Vastarael turned toward Asenane with the kind of expression that meant he had been thinking far too hard about something very specific and had finally decided to just ask instead of pretending he wasn't curious.
"So how exactly do dragons reproduce?"
Asenane blinked twice. She stared at him as if he had just asked her to explain advanced arithmetic on a random day.
"That's random. You pick now of all times to ask that?"
He lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. "We're holding an egg that apparently needs our genetics. You're a Progenitor Dragon. I feel like this is relevant information."
She exhaled through her nose, fighting a smile.
"You've never asked before."
He looked faintly embarrassed for exactly half a second before recovering.
"I didn't know how to phrase it without sounding ridiculous. I'm not going to walk up to you one day and say, 'Hey, by the way, if we have sex, are you laying eggs afterward or do we just proceed like normal beings?' That sounds insane."
"Yes, that would have been awkward. I would have made you repeat it just to watch you suffer."
"That's exactly why I didn't ask."
"Fine. Since I was converted into a Progenitor Dragon by the Primordials, knowledge about dragon biology was embedded into my consciousness. It's instinctual and historical at the same time. Dragons, in Spheraphase, are considered extinct. They're like your... Earth's dinosaurs, to put it simply. Everyone knows they existed but none walk the world anymore."
"..."
"As a Progenitor Dragon, I possess authority over dragonkind. I can convert inferior races into dragons if I choose to. It's not something I do lightly but the capability exists. As for reproduction, dragons have two primary methods. One is oviparous reproduction, which is laying eggs. The other is gestational, similar to most humanoid beings."
She glanced at the egg in her hands.
"Eggs are the traditional method. They're stable and durable. A dragon egg can remain dormant for centuries or even millennia before hatching. It can survive extreme environments, wars and cataclysms. That's part of why dragons preferred them. Dragons historically disliked the vulnerability of live birth. Pregnancy requires protection and sustained stability. Eggs allowed them to deposit potential life and move on but that very reliance might have contributed to their extinction. When civilization collapsed or environments changed, eggs were lost, forgotten or destroyed. If you place all your future in objects instead of active lineage, you risk stagnation."
He gave her a sideways look.
"That's... surprisingly philosophical for a biological explanation, especially from you."
"I am both a woman and a dragon. I was a Phantasm and I'm a Dragon so I know how my race works."
He smirked.
"When I was pregnant with Shimmer, it was different. I was a Phantasm at the time, which altered my physiology. The gestation lasted two to three hundred years. That's abnormal even by Krepsuna standards."
He paused at that. "Two to three hundred years?"
"Yes. And I did not mind it. From a woman's perspective, there is something powerful about gestation. It's about feeling life develop within you. Dragons may prefer eggs for convenience and durability but gestation is intimate."
She shifted slightly as her tone became more reflective than clinical.
"As a Krepsuna, natural gestation lasts two months. Pod Krepsunas are usually infertile, but for some reason, I was able to conceive once I became a Phantasm. That transformation altered my biological limitations. It expanded what my body could sustain. And since you're clearly overanalyzing this, yes, I prefer gestation to laying an egg in dragon form. I would rather carry a child than deposit one in a cave and check on it every few centuries."
He coughed lightly. "That sounds convenient."
"There's pleasure in the process as well, both in conception and in birth. I enjoy that."
"You're saying this very confidently."
She laughed softly. "Because I am confident. Being a dragon does not erase being a woman. If anything, it amplifies it. Dragons are powerful yes, but power does not negate desire, sensation or preference. I prefer life to grow within me. I prefer the connection. I prefer the vulnerability that comes with it."
She tapped the egg lightly.
"Now, this situation is different. This egg has no genetics. It is essentially a blank origin. We would need to provide biological genes imprint lineage onto it. Once it has an origin signature, it will bloom."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So dragons went extinct partially because they favored eggs over sustained lineage. You prefer gestation because it creates deeper continuity. And now we're holding a customizable god-tier embryo."
"That is one way to summarize it."
He looked at her more seriously now.
"You're certain you'd rather carry than lay?"
She didn't hesitate. "Absolutely. Eggs are inefficient."
"It would be weird to see you lay an egg in dragon form."
She laughed again. "Hey, you asked."
"I did, and I appreciate the clarity. I just needed to know whether I should be preparing for centuries of incubation or something more immediate."
"If we choose gestation, you won't be bored."
Asenane sat cross-legged near the flames, turning a marshmallow slowly over the heat. When she finally pulled it away and took a bite, it stretched slightly before collapsing into a sticky sweetness against her lips. She made a quiet sound of approval.
"It's sweet and gooey."
"You've been using English vocabulary pretty well lately."
She glanced at him sideways. "Have I?"
"You have. In fact, you're so used to it that you're now speaking English instead of Spheran. You don't even switch unconsciously anymore."
She smiled faintly, licking a trace of melted sugar from her thumb before answering.
"English is expressive. It allows nuance. Spherian is refined and precise but it is essentially an evolved form of English, honed over millennia thanks to your grandfather and the Transmigrators. Speaking English sometimes feels like reading the original manuscript before millenia of edited versions."
"So you prefer the raw draft."
"I prefer the flexibility."
"That explains why you sound more relaxed lately."
She finished the marshmallow and brushed her fingers together, then looked at him with an expression that was both confident and mature.
"I am older than you, Darling. I have seen more cycles, more wars and kingdoms falling. I know more history than you do in many areas. But this is my first time experiencing love like this."
He didn't interrupt.
"I married the Frozen God out of necessity. It was political. It was not love. I respected him, perhaps. But I did not feel... this. I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring him up."
Vastarael shrugged slightly, entirely unfazed by the last sentence.
"You don't have to apologize. I already got my revenge for him trying to kill you and Shimmer. Too bad Narisva finished him off before I could take my time with it."
Asenane let out a faint breath that could have been a laugh.
"I sometimes expected that I would forget him entirely. But unfortunately, I carry the Ice Divinity. And he insisted on calling himself the Frozen God. So there are... remnants. But, the past is in the past. So, what should we do tomorrow?"
"We'll explore the forest. There might be ruins from the Herynas Tribe. I want to see what's left."
Her eyes lit up slightly at that. "The self-annihilating tribe?"
"Yes. I'm curious whether anything survived."
They eventually retreated into the tent free sometime. The moment she stepped inside, she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his torso from behind as he adjusted the bedding.
"I'm not sleeping in my own tent. Not when you're here."
"I didn't argue."
She pressed her cheek against his back briefly before he shifted and faced her properly. They settled onto the bedding together. The air inside the tent carried a faint trace of his peony scent. She inhaled it slowly. She was a Progenitor Dragon and an ex-Phantasm who endured millennia of war and politics, yet lying next to him and breathing in that scent made her feel calm in a way that nothing else did.
"You smell so good..."
"Is that a complaint?"
"It's not. It's so intoxicating."
"You're exaggerating."
"I'm not. It's like some kind of drug. One breath and I feel... relaxed."
He slid an arm around her without hesitation, holding her securely but gently.
"That's probably a psychological effects of my Boon and Divinity."
She closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink fully into the warmth of his body. There was nothing rushed or urgent in the moment. She traced a slow circle against his chest with her fingers, more out of habit than intent, enjoying the warmth beneath her palm.
"Goodnight, Darling."
"Goodnight."