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THE SOUND OF steel clashing against steel was mixed with desperate cries, the sky red as the setting sun. Airships flew overboard whilst beings clad in white and a few more, saffron, rushed to evscuate whoever was unlucky enough to get caught in the fray. Knights in metal armour clashed with warriors in red, the armies exchanging blows of pure energy. Most of the fighters however, looked like men with the head of a wolf. Bare-fisted, they advanced through the ranks of the warriors in silver armour, tearing them to shreds like confetti with added screams as exhoes of a brutal fight. One particularly large wolf-man held a knight by their left pauldron, the man screaming for their life. Be it the loss of their comrades or the scent of the wolf, they were certain that they wanted to live.

A lone woman with hair as black as night, walked slowly amidst the chaos. Shrouded by a mist of some kind, she was not detected by the clashing armies, save a few soldiers with keener eyes.

"Lady Asnara!", one shouted, dodging an incoming bullet fired by a silver clad knight.

The lady looked back for a second, then continued walking. Her long robe of pale gray cotton with black branch-shaped embroidery on the sleeves flowed in the twilight breeze, her crimson eyes looking onwards. In the distance that was diminishing, she could spy the leader of their adversary (that was once their supposed ally), a tall Foxian woman who had long, teal-tipped silver hair in a high ponytail.

Her hand was clutching her chest, the area closest to where her heart - no, where her precious rufuslunae pearl was slumbering, her next self in the never-ending cycle of life.

"Forgive me.", she whispered and took off in a run

She could feel it, the power of Life pulsing through her veins. It was writhing ceaselessly, like a million limbs scrambling to get out and crush whoever was to stand in her way. Asnara closed her eyes; this was not how it was supposed to end.

This is not how it should've been.

But the "should've's" were an impossible dream. As Life's incessant pulsing grew stronger, she knew she had to do something... something to stop the dressed Sky Bow from destroying more than it should.

Two arrows to her stomach caused her to gasp softly, the hold on her heart began tightening. She fell to her knees, breathing slowly in an attempt to calms herself. She could see the silver-haired warrior Feixiao lowering her bow, her turquoise eyes wide. The Foxian rushed towards her, saying something incoherent now that the clutch of death was near.

Asnara looked at herself, and smiled sadly as two of her fingernails into crystal-clear claws; a sure sign for dragons like her that their time was almost up. With a soft smile on her face, she inserted the claws into her chest, drawing out her ichor of molten silver, whilst the general came to a stop, just a few meters away from her.

"What are you doing!?", the enemy general yelled, her hands restraining the dragoness too late. Asnara merely gazed at her friend -turned-adversary, and closed her eyes.

"See you in the next cycle... Saran.", she whispered, and fully thrusted her claws into her injury.

"NO!"

Feixiao aimed her bow, shot the dragoness and watched with horrified eyes as her enemy got erased from existence, the silver ichor mixing with the bloodstained soil of battle. Asnara fell to the ground in a heap, retrieving a jet-black egg from her injured chest.

Feixiao wished she hadn't seen that. Perhaps a part of her was still naive about the world of those blessed by the abundance despite her long years as a hunter of their kind. She reluctantly took the egg from the deceased dtagonrss's hands, and realized with even more horror, that the egg pulsed with life.

Of course, she mused and stood up. She could not wallow and weep in the battlefield, lest the enemy take advantage of her weakness. With deep breaths, she saw the skies a mysterious mist rise from somewhere deep inside the planet's soil and made a run for the nearest cave.

It was hard work defeating as many enemies as she could whilst holding a gigantic dragon's egg under her shoulder. As the skies turned blood-red, blocking out the final rays of the setting sun, she urged herself to run faster, and narrowly missed an arrow aimed at the dragon egg.

A memory flashed in her mind; a time when the deceased dragon and herself had shared tea under the light of the full moon. "Promise me," she had said, holding the general's hand. (The general had no choice but to listen); "Promise me Saran, that when a time should come that I-" "No!", the general had denied, but the dragon shook her head."Saran, you know the curse very well. Should the negotiations between our nations fall through in the worst possible way, I need you to hatch my next self."

"Why me?"

The dragon had moved closer to the general; "because you embody the Hunt the most, no matter how mixed your feelings are towards the Aeon themself. You're part borisan, part foxian."

"Asnara, what has my blood got to do with anything?"

"The borisan, for all their praise of Yaoshi, are primal hunters with extraordinary strength and a one-track mind. Foxians, their tamer counterparts, have the mind for strategy. You're the perfect balance of both."

The general blinked, stunned. "What about this next self of yours?"

