Starfania's mind kept returning to this one phrase: " You will encounter a cry unlike any other. " What did it mean? Was it human or not? She carried this question with her, writing on a paper constantly even during lessons. Then, one afternoon during school, as she absentmindedly listened to the lecture on the mythical calls of ancient creatures, it struck her like a flash of lightning. One the description matched perfectly–the depth, the sorrow, and the reverberation. Her heart raced as realization dawned: the cry in the riddle wasn't human or animal–it was a dragon. The piece had finally clicked, and for the time in forever, the light had shone through the fog of uncertainty. Excitement surged through her. Barely making it through the rest of the day, eager to return home and record her finding.
As soon as the bell rang, Starfania rushed home to her desk and snatched a few sheets of paper, her heart pounding with excitement. Taking out the sword-pen from her pockets. Could it really be used as one? Intrigued, she decided to give it a whirl. To Starfania's surprise, the sword functioned flawlessly as a writing instrument. Without any more hesitation, she put pen to paper, swiftly recording the solution she had uncovered in the riddle. At that moment, it struck her -she had cracked it. The cry was that of a dragon. She didn't know what species, though all she knew was that it was one of their cries. Her mission was now clear: it was to find the dragon and uncover the meaning. Before she could dive deeper into her thoughts, a call interrupted her train of thoughts.
" Starfania, dinner is ready, " came the familiar voice. " I'll be there shortly. "
Rising from her desk, she carefully placed the paper back in its place and decided to take a break from it. As she slipped the sword-pen into her pockets and took a deep breath as she left her room. While Starfania was stuffing her plate from all her favorite dishes. Ren glanced at her and asked, " How was your day? "
She shrugged lightly, saying, " You know, same old. Same old, different day. "
Ren nodded, a warm smile on her face. " Ah, some things never change. "
The moment felt peaceful, almost too perfect. But then Ren's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, and she noticed that there was a bit of anticipation? Concern? As she set her fork down and leaned forward slightly.
" Starfania, " she said, her tone gentler now, " there's something I think you should know. It's about your father. "
Starfania blinked, surprised. " What about him? "