"The blue of the sky began to turn into a deep, shimmering gold. The light was so blinding that Callem had to cover his eyes, while bubbly Alexis stood there with her mouth wide open in shock.
'Look!' someone shouted, pointing toward the sky.
A transparent figure was descending from between the clouds. It was as clear as water, yet a sun-like light was bursting from it. As the figure drew closer, a strange restlessness spread among all the dragons present on the field.
Ignis—the powerful red dragon belonging to Callem, the General's son—who had been standing so proudly until now, suddenly began to tremble. He lowered his head and slowly sank to his knees. One by one, every dragon in the field, whether big or small, lay down on the ground. It was a sight as if an entire army had bowed down in honor of its King.
A whisper raced through the teachers and ministers standing on the stairs. 'Is this possible?' an elderly master said, clutching his staff. 'I had only heard in ancient stories that a dragon would come before whom every living creature would bow.'
Up on the balcony, King Oceanus's fists tightened. He was staring at that transparent dragon like a statue. Finally, the one they had been waiting for had appeared.
Queen Elara grabbed the King's arm with a trembling hand. 'My Lord, what is so special about this dragon? Why is everyone silent?' she whispered."
Oceanus's voice was very low and serious, "Because this is no ordinary guardian, Elara. This is the First King of Dragons. He can read emotions. He doesn't breathe fire—he breathes lava. He can remain invisible, and he possesses powers that even we don't fully understand. This breed of dragon hasn't been seen for ages. We heard news of his birth fifteen years ago, but no one knew where he was. The fact that he came here on his own today means something very important is happening."
"My Lord, look! That dragon is going toward our daughter...! Could he hurt our child?"
"My Queen, you have forgotten... dragons do not hurt our people."
In the middle of the field, the magnificent dragon was now right in front of Zara. He was floating in the air, his large blue eyes peering deep into hers. Zara saw that his body was as transparent as glass, with light passing right through it. He began to circle around her. He looked at Zara with his large eyes and sensed that this girl's mind and heart were as vast as his own.
In the crowd, the students were whispering to each other. "Is he really going to choose Zara? She doesn't even have any magic!" one girl whispered into her friend's ear.
Zara heard all their voices, but her entire focus was on this stranger. She slowly reached out her hand. As soon as her fingers touched that cold, magical skin, a gust of cold air swept across the entire field.
Suddenly, he turned tiny and vanished. Zara was startled for a moment and started looking around, but then she realized someone was sitting on her shoulder.
When she looked from the corner of her eye, she saw that the dragon had become small and was perched on her shoulder. He began to stroke her cheeks with his soft tail.
The dragon affectionately rested his head on Zara's shoulder. He had become so small that he could now fit right in her arms.
Zara looked into his eyes and felt as if he wasn't a stranger, but a long-lost companion.
She said very softly, only into his ear, "Everyone is calling you by strange names... but to me, you are just 'Vane'."
As soon as that name left Zara's lips, a spark appeared in Vane's eyes. He made a small, happy sound and hugged her neck tightly.
Every student, teacher, and even the King himself had the same expression on their faces—astonishment and deep respect.
The princess with no powers had today found the very thing the entire world had been searching for for thousands of years.
Everyone in the field still stood like statues.
King Oceanus slowly walked down the stairs. The heaviness was gone from his face today; instead, a father's pride was shining through.
King Oceanus came close to Zara and placed his hand on her shoulder. As soon as Vane saw the King, he made a small sound and hid back into Zara's hair.
The King smiled and said, "My child, I knew you were special. You might not have the magic to throw fire from your hands like others, but your intellect and your heart are like no other. 'Vane' has chosen you, which means he saw a capability in you that perhaps even we couldn't see. Today, you have proven that true strength does not lie in magic, but in a person's very being."
Queen Elara also came forward and hugged Zara. There were tears of joy in her eyes. All the students and teachers in the field bowed together to honor their princess.
The King announced, "Today, let the entire kingdom celebrate like a grand festival!"
Everyone erupted in cheers, and big smiles broke out on every face.
As evening fell, all of Abyssonia turned into something like a golden dream. Magical glowing vines were hung across the blue buildings of the city. Floating lamps flickered in the air, glowing without oil, moving only to the rhythm of the music.
The scent of flowers was everywhere, and people were dancing and singing in the streets.
A massive feast was held in the large courtyard of the palace. Long tables were covered with sweet fruits from the blue sea and magical syrups. Everyone was happy, but Zara's entire focus was on her new friend, 'Vane.'
Vane was not behaving like a serious king at all. He was acting exactly like a naughty child. Whenever Zara sat down to eat, Vane would suddenly turn invisible and make her favorite fruit vanish from her plate.
"Hey! Where did my fruit go?" Zara would look around in surprise. Then, Vane would suddenly reappear in the air, teasing Zara while munching on the fruit.
"You are so mischievous, Vane!" Zara would laugh and try to catch him, but Vane would become so tiny that he wouldn't even fit in her grasp.
Just then, Callem and Alexis arrived with their own dragons.
"Princess! The real fun of the celebration is in the sky," Callem said, mounting his red dragon, Ignis.
Alexis was already seated on her white dragon, Lunar. "Hurry up, Zara! Today we are going beyond the clouds."
Zara looked at Vane. "Are we ready?"
Vane let out a long roar, and right before her eyes, he grew large enough for Zara to sit comfortably on his back. His transparent skin was now shimmering like silver.
The three friends took off toward the sky on their dragons.
Alexis was shouting, "Look how high I am!"
Callem was flying carefully as usual, but Zara and Vane had a completely different style. Every now and then, Vane would suddenly disappear and pop up behind Callem's dragon to scare him.
Seeing Vane's antics, Callem yelled, "Vane! If anything happens to the Princess, I will punish you myself!" Concern for the Princess was clearly visible in Callem's eyes.
"Vane, fly straight!" Zara shouted, trying to stop her laughter, but Vane was in a playful mood. He started performing acrobatics in the air. Zara held onto his neck tightly. She wasn't feeling scared at all.
Leaving the sparkling lights of Abyssonia far below, the three of them were now among the high clouds. They lay back on their dragons and stared at the sky. There was peace everywhere, with only the sound of the dragons' wings echoing in their ears.
After a while, the three of them returned to the ground, exhausted.
Zara's two friends had headed to their homes. Vane placed one of his wings on the ground so the Princess could step down easily. As soon as she got off, Vane shrank to the size of a cat and perched on the Princess's shoulder.
The noise of the celebration had now faded. On the highest balcony of the palace, from where all of Abyssonia looked like a glowing blue carpet, King Oceanus and Zara stood together. The cool night air played with Zara's silver hair, and Vane—now as tiny as a kitten—sat on Zara's palm, trying to catch the floating lamps in the air.
The King looked at his daughter. There was a unique sense of peace in his eyes today.
"Zara," the King called out softly. His voice held both a father's love and a King's gravity. "Everyone is calling this a miracle, but the truth is, your destiny and Vane's were linked the very day you stepped into this world.
Zara looked at the King with her large eyes. "The day I was born? But Mother says it was raining very heavily that day."