"There is a prophecy of Lan coming to this planet.", said the dragon. "One day, the stars shall paint the planet red with the blood of friend and foe alike, doomed to oblivion for the sin of embracing the abundance."

The general traced a finger over the dragon's heart.

"...but one day, the Lunar Lantern shall dispel the red nebula of guilt, and the crimson comet of a soul forever lost, shall guide all erstwhile dragonkin home."

Those words still resounded in her head as she reached the cave. Asnara, dead and that was final. Her rufuslunae pearl had become the dragon egg that would hatch her next self. The general walled in the darkness of the cavern, removing her coat in the process and realized with silent distress that she didn't have anything suitable for wrapping a baby.

She reached the center of the cavern, which had a fairly large hole above a small lake, a sight she didn't know she needed. Kneeling near the shore, she took off her gloves, summoned a dipper from a secret storage, scooped up water from the lake, and washed her hands clean. She placed the dragon's egg above the water, gently stroking the scaly surface that reflected the crimson light of the afternoon sky.

The egg started to crack, releasing silvery dust into the air which eventually settled on the water, casting a particular sheen on the surface. Feixiao moved closer, her face almost too close to the cracking egg, and quickly pulled away as more of the shell fell off and into the water. By nightfall, the egg had a hole enough for Feixiao to safely take the newborn and reincarnated dragonet into her arms.

"She's beautiful.", Feixiao whispered and leaned down to look at the infant more closely. Carefully, she washed the child off the fluids that had protected her in addition to the eggshell, and sighed. Such beauty shouldn't have a bloody military coat for a wrap, but she had not brought anything else with her. With a heavy heart, she carefully wrapped the baby in the coat and waited for the little one to start crying.

She didn't.

In fact, her pulse was weaker than she had hoped. Feixiao abruptly stood up, returned her dipper to a secret storage, and impulsively dipped her bare toes (she had taken off her shoes some time ago) into the lake.

No no no no, not like this!, came her frantic thought. The sky was fully crimson now, the sun had set and she couldn't hear any sounds of battle outside. Now, another battle was being fought and it was against something Feixiao didn't quite want to happen to this little one - death itself.

Or was it Lan's rage at being denied the chance to shoot an Emenator of Yaoshi's blessings who, in her last moments of rationality, chose to end herself before the Hunt could?

Please, shooting star, she silently prayed. In her many years as a warrior, she had never anticipated such a betrayal during a formal dinner; whoever wanted Asnara dead must have held a grudge against her as well, and it was clearly one of the many Borisans who had been invited to a wedding-turned-massacre. Then, negotiations utterly broke down between the Yaoqing and Tanglaw, which led to her current predicament. Spare her; she is just a seed waiting to grow. She has done no wrong, please let her live a dragon's life...

Feixiao wept. She hadn't cried like this in a long while; not when she lost Nergul (she still recalled that fateful night), nor the time she lost countless comrades in battle. What had made this child so special that she would cry while the newborn inched closer to death? Perhaps she's the daughter I've always wanted . A little Naran to care for- no, most definitely not!

She couldn't do anything more than hold the child close to her; the air was getting colder and she didn't want the baby to be even more vulnerable than she already was.

Lan would perhaps not answer her prayer, as an Aeon was wont to do. THEY could never understand anything outside of "the Hunt"- THEY would never care about a dying dragon; especially one whom Yaoshi seemed to favour. The same could be applied to Yaoshi. THEY will never understand anything outside of "the Abundance", whatever that could be.

And then, she cried - quite loudly and so suddenly that Feixiao almost let her go. Did the Aeons hear her prayer after all? Did Lan actually spare her this time?

Maybe it was Yaoshi who intervened? In that case, lucky for her until the curse of the Abundance consumes her soul. Then, Feixiao would know that she had lost Asnara - or rather, her new self, forever.

Then, the babe became quiet but the general did not have to worry. She's alive, she told herself. She'll hopefully live a long and happy life.

Emerging from the cave with the child in hand, she was both saddened and relieved that the soldiers had taken respite in their camps. For miles, all she could see was the barren land and several fallen weapons. Tonight, the sky was glowing crimson as the full moon came into view from behind the eastern mountain ranges. The infant stirred in her sleep, her little hands feeling around the general's clothing (she was looking for something to drink). Feixiao felt like a failure; what did baby dragons drink?

She was thankful for stopping at a cavern nearest to the capital, for she could spot the closed gateways of the city. Summoning her courage and holding the baby even closer to her chest, she leaped skyward and let her spirit helper, a glowing, greenish wolf, gather the power of the wind.

