Sho Ardenthal was five years old when the dreams began.
They came softly, like whispers carried by the wind — nights where sleep pulled him not into darkness, but into light.
In those dreams, he wasn't in his room anymore.
He was soaring.
Endless white clouds stretched beneath him, glowing gold from the rising sun. He could feel the cold air rush past his skin, smell the sweetness of the sky, and hear the distant hum of something vast — wings, powerful and graceful, slicing through the heavens.
Below him were floating islands, waterfalls spilling into the air itself, and forests made of crystal trees that shimmered like stars.
He looked down at them in awe every time, laughing freely, because it all felt so… real.
But what amazed him most wasn't the view.
It was what he saw whenever he looked toward the horizon.
There was always someone there — never clearly visible, only a shadow outlined by light.
He couldn't see her face, but her presence was warm, proud, and… lonely.
Sometimes, he would hear a voice — faint, echoing as though carried through the wind.
> "The skies feel smaller every century…"
"...still, they are beautiful, aren't they?"
He didn't understand the words, not completely. But he felt peace when he heard them — as if the voice belonged to someone who had seen the world far longer than anyone should.
Then he'd wake up.
Every morning after those dreams, Sho would sit by his window, watching the sunrise. The Ardenthal estate overlooked rolling green hills and distant mountains — but nothing compared to what he saw in his dreams.
"One day," he murmured softly, "I wanna fly there again."
Lirien's voice called from behind him.
"Talking to the wind again, my little flame?" she teased gently, brushing his messy dark hair aside as she adjusted his small robe.
Sho looked up, smiling shyly. "Mama, I had that dream again! The one where I'm flying!"
"Oh? Were you a bird this time?"
He shook his head, eyes wide with excitement. "No! I was... high above the clouds! And there were shiny trees and floating rocks and a big voice that talked to me, but I couldn't see who it was."
Lirien paused. The gentle amusement in her eyes softened into curiosity.
"A voice?"
Sho nodded. "Yeah… it sounded kinda sad. But nice too."
Lirien smiled faintly, though her mind quietly turned over the detail.
Dreams often meant little in children — but the world of Atherion was steeped in mysteries, and sometimes, dreams were echoes of magic itself.
"Well then," she said warmly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Maybe the heavens are saying hello."
Sho grinned, giggling. "Then I'll say hi back next time!"
She laughed softly. "Just don't forget to wake up for breakfast, little dreamer."
As the morning light filled the room, Sho turned his gaze back to the sky outside — blue, endless, and inviting.
He didn't know it yet, but those "wonderful dreams" weren't just his imagination.
Somewhere far beyond the clouds of Atherion, high above mortal lands, a great being stirred — its golden eyes flickering open for the first time in centuries.
> "Again… that voice. The boy who sees through my skies."
And in that distant realm, the Dragon Queen lifted her gaze toward the same sunrise Sho watched, whispering to the wind:
> "Who are you, little dreamer?"