The volcanic winds swirled around them as Serelyth and Lira moved through the plateau, the hatchlings fluttering nervously around their mother. The white dragon's scales shimmered under the sun, catching the light like molten silver, and her eyes glimmered with an unusual warmth.
"Child," Serelyth rumbled, her voice both gentle and commanding, "you have proven yourself in ways few could imagine. You have fire, courage, and heart beyond your years. There is something I wish to give you—an emblem of our bond, so you may carry a part of me always."
Lira's eyes widened as the massive dragon bent one wing slightly, revealing a single, enormous scale along her side, glinting like polished crystal with veins of silver and soft blue. Carefully, Serelyth detached it with a faint shimmer, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
"Take it," she said. "Keep it with you, child. This is a piece of me, a mark of trust and friendship that binds us."
