The little dragon lifts its head from my arm, eyes reflecting the faint light creeping through the window.There's no roar, no flame — only quiet awareness.
"Nephyra," I whisper.The name feels balanced — soft and sharp all at once.
The dragon — no, Nephyra — exhales, and the fog thickens, wrapping us both in stillness. The air hums faintly, as if the world itself pauses to listen.
From the side, Eldran chuckles softly."Nephyra… sounds like a name straight out of legend. Well done, Zenon."
As if reacting to Eldran's words, Nephyra leaps from my arms to my shoulder. A faint trail of mist follows her movement, and she licks my cheek before settling there.
Varen laughs."Eldran, it seems you're not the only one who likes the name. But Zenon — you should go see your mother. You wouldn't believe how happy she was for you!"
"Yes, I'll go right away!"
In all this chaos, I almost forgot how worried my mother must be. As the eldest child of the family, I've always had a lot of expectations resting on me.The Spirit Animal you awaken defines your future prospects — your place in the world.
With a Lumen-1 or Lumen-2, I'd never have been able to inherit the position of family head.Well… a Lumen-5 carries its own set of problems, I guess.
~~~≋≋≋≋≋≋≋≋~~~
As soon as I open the door to her private sitting room—
"Zenon!"
She doesn't walk — she storms across the room, faster than I can brace myself. Her arms wrap around me, tight enough to steal the air from my lungs.For a second, I think she's scolding me, but the tremor in her breath says otherwise.
"I'm so proud of you! To think you would get a Mythical," she blurts, her voice cracking with relief."But you didn't have to be so dramatic about it. The elders nearly collapsed when the fog exploded outward!"
I stay still, letting her burn through her emotions.
Her Spirit Animal — a scarlet finch blazing like a spark caught in sunlight — flutters overhead before landing on her shoulder, its warmth brushing against my cheek.Its eyes lock onto Nephyra.
As soon as I manage to free myself from her far-too-tight hug, my mother speaks up again."How cute! Let me hold it!" she says, already reaching for Nephyra before she's even finished speaking.
Nephyra watches the hands closing in without a hint of reaction — as if she already knows resistance is pointless.
And she's right, of course. With my mother's scarlet finch amplifying her speed, no baby Spirit Animal could possibly escape her grasp.
What do I mean by amplifying her speed?Well, every Spirit Animal enhances its user based on its own strengths.
My mother's scarlet finch, for example, is an adult Lumen-4 Fire-attribute Spirit Animal.It boosts her speed and reflexes, and grants her moderate control over fire — along with a few other tricks she prefers to keep to herself.
My mother tilts her head, eyes sparkling as she pets Nephyra in her arms."What's your dragon's name, Zen? I hope it's something cute."
"It's Nephyra," I say, smiling a little. "I don't know about cute, but it feels right — and the dragon seems to like it."
She gives me a mock frown."You shouldn't sound so distant, Zen. I'm sure she's a girl — so stop calling her it."
As if reacting to her words, Nephyra releases a small burst of mist and starts hopping excitedly in my mother's hands.
My mother laughs, bright and delighted — the sound filling the room like sunlight through fog."See? Even she agrees with me," she says, holding Nephyra a little closer.
I can't help but smile. Watching the two of them — fire and mist, warmth and calm — it almost feels as if the world itself has found some kind of balance.
"I'll let you two get to know each other another day," I say quietly, reaching out to take Nephyra back.The little dragon settles onto my shoulder without protest, a faint wisp of fog trailing behind her.
My mother brushes her hand through my hair."Get some rest, Zen. And prepare yourself for questions from your siblings at lunch — I won't be able to hold them back longer than that."
I nod and turn toward the door.The warmth of her presence fades with each step, replaced by the familiar cool calm of the manor halls.
By the time I reach my room, the mist has returned — soft, quiet, and patient.As I settle onto my bed, Nephyra curls up in my lap, breathing slow and steady.For the first time since the ritual, I let myself breathe the same way.
I wonder what's going to change now that I've awakened a Mythical Spirit Animal.As far as I know, there are fewer than ten confirmed Lumen-5s in the entire kingdom — and of those, only three were Mythicals from the start.If I just think back to the legends of the First Queen and her golden phoenix, Auravion, I get goosebumps all over.The Queen of Dawn was said to be unkillable in battle — every blow against her vanished like the flicker of a flame, while she burned her enemies with the strength of a natural disaster.If not for her mercy, she might have conquered the entire continent.
Her presence is still felt hundreds of years after her death.The Ember Wardens are the religious order devoted to Auravion and the First Queen.They tend to the golden flame used in the Second Birth Ritual — the very same flame that awakens every Spirit Animal in the kingdom.
A sudden shiver runs through me, and Nephyra stirs in my lap.When I glance down, the world has changed — my legs are gone, swallowed by a deep, silver fog.But it isn't coming from her. The mist rises from me, curling outward like a thought made real.For a moment, I wonder — did thinking of another Mythical… awaken something in me?
A knock jolts me from my thoughts."Young master Zenon," the butler calls softly, "your family is waiting for you."
The fog dissolves at once, drawn back into me like breath returning to my lungs.I brush the last wisp from my hands and rise.I know this won't be the last time the mist answers me.