Chapter 1 - Whispers of Prophecy
"This One Thanks You and Accepts"

The Oxhead Tavern and Inn was a bustling establishment. There were many such places in Tarrytown. There were always strangers coming and going of all ilk. Some good, some not so good. There were humans, Elves, and others mingling together as they passed through to tend their business. Therefore, two figures wrapped in cloaks sitting at a booth with tankards of mead in front of them was not an unusual sight. Even if one was a delicate woman with fine features. She kept her hood up to obscure her from sight. Thus was also not an unusual sight. Her violet eyes scanned the room apprehensively, under her hood even if her face remained calm. 

The figure beside her was a man. His figure was tall, and strong. He didn't hide himself, so everyone could see that he appeared to be an elf with sharp black eyes, and long black hair. His skin was pale, and his features deep. He wore a lot of leather and a silken black shirt under his cloak. However, when he opened his mouth to speak, he revealed four short fangs on his upper teeth. His canines and incisors had slight points. His pupils were a slight bit deeper than his irises and were vertically split.

The woman didn't know exactly what Raziel Voidstalker was, but he'd been around since the Seventh Age, more than five hundred thousand years. Only members of the Dracosenati or his descendants could contact him. Which she had to do, twenty-one years ago. "Lord Raziel, are you sure this is the place?" she asked, her calm voice belying her worried heart. It was a bit rough and tumble here.

Raziel smiled slightly. "My dear Lady Silvermoon, calm yourself. One of your children will appear soon," he assured her. 

Chrystianna Silvermoon took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. She, of course, did not doubt him, but she'd been separated from her children for over two decades. It wasn't a long time in the span of the thousands of years an Emphyralian Dragon could live, but it meant she missed their entire childhoods. She clenched her fists.

Early in her pregnancy, she participated in a religious festival called the Moonsong Festival. It was a ceremony led by the High Priestess of the Mystic Temple of the Sisters of the Moons; the three goddesses worshiped by the Silver Dragons of Emphyralis. They were the Singers of Fate. During the Festival, which takes place in the Moonsinger Forest, the High Priestess will try to divine the fate of the Silver Dragons until the next Festival. The Festival only takes place when the three moons of Emphyralis are full. The celestial phenomenon only happens about once a decade.

The ceremony went on without too many surprises, but since the Hunter Wars were still fresh, even the mundane news of rebuilding going well was welcome to all worshippers. After the ceremony, there was a bazaar, a night market that sold food, hosted contests, and had games to play. Couples and families strolled through the trees, listening to the silvery leaves sing in the wind.

Chrystianna had walked alone, rubbing her still flat stomach, humming to the lives that she was growing. A stronger gust blew along the path she took, ruffling her long silver hair, and long skirt. The trees moaned rather than sang. A chill went down her spine and she hurried down the path. Soon a glow caught her attention. It was a moonsong crystal growing from a moonsong tree. Moonsong crystals were neither common nor rare. Many of them could be found in various Temples of the Sisters of the Moons. When exposed to the moonlight, they glowed and hummed. Most moonsong crystals glowed a silvery color, but the one in front of her glowed blue and purple.

She slowed her steps and approached the crystal. Moonlight shone on it, producing a haunting sound. She looked up at the moons shining down on her. She knelt and bowed. "Una, Ianna, Armus, Sisters of Moons, Singers of Fate, this one thanks you and accepts any revelation you have for me," she said reverently.

She currently held the highest rank on the planet, the Grand Duchess of the Dracosenati, but the Dragon Gods were above all. She took a deep breath and stood. She approached and took the moonsong crystal in hand. As soon as she touched the warm, hard surface, images appeared in her mind. 

She saw two children curled in their cradles. A nanny slept nearby; her embroidery had fallen to the floor. The lights flickered and went out. Shadowy figures flashed by and her children were gone. She saw herself dash through the adjoining doorway, frantically looking for her children.

As the vision passed, she crumpled to the ground. When she woke, she was back in her room, the First Healer watching over her and the moonsong crystal clutched in her hand. 

She settled her heart, let the Healer fuss over her, and thought about what to do. She fretted for a while and discussed things with her advisors and her closest friends on the Dracosenati. First, she had to investigate who would want to take her children, and she had to figure out how to prevent it. 

However, every time she thought she had a plan, the moonsong crystal would let her see that it wasn't the right choice. She finally thought about sending her children away, and finally the crystal helped her see her children grow up, smiling and reaching out to her.

After her heart broke, she finally resolved her nerves and set about solving the logistics of her decision. She went north to Isaz to find the Diamond Dragons to have the moonsong crystal split in half and turned into Chronicle Crystal, where she stored the knowledge of Emphyralis and their family. She also recorded several messages of herself speaking to them. They were then turned into pendants, one for each child, so even as they grew up away from her, they would know her and everything they should know.

The next part was figuring out how to get the children off Emphyralis. There were ways only a few years earlier, but after the disaster that plagued the planet for nearly a century, there was no longer a way. Any Amethyst Dragon still alive was too young to Voidjump. But such thinking led her to remember the figure known as the Voidstalker.

She found the relevant information on how to contact him and waited. He came to her. He agreed to help her, for whatever reason. When it was time to give birth, only the Head Healer and her dear friend, a third-tier mage, named Raven Darovan were only allowed to tend to her.

They quickly cleaned the two children and dressed them. Chrystianna named them, gave them each a pendant and magical pouch to hold anything they'll ever need so they don't lead hard lives. She cleaned herself up and the three of them met Raziel in another room. Then she handed her children over to him. That was the last she saw of them.

In the intervening years, she continued to investigate the threads with help. She managed to root out those who plotted against her children, but she never found the mastermind. She and her children would have been the last Silvermoons. She had no doubt that there were internal forces who wanted to take advantage of the chaos of rebuilding to shake the foundations of the world by getting rid of her and her offspring. Not many people even knew who the father of her children was. 

Now was the time to bring her children home. She contacted Raziel again and had him bring her to them.