The crescent moon illuminated the night. A warm breeze blew in from the open windows in Princess Amida's room. In the moonlight, Tama could see the canopy above her, but her eyes were closed. From by her side, sounded Princess Amida's peaceful breathing – she was asleep.
Tama was asleep too, but her mind had awoken. This was her special ability, which she inherited from her mother the Lotus Priestess – to detach one's spirit from one's body and roam about in a dream state, able to see every other spirit and interact with other dream walkers such as dragons, werewolves, and other high-level creatures. The world of dreams, in which these creatures met while asleep, was called Dreamscape.
Upon seeing Tama's affinity to access Dreamscape, the Lotus Priestess trained her to control her powers. Tama showed high talent in dream walking and spirit control – from the age of eleven, she could move her dream spirit as she wished and even fly around. She left her sleeping body on a whim and knew how to return. At age twelve, she met and befriended Ronna – the green fire swamp dragon, about whom she often wrote letters to her mother.
The Lotus Priestess was surprised at first that her daughter had bonded with a dragon because no human could establish a pact with those creatures other than the Drahs – the people of Drahvelt – who had been blessed by the Dragon Gods since ancient times. The Lotus Priestess discovered it was the blood of her mother-in-law: Tama's and Yannou's grandmother from their father's side, Hanka Raveene, had been a refugee from Drahvelt. Although Hanka had never had a dragon and neither did her son, Tama established a bond with Ronna because the Drahian blood surged in her veins and she'd inherited the spiritual talents of her mother, the Lotus Priestess.
Thus, Tama had been visiting Dreamscape every night since her childhood. Now, she awakened in her dream state again, ready for another adventure. She rose from her sleeping body. She imagined herself in a ponytail and a simple red dress she wore when awake, and the outfit manifested on her. She went to the windows, jumped out and flew above the royal gardens. She landed on top of an apple tree in the orchard and looked up at the night sky.
"Ronna!" she called for her dragon, sure that she'd come.
She didn't wait long. A roar sounded from above the clouds, audible only to Tama, and a majestic dragon descended from the skies. She was a dream state spirit like Tama, so she didn't disturb anything when she landed, even though she was huge. Her scales were dark green like an eerie swamp and her eyes glittered golden. Her back was covered in pale yellow cogs, while her head carried two long horns of the same colour and some little horns on her nose. Her claws and belly were pale yellow too. Her ears were hidden behind her webbed fins which also covered her gills, allowing her to breathe underwater. Scarlet veins ran through her immense green wings as she unfolded them. She opened her mouth, revealing her serpentine tongue and sharp white teeth.
"Hello, Tama!" A mild, low-pitched voice echoed from the dragon's mouth, with hissy undertones. "Fancy flying with me tonight?"
"You bet!" Tama grinned. "Let's go!"
She jumped on the dragon's back, carefully positioning herself amidst her giant cogs, and clutched the cog in front of her. Sensing that Tama was seated comfortably enough, Ronna the dragon flapped her wings and rushed up into the sky.
"Woohoo!" Tama yelled, the wind blowing into her face. Her long brown ponytail floated in the air.
The royal palace looked tiny from above, almost like a child's toy castle. The great city of Vienrose, the capital of Hasurei, unfolded below, with torches lit up and people roaming the streets, enjoying the busy nightlife. Beyond the city, the blue sea shimmered under the moonlight, rippling at the shores. The infinite ocean lured Tama in.
"Can we go_" she began.
"To the sea?" Ronna finished her sentence. "Thought you'd never ask!"
She swerved towards the ocean, whirling in the air. Tama laughed wholeheartedly, enjoying the ride. Soon, they were above the waving sea. Ronna flew down to the water surface and Tama felt the waves splashing into her face.
"This is awesome!" she shouted.
Her excitement was brief. A large blue serpentine body glimmered amidst the waves. Its back was covered in sharp black cogs and a pair of black horns showed on its head. Its ears were hidden behind webbed fins like Ronna's, but its gills were more massive. Its hands and feet were webbed too, covered in white claws. Unlike Ronna, it didn't have wings but was abnormally long. Tama sensed chills on her neck, but it was from awe rather than fear.
