Li Hua watched as her father and mother walked briskly towards her, their movements carrying an urgency she'd never seen before.
"Little Poppy, can you tell Bàba what your inner core looks like?" Her father asked gently, his eyes twinkling with that familiar warmth that never failed to make Li Hua's heart squeeze with unfamiliar emotion.
Li Hua shifted in her seat, her small fingers unconsciously tracing patterns where the ethereal scales had danced in her vision. "White Dragon, Golden Core."
The words fell like stones into still water, creating ripples of silence that spread outward. Her mother's sharp intake of breath cut through the quiet like a blade, and her father's eyes widened, the familiar warmth in them suddenly replaced by something deeper, more complex—recognition, perhaps, or fear.
"Golden Core?" Her father whispered softly, the words carrying the weight of secrets yet unrevealed.
Her father turned to her mother, his voice carrying the weight of command she'd never heard before. "Wife. Send word to Grand Master Yu and tell him to meet me during the next full moon."
Her mother nodded and quickly left the courtyard, her footsteps silent despite her haste. Li Hua felt the weight of her father's promise settle around her like a warm blanket, even as questions swirled in her mind like autumn leaves in the wind. The white dragon she had seen coiled around her golden core had seemed so natural, so right—yet her parents' reactions suggested something far more significant.
Her father turned back to her, and like the sun breaking through storm clouds, the familiar smile returned to his face. "Everything will be ok, my little poppy. Bàba will protect you." His voice carried the gentle warmth she'd come to know, but beneath it lay steel—the same unyielding strength she'd sensed in his water manipulation.
"Come, let's begin the training." Her father suddenly stood, his arms scooping her up with practiced ease.
There was an urgency in his grip, a subtle tension in the way he held her that spoke of both protection and preparation.
"Wei'er, Hao'er, come take your seats." Her father gestured to her brothers, who had just walked out of the kitchen. They approached with matching expressions of curiosity and concern, their footsteps falling in perfect rhythm.
They both took their seat in front of Li Hua and her father, their movements mirroring each other with an unconscious grace that spoke of their shared blood.
Li Hua noticed how her father's eyes softened at the sight of them, even as his shoulders remained taut with unspoken worry.
"Boys, remember when I taught you how to look at your inner cores?" Her father asked, his eyes watchful as he studied his sons' faces.
They both nodded, Wei with his characteristic seriousness and Hao with barely contained excitement.
"I should have asked this sooner. I treated you like ordinary sons, but there's something special about you both. Would you tell your father what your inner cores are like?"
Li Wei was the first to speak, straightening his thin shoulders as he always did when addressing their father. "Bàba, my inner core is Blue with a White Sea Dragon wrapped around it," his voice carrying a hint of pride beneath its careful respect. At nine years old, he already tried so hard to match their father's dignified bearing.
Li Hao couldn't contain his enthusiasm as he bounced slightly in place, his round face beaming. "Bàba, my inner core is Red with a Mountain Dragon coiled within it!" His words tumbled out in a rush, hands gesturing animatedly as if trying to paint the image in the air. The seven-year-old's eyes sparkled with the same fierce joy he brought to everything, his small frame practically vibrating with the excitement of sharing his secret.
Her father exasperated, covered his eyes and began to laugh. The sound started soft, like distant thunder, before building into a full, rich symphony that echoed off the kitchen walls. His shoulders shook with each breath, and when he finally lowered his hands, tears of mirth glistened in the corners of his eyes.
Li Hua watched in fascination as her father's laughter filled the room, a sound that carried both joy and a hint of something deeper—perhaps relief, perhaps concern. The revelation of her brothers' dragon-blessed cores seemed to confirm something he had suspected all along. In this moment, she saw him not just as their loving father, but as a guardian who had known all along what treasures he protected.
"All my children are blessings!" He declared, his voice thick with emotion. His eyes sparkled with unshed tears as he looked at each of his children in turn—three young dragons hidden in plain sight, each unique and precious beyond measure. Yet even in his joy, Li Hua could sense the weight of responsibility settling over him like a heavy mantle, the burden of protecting three extraordinary treasures in a world that might not be ready for their power.
His gaze lingered on each of them: Li Wei with his sea dragon's grace, Li Hao with his mountain dragon's strength, and her own white dragon's mystery—each a different facet of an ancient power now reborn in his humble home.
"Little Firefly?" Li Hua called out in her thoughts.
"Master...I heard it all. It's truly incredible to have three dragons in one family. If we were to rank the strongest to the weakest, the white dragon would be at the top, followed after would be the Sea Dragon and then the Mountain Dragon and the last would be the Earth Dragon," Little Firefly explained, his voice carrying a scholar's certainty. "Dragons only appear once in a million years and is said to bring either great fortune or devastating calamity to the mortal realm. The ancient texts speak of how their mere presence can shift the balance of power in the world." Little Firefly's voice grew hushed, almost reverent. "Three dragons appearing in the same generation, in the same family... it defies all known laws of heaven and earth. The immortal realm must surely be watching with great interest."
Li Hua's heart fluttered at this revelation. The rarity of their existence made her father's tears all the more meaningful—he wasn't just protecting his children; he was guarding living miracles. She thought of the white dragon coiled within her core, its presence both a blessing and a burden. The knowledge that she possessed the strongest dragon essence among her siblings didn't bring pride, only a deepening sense of responsibility. If one dragon could attract attention, what would three mean for their family's safety?
"What about their inner core colors?"
Little Firefly's presence dimmed slightly, as if retreating into contemplation. "The core colors are as significant as the dragons themselves," he said carefully. "Each hue represents not just power, but the very nature of the cultivation path. The Sea Dragon's blue core and the Mountain Dragon's red core are common enough colors, but their exact shades..." He paused, frustration evident in his mental voice. "Without seeing them directly, I can't determine their specific hues. And the hue matters enormously—even the slightest variation can indicate vast differences in potential and temperament. But these combinations..." he trailed off, his mental voice tinged with awe, "they're not random. They're a harmony.