She was already a fast runner, but having a baby needed her to speed up even more, if the new life form should survive. She managed to avoid an arrow aimed at her (even using some passing toy kites as stepping stones), and landed in front of the palace.

"Halt!", shouted a guard, who drew his spear. Feixiao raised a brow. The baby woke from her slumber and started to wail. Feixiao stared at the drawn spear and the crying child, confused because she didn't know how to placate the latter.

"Please sir, I just wanted to-", she stopped speaking and looked down. The baby was still crying, but her eyes were open.

What beautiful eyes, Feixiao observed. The child was fussing about, looking up at the red sky with fear, her eyes reflecting the same colour, perhaps imbibing them for herself.

The guard lowered her weapon, gave the general a long glance, and took the infant from her arms. He raised an eyebrow when he realized that the child was wrapped in his enemy's coat. Feixiao watched him calm the child down, before moving the coat, exposing her back and revealing a curious detail that Feixiao hadn't seen before.

It was a mark shaped like a crescent moon and something like an arrowhead striking it. Feixiao looked up at the night sky, then at the guard, and back to the sky.

"You shall explain yourself to the Konsul Bundok.", declared the guard. "for killing our judge and hatching her next self and branding her with the hunt's mark."

Feixiao didn't have a choice. Perhaps this could prove valuable in the future. Besides, it was never my intent to kill anyone over dinner.

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The Konsul Bundok could be compared to the leadership of the Vidyadhara. Both were draconic species, though the Red Planet's dragons, locally known as the Bakunawa, worshipped Yaoshi (and wree in fact, the closest faction to ever follow THEM in the planet). Feixiao could only wonder how they hadn't grown insane from their blessings, and as soon as she started climbing the steep slopes of Mt. Pugon, where the castle was located, slowly understood why.

The climb had its ways of taking the mind off their troubles, which was proven (according to the logs at the Alchemy Commission) to hasten the onset of Mara; after all, long-life species had only so much space for memories.

Hinilawod Fort was a castle that was quite large for its high altitude. It was made of fine white limestone, enchanted to never weather or fall to natural disasters. It had twelve slim, white towers (although one was barely visible) that were connected to each other using bridges made of a special kind of crystal that gave off a magical sheen when exposed to the light.

"That is a beautiful castle.", she told the guard who was escorting her and the sleeping infant. She was pointing out the fortress in the distance. The baby started to move around slightly, prompting Feixiao to adjust the coat.

"Hold still, Naran.", she almost cooed; "I don't want you to fall."

The guard gave no remark on the child's temporary name, instead choosing to answer Feixiao's praise for the castle.

"Indeed. The dragons also knew how to make it difficult to pass. Here, give this hatchling the mask.", he offered. Feixiao stopped walking, and placed the mask on Naran, who had thankfully behaved. The air was getting thinner the longer they climbed, and she was grateful to the guard that he had an infant-sized mask on hand.

Suddenly, something rather large approached the trio from above, startling Naran so much, she yelped. Feixiao held her close as the guard gave whoever it was some unknown hand signal, making the giant beast, which turned out to be a flying horse, land slowly towards the ground. Its rider appeared to be of noble birth, given the apparent quality of his blue robes. He had silver hair that reminded Feixiao of a certain, "dozing" colleague of hers, and bright, blue eyes that looked closer to indigo than actual blue. He had dark brown skin, a wrinkled face and a stern expression that softened slightly upon seeing the baby.

"So, you brought her with you."

Feixiao nodded. She petted Naran's hair, making her calm down enough to only let out soft giggles while looking around at the world with her dark crimson eyes. Cute, she told herself and was tempted to pinch the baby's round cheeks.

"You'll arrive faster on the back of this horse.", offered the older gentleman. The guard silently gave Feixiao a nod, so the general decided to ride the flying horse, and off it flew above the mountain range.

Feixiao looked down at the view from above. The forest, though shrouded by the newly formed mist, still looked quite elegant and magical in their own way. She was careful not to let go of Naran, lest she would be forever lost. Feixiao could also see how there was a narrow gateway that looked inaccessible to carriages but was not the case for horses or donkeys. Eventually, they reached a sort of wall made of crystal, they went beyond it, and landed on the castle courtyard.

"This way, General.", said the gentleman, who dismounted the flying horse. Feixiao too followed his lead and let him lead the way up the spiral staircase to a pair of mahogany coloured doors which opened once the older man knocked.

The hallway was nearly empty, aside from the guards and servants who gave the occasional glance oe a soft remark to each other. Feixiao was used to this; after all, she herself had been a bit of an outlier all her life. What she wasn't used to, was being glanced at while holding a child.

"Isn't that the Yaoqing general?"