"There's a giant dragon in the sea!" she exclaimed. "And it's not even in dream state!"
"Oh, he enjoys nighttime swimming," Ronna replied. "That's my big brother, Nörd."
"You have a big brother?" Tama gasped. "You never told me!"
"You never asked!" Ronna chuckled with her low-pitched grunt. "My mother is a serpentine water dragon and my father was a fire-breathing forest one. Nörd took mostly after our mother, while I inherited both fire-breathing and water affinity. I prefer swamps, though. They're closer to the earth element – my father's favourite."
"Wow, you've got such a diverse family!" Tama smiled. She looked at the blue dragon in the sea, who no longer seemed scary. "Hey there, Nörd!" She waved her hand at him.
Nörd, the blue dragon, grunted in a low-pitched tone. His golden eye glanced at Tama, but he didn't speak. He dived into the waves, vanishing in the depths of the sea.
"Oh… Was it something I said?" Tama asked, perturbed by the dragon's reaction.
"No, he's just shy." Ronna smiled. "He'll be more friendly at your next encounter. He was anxious to meet you. I've talked with him about you and your brother Yannou. Nörd said your brother sounds like an interesting human."
"You mean he wants to form a pact with Yannou?" Tama brightened up. So cool, her brother would get his dragon too!
"That depends on both of them, but yes, he expressed his interest," Ronna replied. "Anyway, we're close to our destination! I'll mask you with my aura like I did last night, so the protective shield won't detect your spirit."
"Wait, the protective shield?!" Tama grew alarmed.
The protective shield against dream walkers existed only in three places: the Lotus Temple, Tama's home; Lunaria, the kingdom of monsters where Tama's grandfather, uncle and cousin resided; and the kingdom of Drahvelt ruled by the Dragon King. Judging by the fact that Ronna, a dragon, was carrying her towards the "destination", Tama figured it should be Drahvelt like last night.
"No, Ronna, wait!" she shouted, but it was too late.
Ahead of them, loomed a gigantic volcano, its top shimmering red with bubbling lava exuding grey fumes. Tama sensed a bump with an invisible force, through which she passed unharmed, thanks to the green spiritual energy into which Ronna had wrapped her. She remembered the same happening last night when Ronna took her to her swamp. Breaking through the protective shield meant they were now in Drahvelt's territory.
Upon the slopes of the volcano, which Tama guessed was Mt Belphezar, glittered city lanterns and torches, lighting the silhouettes of small wooden houses, lofty mansions, many-roofed temples, and sturdy state buildings. The city streets bustled with people, who visited open food stalls and chatted with each other, walking around merrily. Through the skies, thousands of dragons soared, both in dream state and full flesh. It was the great city of Belphezar, the capital of Drahvelt.
"Ronna, why are we in the city?" Tama asked, unnerved. "Don't you live in a swamp?"
"Oh, I'm not taking you to my swamp now," Ronna answered, her serpentine voice gaining a playful tone. "We're going to Beilung's home near the crater."
"Near the crater?!" Tama cried out, feeling chills down her spine. "Ronna, that's where the royal palace of Drahvelt is located! I'm from Hasurei, I can't just waltz in there!"
"Beilung's human said it was alright," Ronna replied. "He wanted to meet you, so Beilung asked me to bring you along. The boy already knows your situation, so you've nothing to worry about."
"What? You told a Drah about me, and someone from the royal palace, at that?!" Tama almost fell off Ronna's back from horror. "Ronna, I asked you to tell no one!"
"Tama, you've been complaining for ages about being single while I have a mate!" Ronna grunted. "Now, I'm giving you a chance of a lifetime and you complain?! The divine laws of the Dragon Pact – the sacred bond between dragons and humans – state that if two dragons are mates, their humans are destined partners. And dragons mate for life! Since Beilung and I are together, you and Beilung's boy must be soulmates!"
"What?!" Tama exclaimed. "Ronna, I never asked you for dating advice!"
"Oh, come on! That boy is as hopeless as you, but at least he knows where to seek his girl!" Ronna laughed in her hissing voice. "Now stop whining and talk to a boy at least in your dreams!"
Much against her will, Tama was hooked into a blind date by her dragon friend, in the enemy kingdom, of all places.