On the grassy training grounds, the three young dragon girls sat together. An unusual silence had fallen between Noah and Aurora. They were staring intently at each other, a serious, unspoken tension in the air that felt far too weighty for children.
Muen looked at her older sister, then at her younger sister, her head tilting in curiosity. She wiggled the characteristic tuft of hair on her head and asked with genuine earnestness, "Are we playing a new game called 'Just Staring Without Talking' today?"
Aurora raised a hand, cutting off her second sister's question without breaking eye contact with Noah. "I just saved you," Aurora stated, enunciating each word clearly.
"What do you mean, Aurora?" Noah replied, playing innocent.
"I'm not talking to my big sister right now," Aurora declared. "I'm talking to the ghost hiding inside her."
"Ugh~ not ghosts again!" Muen groaned, flopping backward onto the soft grass in exasperation, her little tail splaying out behind her. She had developed a sort of PTSD from the word "ghost." Every time Aurora brought it up, it led them on wild, fruitless adventures that ended up being a complete waste of time. Over the weeks, Muen had begun to suspect her little sister had simply gone stir-crazy from summer boredom and was now seeing mysteries where none existed.
Noah covered her face with a gentle sigh. "There are no ghosts, Aurora. You've been hunting them for a whole month. If you keep this up, summer break will be over before we know it. Why don't we use the time we have left to play some real games or practice the magic we'll need for next semester?"
It wasn't that her little sister was a troublemaker that was the problem. The real problem was that this particular troublemaker was incredibly smart and stubborn. Aurora only trusted what she saw, heard, or logically deduced herself. No amount of persuasion could change her mind without definitive proof. If Noah had inherited their father's talent and determination, and Muen had taken after their mother's occasional playful silliness, then Aurora had undoubtedly inherited both parents' unyielding stubbornness. It was a trait perfect for scientific research, but couldn't she please not use it on her own big sister?
Aurora narrowed her eyes slightly, then waved her hand dismissively. "Hmph, I don't know what you were trying to do while spying on Mom earlier, but don't expect me to bail you out next time."
Noah shook her head with a patient smile. "So, were you saying that to me, or to this so-called ghost?"
Suddenly, Aurora stood up. She walked over to Noah, cupped her older sister's face with her small hands, and looked her directly in the eyes, her expression deadly serious. "Big sis, believe in me. I will save you!"
"...Okay," Noah replied, touched and a little bemused. "I'm sure that one was meant for me."
Muen sat up and raised her hand like a student in class. "Umm, so what game are we playing today?"
"What do you want to play?" Noah asked, grateful for the subject change.
"Ummmmm..." Muen rarely engaged in hard thinking, usually reserving her mental energy for choosing games or deciding on dinner. But after a moment of serious contemplation, she realized they had already played every game imaginable that summer, and replaying them now felt dull. So, she gave up. "I don't know..."
As the three of them sat in indecisive silence, two maids walked past the edge of the training grounds. One of them was holding a brightly colored flyer.
"Oh, this looks like such a unique game! I've never heard of it before," one maid, Myss, said excitedly.
"I heard it's a game brought over from another race. They say it's thrilling, exciting, and quite a brain-teaser!" the other maid, Elia, replied.
Muen's dragon ears perked up instantly. She scrambled to her feet and ran over to them. "Miss Myss, Miss Elia, what game are you talking about?"
Myss bent down and handed the flyer to Muen. "Your Highness, we're talking about a new live-action interactive game that's become all the rage in Sky City. Look."
Muen took the flyer with both hands. The main image depicted a massive, gothic castle under a starry night sky, looking dark and mysterious. Beside it were some cartoonish, not-too-scary-looking bats. Muen read the words aloud: "Sky City's newest large-scale live-action interactive game: 'Explore the mysterious castle and help the princess find the hidden culprit...'"
"Yes, Your Highness. If you're interested, you could ask Their Majesties to take you," Elia added kindly.
Muen's eyes sparkled. She'd never heard of this game before, and the flyer alone was enough to ignite her excitement. "Thank you, Miss Myss, Miss Elia!" she said politely.
"You're welcome, Your Highness."
Muen ran back to her sisters, clutching the flyer like a treasure. She sat down between Noah and Aurora and spread it out for them to see. Both of her sisters leaned in curiously.
"A live-action interactive game?... Sounds fun," Aurora said, her earlier intensity replaced by visible interest. It was well known that when the words "live-action" and "interactive" were put together, it usually spelled a recipe for fun and excitement! As the top mischief-maker of the Silver Dragon Clan, Aurora wouldn't want to miss such an opportunity.
"Right, right! Aurora wants to go. How about you, big sis?" Muen asked, her voice bubbling with excitement.
Noah's eyes scanned the finer print on the flyer. "The game lasts at least seventy-two hours and is best for groups of friends or family... The recommended number of participants is eight..."
Noah quietly counted their immediate family members. "Dad, Mom, Muen, Aurora, me... Even if we include Aunt Isha, that's only six people. We don't have enough, Muen."
Besides the keywords "live-action" and "interactive," this was also a "large-scale" game. With its seventy-two-hour duration came a participant requirement. And knowing the reclusive nature of the Melkvey family, they weren't likely to join up with strangers to form a group.
Muen's face fell. She pouted and began to think hard again. "Then... we could ask Shirley to come!"
"Shirley's away on a mission and hasn't been home for a while," Noah reminded her.
"Um... What about Milan and Anna?"
"Milan's busy with her duties and can't get the time off. As for Anna..." Noah shook her head. "She doesn't seem like the type to enjoy this kind of game."
Thoroughly defeated, Muen flopped back onto the grass with a sigh. Aurora, too, looked disappointed, silently fiddling with the tip of her light-pink tail.
Noah's eyes, however, were drawn to the top of the flyer, where the winning mechanics and prize were detailed. "Whether you're part of the good team or the wolf team, as long as you complete all the triggered tasks, you'll be the winner of the game." Her eyes widened slightly as she read on. "The winner will receive the ultimate hidden relic of the castle—the Black Sacred Stone."
A small note in parentheses explained the "ultimate relic." The game item 'Black Sacred Stone' is made of the safe material 'Night Spirit Crystal.'
"Night Spirit Crystal..." Noah murmured. "I remember our teacher saying it's not very common but not particularly useful either. It's mostly used for decorative pieces." She assumed most people joined the game for the novelty and fun, not caring much about the final prize.
"Little one, that's not just a 'useless material,'" the voice that had been silent until now spoke up in her mind.
Drip—
A single drop of water fell from the dark golden ceiling of her consciousness into the water at her feet, the ripples spreading out toward the massive white dragon.
"What is it, then?" Noah asked internally.
"In ancient times, dragons used Night Spirit Crystal to enhance the magical circuits inside young warriors. This allowed them to cast more powerful magic without the risk of self-harm," the ancestor explained patiently. "Moreover, it also significantly increases the efficiency of gathering ambient magic."
Noah raised a mental eyebrow. "If it's so effective, why isn't it used anymore?"
"Because to activate its true properties, it requires a special type of magic."
A special type of magic.
Noah immediately understood what the ancestor was implying. "Only primordial power can unlock its true potential, right?"
"Clever girl," the ancestor affirmed. "So, Noah, this is our chance."
Noah blinked. "What chance?"
"If you won't let me borrow your mother's wedding pendant, then the Night Spirit Crystal is the perfect substitute. We need it to gather primordial power more quickly." The ancestor's voice was firm and urgent. "So... you need to join this game. And you must win."