Crystal stood in the snow, the last of the shimmering dust still dissolving into her skin. The chill in the air no longer bit at her the way it used to. It felt like the world had shifted around her, like the winds now recognized her as something else, something more.
She looked up at the Dragon God again. It hadn't moved. The creature stood like a monument carved from time itself, wings folded with elegance, expression unreadable.
But now that her fear had faded, something else was beginning to bloom inside her. Curiosity. Respect. Maybe even something bordering on reverence.
"I don't understand," she said, stepping forward with slow, uncertain steps. "If I had the blood all along... Why didn't I feel it? Why didn't I know?"
The Dragon God watched her, silent for a moment. Then it finally spoke, voice calm and cold, like the ocean in winter.
"Because most do not survive the awakening. The blood sleeps until called. Few ever hear it. Fewer still answer."
