By sunset, the world had begun to change.
The golden warmth of day faded slowly behind the mountains, and shadows stretched across the forest as darkness gently claimed the land. The first stars shimmered awake above the trees, while the river below the mountain glowed with the distant lantern lights of Tel Am.
Tonight was sacred.
The night when the dead were said to return.
Inside the cottage, the warmth of family laughter filled every corner.
They had spent the entire day talking, sharing stories, and catching up on everything Eliot had missed during his travels. Together, they carefully crafted the small boat lantern they would later send drifting down the river, carrying their prayers and offerings to the spirits of their ancestors.
Lucy moved around the cottage, preparing the things they would bring to the celebration.
"Lily," she said gently, "just bring one toy with you, alright?"
"Yes, Mama," Lily replied obediently.
She hurried toward the corner where she usually kept her favorite toy—a little dragon carved from oak wood.
Her father had given it to her when she was only one year old, before he began his life as a traveling merchant.
But when she reached for it…
It wasn't there.
Lily frowned.
She searched beneath the blanket chest.
Behind the chair.
Near the window.
Nothing.
A small ache of disappointment settled in her chest.
"Are you looking for something, dear?" Eliot asked as he finished tying his boots.
Lily looked up at him, her green eyes dimmed with worry.
"Papa… I can't find my dragon toy," she said softly. "I think I lost it."
Eliot's expression immediately softened.
He crouched in front of her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"When did you last have it?"
Lily thought carefully.
"At breakfast," she said after a moment. "I had it outside with me."
Eliot smiled reassuringly.
"Then we'll find it together."
The warmth in his voice eased the worry in her chest.
"Thank you, Papa."
Without another word, Eliot lifted her into his arms and carried her outside.
Night had fully settled by then.
The moon hung high above the forest, silver light spilling across the cottage yard. Fireflies drifted lazily through the air, their tiny glowing bodies making the darkness feel almost magical.
Together, they searched around the breakfast table, beneath the chairs, and near the flower beds.
Still nothing.
"Wait here for a moment," Eliot said gently, setting Lily down near the caravan. "I'll check the other side."
Lily nodded.
For a while, all she could hear was the rustle of leaves, the distant sounds of the Tel Am festival below, and her father's footsteps moving through the yard.
Then—
A whisper.
Soft.
Gentle.
Almost like wind brushing against her ear.
Lily…
She froze.
Her heartbeat skipped.
The voice was a woman's—warm, distant, and strangely familiar, though she had never heard it before.
Lily looked back toward the cottage window.
Lucy was still inside.
Her father remained in the yard, searching.
The voice hadn't come from either of them.
A chill slipped down Lily's spine, but beneath the fear was something stronger.
Curiosity.
Then the whisper came again.
Lily… come.
This time it drifted from the caravan.
Lily swallowed.
Her mother had told her stories about Tel Am, about how the veil between worlds grew thin on nights like this.
Was this one of the spirits?
Her fingers tightened around the hem of her dress.
For one tiny moment, she almost called for Eliot.
But the whisper didn't feel frightening.
It felt… inviting.
Like it had been waiting for her.
Slowly, Lily tiptoed toward the caravan, careful not to make a sound.
The wooden ladder creaked softly beneath her tiny feet as she climbed.
Inside, the darkness was thick and smelled faintly of leather, cedar, and the distant spices her father traded from other lands.
Then she saw it.
A light.
Soft and pulsing.
Her breath caught.
At the far end of the caravan rested an egg.
A dragon egg.
Lily had only ever heard of them in bedtime stories and old legends Lucy sometimes told by candlelight.
But this…
This was real.
Its scales shimmered with a pale inner light, shifting between silver, pearl, and faint hints of blue. It was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Beautiful.
Otherworldly.
Her small dragon toy suddenly felt like nothing compared to this.
Lily stepped closer, barely daring to breathe.
The egg seemed to glow brighter with every step she took.
Her tiny fingers trembled.
She remembered the Tel Am stories again—the spirits, the dead, the gates of heaven opening.
For one moment, fear brushed against her heart.
Then she felt it.
Warmth.
Not from the air.
From the egg itself.
It was calling to her.
Slowly, she reached out.
The instant her fingers touched the shell, warmth flooded through her entire body.
Her breath hitched.
It felt like sunlight spreading through her chest.
Like a heartbeat.
No—
two heartbeats.
Her own.
And the egg's.
They pulsed together in perfect rhythm.
Her green eyes widened, glowing faintly in the reflected light.
Then the woman's voice returned, clearer this time.
Take care of it, Lily.
The whisper wrapped around her like a blessing.
It is yours now.
Lily spun around.
No one.
Only shadows.
Only moonlight.
Only the silent breathing of the night.
When she looked back at the egg, something deep inside her already knew the truth.
It belonged to her.
With careful hands, she lifted it into her arms.
It was warm.
Alive.
Precious.
The heartbeat continued, steady against her chest.
Then—
"Lily?"
Her father's voice.
She gasped.
Footsteps approached.
Quickly, she spotted a folded cloak nearby and wrapped it around the egg, hiding its glow.
"I'm here, Papa," she called, stepping out of the caravan.
Eliot turned, relief softening his face.
"There you are." He patted her head gently. "Where did you go?"
Lily hesitated.
For a second, she glanced toward the hidden egg.
"I thought I heard Mama calling my name," she said softly.
Eliot nodded, accepting the answer without suspicion.
"I found your dragon toy."
He held out the little carved dragon.
Lily smiled and carefully took it, holding both her toy and her secret close.
"Thank you, Papa."
He smiled warmly.
"Come now. Let's go to the village and celebrate Tel Am together."
Lily nodded.
But before following him, she glanced back one last time toward the hidden egg.
Moonlight touched the folds of the cloak.
And beneath it, a soft glow pulsed like a living star.
Lily's chest tightened with wonder.
It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
And somehow, she knew—
This night had changed everything.