Once Upon a Story [ SLOW UPDATES ]

Dragon Heart

This was confusing to write. I honestly don't know if I got half the imperial system right. But I tried. On the other hand, this was super fun to write! I would definitely write something like this again.

Part two coming soon-ish I have 2 assignments to do and a midterm to study for so will probs write it after. If I publish part two before Tuesday, y'all know I was procrastinating😂

Prompt: I got it from a website
-> https://writingexercises.co.uk/fantasy-plot-generator.php
I'm not sure if I can share it so I won't include it, but this is the format of the prompt (kinda give you an idea of how it works — picture above).

The names are from a fantasy name generator
-> https://m.fantasynamegenerators.com

Word count: 2190
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Welcome to Shengong: the floating city of the Tianlong Empire. Held in orbit by chains of qi, it reigned as the empire's most mysterious sect. The intense cold and constant blizzards made it difficult for regular humans to live on it. But a family, long ago, managed to populate the land with its way of cultivation. The Chen family resided at the heart of the sect, in a palace built atop caverns of ice. As human-dragon hybrids, there were the only ones fit to survive on the island. And to everyone's surprise, they were a distant branch of the Imperial family, which gained them recognition.

It was the dawn of winter, and Chen Huixin, head of the family, had foreseen the first snow. As customary, they would hold a feast in honour of Tianlong, the Dragon Emperor: founder of their empire and the Chen family's dragon ancestor.

"Mother, when will Father open the gates?"

"Patience, my child," the woman replied. "The festivities will start soon. Why don't you train with your brothers to pass the time?"

"I don't think I should–"

"Tianxin!"

The girl hid behind her mother as one of her brothers stomped inside the room. It was Jinshe, the youngest of three boys. His eyes locked on the tail, poking past his mother's gown. "Come out, sister."

Yinbei sighed, asking her son to calm down. "What has she done?"

"She hid my sword again and delayed my training!"

"Tianxin, where did you hide it?"

"It's still in the training area," the girl chided. "This shouldn't have been a challenge for you. Calling your spirit weapon isn't difficult."

"Why you–"

"Jinshe, don't raise your voice against her," his mother scolded. "She's right, but Tianxin, I've told you not to play tricks on your brother. Your cultivation levels are different."

The girl rolled her eyes, uncaring about that minor detail.

"Help your brother find his sword."

Despite knowing about her mother's favouritism toward her, she joined her brother to retrieve the lost item. The siblings left the room, unaware of their mother's soft gaze. Yinbei had lived for centuries, giving birth to Jinshe and Tianxin during the latest. The oldest, Yaolong, was born during her prime years, the second century of her life. Her second, Yunfu, was born during her third century of life.

Yaolong was a prodigy never seen before, mastering cultivation faster than his teachers. His father, Huixin, praised him for his successes and gifted him with swords and robes. For a while, Yinbei feared Yunfu would fall into a cycle of jealousy and hate for his brother, but to her surprise, the boy was only encouraged to work harder. The Chen family was blessed with harmony. But the peace would be short-lived. The Tianshenman sect revolted, starting a civil war that ravaged the Empire, and the floating island was not safe from its troubles.