They didn't leave for the Grand Hall right away. Something unspoken held them in place. The living room felt quieter than before—not tense, but heavy with everything none of them were saying. Aeron leaned against the back of the sofa, arms crossed loosely. Violet stood near the kitchen island, fingers tracing the smooth quartz without really seeing it. Atlas and Drogo lingered nearby, unusually still, as if they too sensed the shift. Starfania moved toward the center of the room, pretending to adjust the cuff of her sleeve. She thought she had hidden it well. The straightness of her spine. The careful calm in her breathing. But Aeron has known her too long.
" You're doing that thing again," he whispered. She blinked. " What thing?"
" That thing where you pretend you're fine," Violet answered gently.
Starfania's shoulders stiffened—just slightly. Aeron pushed off the sofa and stepped closer.
" You don't have to say it," he added. " But we feel it too."
The words lingered in the air. VulcanFire. Home. Despite everything. Starfania swallowed.
" It's just a meeting," she whispered.
" Yeah," Aeron replied. " But it's about our home."
The word landed harder than any accusation. Home. Silence stretched between them—not empty, but full.
Aeron ran a hand through his hair, glancing toward Drogo before speaking again.
" I found him the year my mother died," he whispered. Starfania looked up. Violet straightened. Aeron's voice wasn't joking now. It wasn't light.
" It was right after my father remarried. Everything changed in our house. New rules. New expectations." He gave a dry laugh. " And a stepmother who made sure Violet, and I knew we weren't exactly welcome anymore."
Violet's jaw tightened, but she didn't interrupt.
" I was in the woods one day," Aeron continued, eyes drifting to Drogo. " And I heard something…struggling."
Drogo shifted slightly, lowering his head.
" He was barely bigger than a large hound back then," Aeron said softly. " Wing torn. Burn marks along his side. Someone had tried to kill him."
Starfania felt her chest tightened.
" It was after King Cesar made that announcement," Aeron added. " That if anyone dared keep a dragon without a permit—or failed to kill one they encountered—he'd personally see that the beasts suffered."
The memory hung sharp between them. Atlas's tail flicked once.
" But I kept going back," Aeron said. " Every day. Even when I knew the risks. I brought him scraps. Cleaned his wound. Sat far enough away that he wouldn't feel cornered."
Drogo let out a low rumble—not defensive. Reminiscent.
" He didn't trust me at first," Aeron admitted. " And I didn't blame him."
Starfania's heart pounded quietly in her ears.
" One day my father followed me," Aeron went on. " He found us together."
Violet inhaled slowly.
" He told me we couldn't keep him," Aeron said. " That was too dangerous. That the law was unalterable."
A faint smile tugged at his lips. " So I begged."
Starfania could almost see it—a younger Aeron standing in the forest, defiant and desperate.
" I told him I'd get the permit. I'd do it properly. Every rule they set, I would follow if it meant Drogo could live. " Took months. Endless paperwork. Inspections. Interviews."
" But you did it," Violet whispered.
" Yeah," Aeron nodded. " I did."
He looked at Starfania now.
" VulcanFire isn't just its worst decisions. It's where I found him."
Drogo moved closer, pressing his shoulder gently against Aeron's. Violet stepped forward next.
" I remember how happy I was," she said, her voice lighter but just as emotional. " My big brother finally had something that made him smile again."
She chuckled. " I didn't care about permits or politics. I just knew there was a dragon in our backyard, and I wanted to play."
Atlas's ears twitched.
" And my friends," Violet added more softly. " We used to run through the festival during Dragon Week. Before things got strict. Before everyone got scared."
Her expression softened. " I remember the music. The fireworks. The lanterns are shaped like dragon wings."
Starfania's breath caught.
" And then Aeron brought Drogo home one day," Violet said, turning to her. Starfania blinked. " He did?"
" Oh, absolutely," Violet nodded. " He came home waving that permit paper like he'd won a war."
Aeron groaned. " I was proud."
" You were dramatic," Violet corrected fondly. " And then he said, ' I met someone."
Starfania felt warmth crept her cheeks.
" You were sitting alone near the administrative hall," Aeron said quietly now. " Holding some folded paper. You looked like the world had just told you it didn't want you."
She hadn't known he noticed that much.
" I'd ask if you were lost," he continued.
" You said you were," Violet added with a teasing smile. Starfania let out a soft breath of laughter.
" I remember thinking," Violet said, " finally, someone who understands my brother."
The room felt different now. Not heavy. Connected. Starfania looked between them. They felt it too. The conflict. The love. The loyalty.
" We've seen VulcanFire at its best," Aeron said gently. " And at its worst."
Violet nodded. " It's still our home."
Starfania's voice was quieter when she finally spoke. " I thought I was the only one struggling with this."
Aeron frowned slightly. " Why would you think that?"
" Because I'm the Dragon Savior," she replied. " And it feels like I'm supposed to have all the answers."
Atlas stepped closer behind her.
" You don't," Violet said firmly. " You just have to have courage to try."
Aeron placed a hand on Starfania's shoulder.
" We're not going against our home," he said carefully. " We're trying to protect it from becoming something worse."
The words settled deeply within her. She wasn't alone in her doubts. They carried them too. But they also carried hope. Starfania looked at them—really looked at them. Her friends. Her family. Those who support her. And she realized something steady and powerful. Whatever happened in that hall…whatever choices she had to make. She wouldn't stand there alone. She straightened her shoulders—not to hide her emotions this time. But because she felt supported.
" We walk in together," she said.
" Together," Aeron echoed. Violet smiled. " Always."
Atlas let out a low, steady rumble. Drogo answered it. And for the first time since hearing VulcanFire's name that morning, the weight on Starfania's chest eased—just enough. She wasn't the only one carrying it. And she would not face it without them at her back.