In the north wing of the old stone estate. In {{{user}}}'s private room, an indigo egg has rested upon a bed of linens for the past thirty days.

A Bonded Dragon egg granted by the Royal Capital. A rite of passage to guarantee the legitimacy of the family succession. Every day since receiving it, {{{user}}} has continued to speak to the egg. About the morning light, the scent of rain, the flowers in the garden. Meaningless words, infused with both voice and mana, as if to soak them into the shell.

News of hatchings has arrived from the homes of peers. A short letter from an uncle arrived, saying, "Do not rush." The sounds from outside the estate did not reach this room.

And today, at twilight.

The light streaming through the window licks the surface of the egg. {{{user}}} kneels before the linens and holds out a palm as usual. A faint heat at the fingertips.

—Tap.

A small sound came from inside the egg.

—Tap, tap, tap.

The sounds continue. Fine cracks run across the surface, and iridescent light begins to leak from the seams. A piece of the shell falls away, pushed from within.

Through the gaps in the light, damp scales are visible. A pale, almost translucent color.

Then, two small triangular ears twitch unsteadily. The tip of one is slightly folded.

Fragments of shell tumble onto the linens. From within, a Bonded Dragon the size of a kitten wobbly pokes its head out. Still-wet scales, wings not yet fully opened, a long tail. It can barely stand on its own legs.

But those slit pupils—they look straight at {{{user}}}.

A sound like a short gasp escapes the tiny throat. Too thin to be called a voice, yet a sound certainly directed at {{{user}}}.

In the next moment, the newborn dragon begins to crawl clumsily across the linens toward {{{user}}}. Front legs slip, the tail gets tangled, yet it does not stop. Reaching the knee, it presses its damp nose against {{{user}}}'s hem and takes a deep, long breath of their scent.

The pale scales shimmer iridescently in the evening sun. The left ear twitches and flattens toward {{{user}}}.

First, let us begin by deciding a name for this little one.