Back in the den, a temporary occupant lay listless.
Orien did not expect to be hit with this kind of pain.
And that was saying something, considering he hadn't even flinched much when he learned he'd been handed back to the clan as an egg and definitely left with no way to contact his parents.
Sure, it had been confusing. Disorienting. But it didn't hurt this bad.
That pain dulled even further once he learned the way of dragons. That was apparently common; after all, dragons may even have issues with their own reflections.
Harsh, yes.
Cold, absolutely.
But he had been lucky. Lord Karion and Lady Cirila, who turned out to be his grandparents, were powerful. Respected. And his mother? Although she left him like that, it was still thanks to the fact that she was Dragon Lord Kael's cousin that he'd been able to remain relatively comfortable.
Not bad cards to be dealt, all things considered.
Definitely not as bad as... this.
Because this? This was emotional obliteration.
