. "A dragon hatchling, still clinging to life." What a handsome being! More elegant than any mountain herb. Could this be Emissary Aerion, whom Mother often spoke of? I lay weakly on the ground, wanting to rise but lacking the strength. "Rare. The Azure Dragon lineage is usually neglectful of its young. It's truly remarkable you've survived with her to this age," he observed. I moved my mouth, but no words came out. Only then did he notice my condition. He gently pinched my wrist. "Starving to the brink of death, indeed." He flipped his hand, revealing a delicate jade vial in his palm. "Why is it that every time we meet, I find myself saving your life? Do we share some profound destiny?" Ignoring his words, I clutched his hand and gulped down several mouthfuls of the liquid from the jade vial. The liquid was cool and sweet, not only quenching my thirst but also filling my empty stomach. This was surely the finest celestial elixir. I drank without restraint, yet he showed not a hint of stinginess; instead, his smile grew even gentler. This being was even more generous than my mother. Once fortified, I immediately gesticulated wildly, describing how that rude mage had crashed into me and how my mother had chased after him. "Crashed into you then fled?" he asked softly. "Yes!" I nodded vigorously. "Truly despicable." "Mmm!!!" I nodded in agreement, like a frenzied woodpecker. "Your mother hasn't returned. What are your plans?" he asked. "Garlic? Don't eat that!" I misunderstood him. "...I asked if you wish to wait here, or descend the mountain?" I pondered for a long time. Waiting might mean starving to death, but what if I left and Mother returned, unable to find me? A sudden idea sparked. I tugged on his robes, delighted. "Take me to find Mother!" Emissary Aerion sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Little Dragonling, how can I carry you?" "You can carry me in your mouth." "I am not your mother." "Then I'll sit on your head." "My head isn't that large." I scrutinized the celestial being's human form, then it dawned on me. When Mother transformed into human form, she either carried me by hand or tucked me under her armpit. "Then you can carry me, or tuck me under your armpit." The celestial being was speechless for a moment. Finally, Archmage Kaelen sighed, bending down. His hands gently slipped under my armpits, and he carefully lifted me. Being carried like this was far more comfortable than being dangled. I instinctively nestled against his shoulder, happily swinging my legs. Archmage Kaelen let out a soft chuckle. He patted my back lightly, sighing. "Is it your boundless luck, or my destiny? Little Dragonling, stop kicking your legs." Only later did I learn that this man, who carried me across the celestial realms searching for my mother, was none other than Lord Kaelen, the Archmage of the Celestial Spire. The Archmage was known for his solitary asceticism; few in all the realms had ever seen his true face. Some said he had cultivated for thousands of years, others for ten millennia, and rumors even claimed he was as ancient as the cosmos itself, his age immeasurable. Few rumors about Archmage Kaelen circulated among the celestials, mostly concerning his profound magic and divine abilities. Even the rare gossip was merely "the Archmage is in seclusion for enlightenment," "the Archmage is lecturing at the Jade Blossom Terrace," or "the Archmage is attending a Grand Convocation." Until today, the Archmage himself had just heard an unprecedented piece of news: "The Archmage's companion is missing!" The Archmage was carrying a little dragonling, searching for its mother across all realms! I gnawed on my favorite mystical meat bone, my face slick with grease, completely oblivious to the murmurs at the next table. Archmage Kaelen propped his forehead with a hand, slowly swirling his jade tea cup, and sighed faintly. "Would you prefer not to look for your mother?" "No," I shook my head. "How about I find you a master?" "Don't want one," I continued to shake my head. "Your mother never returned to that Celestial Peak." I just kept gnawing on the mystical meat. "Little Dragonling, the Azure Dragon lineage isn't known for raising young. Her leaving you is quite normal. Why insist?" My lip quivered. I tilted my head back and wailed, "Want mommy, want mommy, only want to find mommy..." "Alright, alright, we'll keep looking." I immediately stopped crying, pointing to the empty plate on the table. "More mystical meat!" "..." The day Archmage Kaelen took me from the Celestial Peak, he had already declined the invitation from the Jade Blossom Terrace. Later, failing to find any trace of my mother, he consecutively turned down several Grand Convocations. In the span of two years, he carried me from the highest Celestial Kingdoms to the darkest Underworld, consulting All-Seeing Orbs and the Ledger of Souls, yet he found no trace of my mother. "Kaelen, Kaelen, you are eternally