The Eyes of a Shattered Soul (Novel)

Prologue: Aurora and Starbright (5105 AS)

Queen Aurora of the IceWings quickly ran across the hallways in the Ice Palace. She forgot it was the night the dragonet eggs she had with King Starbright were hatching on the brightest night. At the same time, she wasn't entirely sure if Starbright got the hatching date correct. Starbright was only a mind reader, not a seer. He seemed to know when NightWing eggs hatch, but he wasn't a NightWing mother. Regardless, Aurora was excited to see the two dragonets hatch.

"H-have they hatched?" Aurora said as she entered the private chambers, out of breath.

"No, you're just in time! Come! They're going to hatch any minute now," Starbright said with a warm smile.

The two eggs started to move around a bit in the nest Starbright built for the two as Aurora closed the door behind her and sat next to Starbright. The nest the eggs were in was by a window where the three moons shined from. Both eggs were silver in color. Both dragonets were getting enhanced mind reading and foresight when they hatched, but the inheritance of the Animus magic was the bigger question. They both anticipated what their dragonets would become when they hatch.

"Do you remember when we first met, Star?" Aurora asked as she blushed. Star was the nickname Aurora gave him back when they were dragonets. It always made Starbright flustered whenever Aurora called him that, and Aurora would think it was cute.

"Ah, yes. Jade Mountain Academy. Fifteen years ago, time flew by, didn't it?" Starbright chuckled as he turned to Aurora. His eyes sparkled like the stars that were above them.

"Time did fly by... by all the three moons... we were a mess back then."

"A hot mess," Starbright replied with a smirk.

Aurora blushed a noticeable blue at this point. She remembered the day they first met. Starbright had a thing for scrolls and books. Aurora was the same. Both would spend time in the library often, but neither would meet eye to eye until they grabbed a scroll they wanted. And from that day onward, their relationship grew for the next fifteen years. From the day Aurora became queen, she knew who she wanted to marry.

Starbright was an advisor and assassin for Queen Nightfall of the RainWings and NightWings in the Rain-Night Kingdom. He worked for her for thirteen years when Nightfall received a message from Aurora through a scroll from one of Nightfall's messengers. The scroll read about having Starbright married off to Aurora as her family was still struggling for Animus heirs. Starbright was an Animus dragon, so it would be reasonable for him to be sent to the Ice Kingdom to produce more heirs for the queen.

Aurora made an offer, which was twenty-five large-sized bags of gold for Starbright in exchange. Thankfully, Nightfall accepted the offer and promised Starbright as the exchange. Starbright knew Aurora didn't want to marry him to produce Animus heirs. The two promised each other they would get married somehow, even if it seemed impossible.

In a world of dragons, being in a relationship with a dragon from another tribe was uncommon. Having dragonets from two different tribes was almost unheard of. These dragons were called hybrids. They have a mix of features from both parents; many look distinctively unique among other dragons, while some can blend in with one of their parents. And for Aurora and Starbright, their dragonets will receive both cases.

One of the eggs started cracking.

"Look! One of them is hatching!" Aurora exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down. You'll wake someone up," Starbright whispered.

The other egg started cracking. Both eggs cracked at the same time. Just before the two new parents waited on which was hatching first, both dragonets hatched simultaneously.

"Our babies!" Aurora almost screeched. She almost hugged the two dragonets before Starbright put his arm in front of her.

"Give them space. They need time to stretch their bodies," Starbright said, sterned.

The hybrid dragonets stretched their legs and wings as the parents watched them. The female dragonet looked more like her father apart from her narrow, elegant head and the color of her eyes. The head and the blue irises were from her mother. The male dragonet, on the other hand, looked like a balance between Aurora and Starbright. He had black scales with hints of dark sapphire blue. He inherited his mother's eyes, blue forked tongue, and IceWing horns, spikes, and talons. Jet-black scales and black stars dotted his icy-blue wings. Instead of the typical silver NightWing scale drops, he had red scale drops coming from his neck to the end of his tail. The male dragonet's teardrop scales on his temples were aqua blue instead of the typical silver like his sister's.

"They're beautiful. Our babies," Aurora smiled.

"They're perfect just the way they are," Starbright replied. A warm smile ran down his face.

"What should we name them?"

"I'm not sure."

"What about Shard for our daughter?"

Starbright thought for a moment. Shard was a good name for her. Aurora planned on giving her female heir an IceWing name ever since they got married, so Aurora must have planned on giving the female dragonet this name. Starbright planned on a name for the male dragonet as well.

"I think it's perfect for her, love," Starbright chuckled.

"What about our son? What should we name him? You said you planned on naming him, right?" Aurora asked in wonder.

"Stelo. That will be his name."

"Stelo? That's a NightWing name I haven't heard of."

"It's because it's a name I made myself."

"Really?"

"It means Star," Starbright nodded with a smile.

Aurora blushed. She didn't think Starbright would name their son after a nickname she gave to her husband. She did think it was cute.

"I love it," Aurora responded; she kissed Starbright on the cheek. Starbright blushed.

"Beautiful names they have as well as their appearance."

"Princess Shard and Prince Stelo of the IceWings."

"Our Princess Shard and Prince Stelo of the IceWings."

The two dragons gently picked up the dragonets and hugged them together.