"What is she doing here?"

"She slew our dragon lady, how has she still had the face to show up?"

"I sure hope she brought Asnara's reincarnation."

Feixiao tensed. She felt slightly intimidated by this new species of dragons breathing down her neck, especially because of what happened during the battle. The older gentleman shushed the servants, sending them away with a hand signal.

"Apologies for the chilling welcome, but given the incident that befell this hall the last time you were here, it is inevitable."

"It was never my intention to attend a wedding turned massacre.", replied Feixiao. "The most important question is; how did the Borisan infiltrate the castle?"

"That, general is under investigation. It is a shame how this incident caused a war between Tanglaw and the Xianzhou Alliance. We knew that we lost the moment Asnara died."

A guard passed by and opened the doors for Feixiao and the gentleman, which was the cue for them to enter the Skyhall.

The Skyhall was a long and austere hall, with walls made of blue-veined white marble. It was decorated with rows of slim fluted pillars and a blue silk carpet. At the end of it sat six thrones carved of narra, each for the six (now five) judges of the dragon's council. It had narrow, arched windows, between which were torches mounted on high iron or silver sconces.

The Moon Door was a large, round narra door that stood between two slender pillars halfway in the Slyhall. A full moon painted red, surrounded by a wreath of withered leaves was carved into the door, which opened inward and was barred by three heavy bronze bars. The door opened into the sky. Most executions at the fort used this door, which opened onto a thousand foot drop to the stones of the valley below.

The other four judges were sat on their thrones, and the gentleman, who seemed to be the oldest of the group, climbed one of two sets of spiral staircases that met at the center which surrounded the six thrones. Feixiao took in more of the sights, spotting another narra door underneath the staircases, labelled "Preparation Room"

"Let's drop the formalities for the sheer absurdity of the situation.", said one of the ladies on her throne. She had long, black curls that faded to a rich, warm brown at the tips, a soft face and striking, olive green eyes. "How is it that you of all people, hatched that child?"

Feixiao looked away. This was getting more complicated than ever. She could tell them a few details like -

"I promised Asnara that I would, if she is to die in this war."

That got the judges looking at each other. It was, dare they said, unusual for the sixth (and arguably, the most important) judge to promise something to an enemy, or rather, the leader of an ally turned enemy.

"Promised how?"

"It was during one of our meetings...", she then relayed the events of that moonlit night.

"It has been four or five cycles of her life and we still haven't found the answer to our atmospheric conundrum.", sighed the old gentleman. "I hope she made the right choice in entrusting this to you."

Atmospheric conundrum?, mused Feixiao. "W-what do you mean?"

"Tanglaw is known as the Red Planet, for the mist that veils it all year. It has been there since its earliest days, and has gotten worse just now.", explained the old gentleman.

A handmaiden walked up to Feixiao, and extended both arms, subtly asking for Naran. Feixiao had half a mind to hand over the baby, but the little one had other ideas - she held on to one of the trinkets on Feixiao's undershirts.

"You do know that wrapping her in a bloodstained military coat isn't very ideal?", said another male judge, who was younger than the other gentleman. He had deep brown hair, a stern face, and looked as if he wanted to snatch Naran out of Feixiao's grip.

"I didn't have anything else on me.", who carefully removed Naran's surprisingly strong grip on a golden charm on her right sleeve. The handmaiden carefully took the girl, who looked very disappointed, silently promising to be back shortly.

A messenger swiftly entered through a side door on the right of the main entrance, between two of the arched windows. He ran up the stairs and whispered something to the olive eyed judge.

"If I may ask, Your Honor, has anyone found the Borisan responsible for the... massacre?", Feixiao inquired cautiously. She was starting to miss holding that baby drsgon.

"Yes." the olive eyed judge replied. "His name is Mok Tok, leader of one of those stateless packs out there. Although he's currently imprisoned, he has refused to say anything about his infiltration tactics."

"Why would he? Criminals don't admit their offenses."

"I was hoping they at least had a code of honour, like not assassinating people at a wedding."

"Clearly they didn't, and now we- you've lost a dragon."

The olive eyed judge stood from her throne, eyes narrowing. "I would advise you to hold that tongue, General. "

"I am only telling the truth."

"Deshna, sit down.", reminded the older gentleman. Deshna crossed her arm and returned to her seat, muttering "Unthinkable!"

"General Feixiao, I understand your concerns regarding the Borisan. What I am curious about, is why Asnara did what she did."

"For want of a better explanation, it all comes down to her beliefs. I myself can't understand it."

The other judges placed their palms on their foreheads.