wise, yet occasionally foolish," Emissary Aerion chuckled. "What do you mean?" "With such a grand search, if she were in the celestial realms, even a wisp of her would have been found. Since there's no news, she must be hidden in the mortal coil." "Do you think I don't understand that? But the mortal lands are vast. I can't possibly go door-to-door with a little dragonling." "Have your profound powers made you forget Lady Seraphina's three Fated Wellsprings?" I rested my chin in my hands, watching Archmage Kaelen and Emissary Aerion play their game of celestial chess, completely engrossed, when Archmage Kaelen suddenly tossed down a piece. "Haha! Could it be you were so bothered by Lady Seraphina's persistence that you simply erased her from your mind?" Emissary Aerion clapped his hands and laughed mischievously. "Now, how will you ask for her help?" "Thanks to your reminder, I had indeed forgotten about those three mystical wells." "Archmage, what three wells are those?" I asked curiously. They sounded like they could help me find Mother. The Archmage sipped his tea without answering. Emissary Aerion picked me up and explained, "Those are Lady Seraphina's three mystical wells: one reveals past and present lives, one reflects blood kinship, and the third... it shows you your fated one." "What's a fated one?" I asked. "That's the Archon who will fly to meet and marry you when you grow up." "Aerion, you're becoming increasingly undignified. How old is she? Why speak of such things?" I knelt at the well's edge, anxiously waiting for the Wellspring of Fates to reveal Mother's whereabouts. "Archmage Kaelen, do we really have to wait here until dusk?" I pleaded, looking up at the tightly shut grand gates, clutching the hem of his long robes. "Easy, Lyra. Lady Seraphina is usually quite accommodating; she won't keep us waiting long," Archmage Kaelen said calmly, his gaze fixed on the closed gates. A soft chuckle suddenly drifted from the clouds. "So, you're not her actual kin, Archmage Kaelen of the Celestial Spire." As the voice faded, the tightly shut grand gates slowly swung open. "A millennium, and you haven't brought your daughter to greet me. Truly heartbreaking," Lady Seraphina, draped in flowing white silks, floated gracefully, landing before me. She first cast a sidelong glance at Archmage Kaelen, then knelt down, gently tapping my nose with her fingertip. "How old is this little one?" "Hello, Lady Seraphina! I'm five years old," I answered politely. Lady Seraphina covered her mouth with a soft laugh. "By age, you should be calling me 'Ancient One.'" "Hello, Ancient One!" I immediately corrected myself. No sooner had the words left my lips than Archmage Kaelen suddenly clapped a hand over my mouth. Simultaneously, a bolt of divine lightning struck, searing Lady Seraphina, leaving her charred and smoking. "Wh-why can't I bear even a greeting from her?" Lady Seraphina coughed out wisps of black smoke, still frozen in the pose she'd been in when struck. "The laws of the cosmos," Archmage Kaelen stated coolly. Lady Seraphina scoffed. "I crossed the Dragon's Gate millennia ago. Besides a true dragon, who can humble me?" She trembled, pointing at me. "Could it be... this child has true dragon blood?" "Lady Seraphina, you misunderstand. I'm human. My mother is the dragon," I hastily explained, waving my hands. Before I finished speaking, several more bolts of divine lightning descended, scattering Lady Seraphina like a dandelion puff. While she retreated to her chambers to recompose herself, Archmage Kaelen carried me to the three Wellsprings of Fates. "Finally, I can find Mother!" I exclaimed, but I noticed the Archmage hesitating. "Which well was it again?" he muttered, frowning in thought. I couldn't wait. I jumped from his arms and dashed straight to the middle well. "Mother, where are you?" Peering in, I yelped and recoiled—the well reflected a glaring, ferocious tiger! "It seems our little Lyra was quite formidable in her past life," Archmage Kaelen said, stroking my head, a faint smile on his lips. I turned to another well, cautiously peeking in—this well held neither tiger nor Mother, but a familiar figure. "Archmage, why are you in the well too?" I looked at his reflection, then at Archmage Kaelen beside me, and suddenly understood. "Could it be I was an Archmage in my past life too?" Archmage Kaelen remained silent. Just then, the distant jingle of ornaments announced Lady Seraphina's hasty return. She placed her hands on my shoulders, looking into the well again. When Archmage Kaelen's reflection reappeared, she slumped to the ground. "No wonder this well never showed my fated one. You were never meant for me." A gentle breeze swept past, and another pair of hands pressed me to the well's edge. As the figure in the well reappeared, I turned to Archmage Kaelen beside me. "Huh? Archmage, why do you look so pale?" It was strange.
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