The skies of Atherion's upper realm were endless — oceans of light and storm, where no human could ever reach.
It was here, above the clouds and mountains, that she lived.
Her name was Liyana Lufinze.
Last of the True Dragons.
Once, her kind had ruled both sky and earth — guardians of balance, beings of wisdom and power.
Now, only she remained.
---
Liyana sat upon a mountain of obsidian and gold, her tail curling around the edge of a cliff that overlooked the floating lands below.
From afar, she looked like a goddess sculpted from moonlight — her scales glimmering white-gold, her eyes molten and deep as the sun's core.
But in her heart, there was only silence.
Thousands of years had passed since the fall of her kin.
Thousands of years of watching kingdoms rise and crumble, stars shift, and mortals live and die — fleeting sparks that burned out long before she could remember their names.
She had once tried to live among them.
Long ago, she had taken human form — walked their streets, shared their laughter. For a moment, she thought she had found warmth again.
But humans feared what they didn't understand.
They worshipped dragons as gods, yet hunted them when they grew afraid of their power.
When her last sibling fell to betrayal and greed, Liyana sealed herself away in the clouds, far from the noise of mortal hearts.
---
In her solitude, she dreamed.
She dreamed of voices that called to her from beyond time.
She dreamed of skies that felt alive again — where laughter echoed not from memory, but from something real.
Sometimes she would fly through the upper winds, spreading her wings just to feel them move.
Below, she could see the world's countless regions — seas that shimmered silver, cities glowing with magic, forests alive with spirits.
It was beautiful.
But beauty meant nothing without someone to share it with.
As centuries slipped into millennia, her memories blurred.
She forgot the sound of her own laughter.
She forgot why she ever opened her eyes at dawn.
Only one thought remained:
> Why am I still here… when everyone else is gone?
---
On one quiet night, as the twin moons rose above the horizon, Liyana rested upon her mountain peak. The stars reflected in her golden eyes like countless candles.
For the first time in centuries, she felt something different — a faint ripple in the air.
A warmth she hadn't felt in so long that she almost mistook it for a dream.
It was small… fragile… human.
A voice echoed faintly in her mind. Not loud, not clear, just a distant whisper.
> "Wow... this sky is beautiful."
Her breath caught.
It was not a dragon's voice. It was not one of her kind.
It was… someone else.
Liyana lifted her head, her heart stirring for the first time in a thousand years.
"Who speaks in my skies?" she murmured, her voice echoing softly across the clouds.
But no answer came — only the fading echo of the boy's awe.
She stood there for a long time, listening to the silence that followed. Then, slowly, a faint smile curved her lips.
"Beautiful, is it?" she whispered. "Perhaps… you're right."
The wind swept past her wings, carrying away the loneliness that clung to her heart.
For the first time since the age of dragons ended, Liyana Lufinze felt something she thought she'd lost forever — curiosity.