Feixiao observed the seated five. Out of all of them, olive-eyed Deshna seemed the most against what had happened. From the way she looked at Feixiao, it appeared as if Deshna had some unresolved things with the recently reincarnated dragon.

"Fine.", she finally muttered. The oldw gentleman closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh. "Deshna, go send a falcon to our soldiers on the field. You too, General."

"Asnawi-"

"This can't go on for longer now that we've lost her. Besides, we practically sent Mok Tom's cronies as fodder for the Yaoqing as penalty."

Feixiao's eyes widened; That certainly explains why there were plenty of Borisan foot soldiers in the last battle.

"Your quarters will be at Laon's Holdfast, the westernmost tower in the fort. Go rest, General; you'll have some explaining to do.", Asnawi all but ordered.

"I must thank you for your accommodation, Your Honors. "

The judges merely nodded, and as Feixiao was escorted to her temporary quartets, she couldn't help but notice Deshna staring at her back. Feixiao didn't dwell on it for long; it would do her no good to speculate on what the judge was thinking of.

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Later, the five judges gathered in a secret room on the Tower of Lisuga, the northernmost and highest point in the castle. It was barely visible even from up close, being made entirely of frosted quartz that could blend in with the clouds, and white marble flooring. The roof itself was made of crystal, allowing one to view the discolored skies above.

Halfway through the room was a round, in-ground tub, currently empty from disuse, across from it was a four-poster bed draped in ivory silk and an outer layer of red mosquito nets. The bed was unused too, in favor of a wooden crib with red, leaf-like crystals for embellishments. The baby slept inside, freshly bathed and fed with warm milk.

"This is the second time I've seen her this small.", Asnawi remarked.

"For how long did Asnara live?", asked Deshna. Asnawi turned to his fellow judge and paused before speaking his mind. "Long enough to have known Hoolay in childhood.".

"Truly?"

"Yes. None of the Red Dragon's incarnation lived for as long as she did, and that was just her fifth cycle."

Deshna pondered over the information. Hoolay was the Warhead of the Borisan, now imprisoned in the Xianzhou Luofu for five hundred years. He had been leader for two millennia, which had marked him as the longest reigning leader in Borisan history.

"Were they friends? Hoolay must have been sane once."

"He was indeed sane once upon a time. It has been almost three millennia since then."

Menandro, another of the judges, strode over to the crib. Despite his flowing, sky-blue robes, it could not hide the tone of his shoulders and his stern face was staring daggers at the blissfully unaware baby.

"Does she have a name yet?", he spoke with such a deep voice that it seemed to rumble. This caught the attention of the two other judges, one of whom was a male who had grayimg, brown hair and purple eyes, the other, a female with platinum blonde hair and golden eyes. Both wore sky-blue robes but only the male had his sleeves rolled up.

"N-no, not that we know of." replied Deshna.

The guard, whom Asnawi had briefly seen accompanying Feixiao on the climb, entered the room to light a candle or two. "Forgive my boldness, Judge Asnawi, but I believe Feixiao addressed her as "Naran"."

""Naran"? That's a Borisan's name. Who does she think she is?"

"There have been talks, Deshna.", explained Menandro's companion; "People are saying that Feixiao is half-Boriaan. You can't blame her for giving our dragon a name she must've thought of."

"It's rather ironic.", remarked Menandro. "A dragon of the crimson moon, bearing a wolf's name. "Naran" means something like "sun " in the Borisan tongue."

"You know that, how?"

"Mok Tok of all people, told me before the betrayal."

"She does not deserve a Borisan's name.", said Menandro, before he finally picked up the infant. "I would give the general credit where it's due; we couldn't just address this hatchling with the name of her past self."

"We need something else for that.", continued Deshna. "How about... 'Adhara'?"

"We have too many Adharas to count." Asnawi protested.

"Lingayan, after the queen." Deshna suggested, earning her a glare from Menandro.

"A possible candidate, unless you want her to be confused with the actual monarch."

Naran looked up at the people around her. Menandro adjusted his hold on her so that she wouldn't see his face. "Ulan, do you have any suggestions?"

Ulan placed a hand over his graying brown hair and nodded silently. A war had permanently taken his voice from him, so he could only communicate by writing or hand signals or writing on a whiteboard, which he had left somewhere in the castle.

*Hiraya*., he signed. *It means "imagination" or "vision". We can always call her "Raya" on less formal occasions.*

The other officials nodded. It was much better for her to have a local name than that of a treacherous group's. They knew that Feixiao would be disappointed, but who was she to decide?

The discolored moon, soon reached the peak of the sky and when no one was awake to see it, a star-like being left something for the newborn dragon.

Shackles.

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