The midday sun shined through the cracks in the curtains, casting a golden thread on Deren's face. He frowned, buried his face into the pillow, and tried to sleep a little longer. After dealing with the attack on the sentry post last night with Jaina, it was almost dawn, and now his eyelids were still as heavy as lead. He lamented that he was still too weak.
"Are you awake?" Onyxia's voice came from the bedside, with a hint of teasing, "I thought you were going to sleep until sunset."
Deren barely opened one eye and saw Black Dragon Princess sitting leisurely on the armchair by the window, playing with a gold coin in her hand. The sunlight coated her long black hair. The gold rim made her ivory-like skin even whiter. Her golden vertical pupils were slightly narrowed, like a lazy feline, but Deren knew that hidden deep in those pupils was the sharp edge of a dragon.
"What time is it now?" Deren's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper.
"I just missed lunch." Onyxia stood up, poured a glass of water and handed it to him, "The little guys at home are going crazy with anxiety, thinking that you are going to sleep for a long time."
Deren drank a whole glass of water in one breath, and the dryness in his throat was slightly relieved. Only then did he notice the whispers coming from outside the door - the high-pitched voices of Chromie, the hushed discussions of the red Dragon Maid, and the brisk footsteps of Anveena.
He put on his nightgown and pushed open the door, almost knocking down Chromie who was leaning against the door to eavesdrop. Little Bronze Dragon jumped away like a frightened rabbit, and three red Dragon Maid also immediately pretended to be passing by, holding a plate of snacks that they had not had time to hide.
"I'm fine," Deren rubbed his temples, "Jaina How is the situation over there?"
"The border defense has been strengthened," Onyxia leaned against the door frame, tapping his fingertips lightly on the door frame, "That cunning human Princess is more capable than I thought." She admitted in a rare moment, with a hint of unwillingness in her tone, "In terms of command, I am indeed not as good as her. The big guy Theramore is managed in an orderly manner by her."
In the corner, Jaina was sitting quietly by the window, her fingers caressing the pendant on her chest unconsciously. The sunlight filtered through her blond hair, casting a hazy halo on the floor. Unlike others, she didn't seem surprised by Deren's waking up. She just nodded slightly, but her eyes were still drifting into the distance, as if she was thinking about something important.
Deren walked over and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Jaina withdrew his gaze and raised a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, "I just... had a long dream." Her voice was as light as the wind, but Deren keenly noticed that the pendant under her fingertips was glowing with faint starlight.
At afternoon tea time, the living room of Deren's house was rarely busy. Sanjohong Dragon Maid was busy preparing tea, Luna carefully adjusted the temperature of the teapot, and Misha used magic to keep the scones soft.
Anveena shuttled between the kitchen and the living room like a happy bird, holding a plate of freshly baked honey biscuits in his hand, and the aroma filled the whole room. Chromie curled up on the sofa like a salted fish as a decoration.
Onyxia was lying lazily on the couch, with her head resting on Deren's thigh, enjoying the rare Tranquility time. Her fingertips occasionally brushed Deren's wrist, and the scales were looming under the skin, carrying the unique warmth of dragons.
Suddenly, two dazzling magical lights flashed almost at the same time. The figures of Jaina and Aegwynn appeared in the center of the living room. The former was holding a stack of documents in his hand, and the latter was leaning on a simple staff, with the gem on the top of the staff flashing a faint blue light.
"I knew it!" Onyxia rolled his eyes, but made no intention of getting up, "Don't ever find a female mage as your wife, they will send you to check at any time."
Deren's back instantly soaked in cold sweat. Jaina's cheeks turned slightly red. He pretended not to hear Black Dragon's teasing and went straight to the coffee table to put down the files. Aegwynn looked around with interest, his eyes lingering on each dragon for a moment, and finally fixed on Jaina in the corner.
"What a... unique combination." The corners of the old guardian's mouth raised slightly. Although he had seen it once last time, he looked at a room full of strange and strange women. The unique light of a seeker of knowledge flashed in his cloudy eyes.
"One rebellious Black Dragon, one Bronze Dragon, three domesticated Red Dragon..." Her eyes finally fell on Anveena, "There are also humanoid magical creatures. Sir Deren, your place is really strange!"
Deren laughed twice, "It's a long story..."
"How did you collect so many such strange combinations?" Aegwynn asked curiously, "Please forgive me for being rude. For a mage, I am really too curious."
"It's all given by fate recharging." Deren replied nonchalantly, "You also know that the threads of fate have been disrupted in my body."
The old lady smiled and shook her head. She was really helpless towards this junior Deren. Now she believed that Deren might not have been bragging when he said he would tear his fate into pieces last time.
Aegwynn suddenly noticed Jaina in the corner, and immediately stopped his joking expression and nodded respectfully. Jaina responded with a gentle smile, but the starlight in his eyes flashed past, and only the old guardian caught this subtle change.
Seeing Deren's family enjoying afternoon tea, Aegwynn coughed to attract attention.
"Now that everyone is here," Aegwynn sat elegantly on another armchair, "Do you mind if I join this chatty tea party? This is the first time in my life of more than a thousand years that I have seen such a... special family."
At Deren's signal, Onyxia ordered Dragon Maid to go shopping. Jaina sighed softly. Her pupils suddenly expanded, as if there were galaxies flowing in her eyes. A soft starlight flowed from her fingertips, forming a translucent barrier in the room, blocking out all sounds from the outside world.
"Now you can speak freely." Jaina--or Star Soul's voice was ethereal and distant, like thousands of stars whispering at the same time.
Aegwynn's expression instantly became solemn. She put down the tea cup and folded her hands on her knees. "I can finally take off my disguise." The old guardian's voice was a bit tired, "The world only knows that I killed Sargeras with one move in my heyday, but they don't know the truth..."
The air in the room seemed to have solidified. Everyone held their breath. Even Onyxia sat up straight unconsciously, and his dragon pupils shrank into a thin line.
"That day somewhere in Azeroth," Aegwynn's eyes became distant, "When I faced the incarnation of Sargeras, my heart was actually full of despair. That was the strongest Titan, the fallen Dark Titan. Although it is just an incarnation of him, just one look may kill me." Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the lines on the staff, "The moment I was about to lose, an unprecedented power surged from the depths of the earth and poured into my whole body through my feet..."
Jaina's eyes were filled with stars, as if he was also remembering.
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