Nova crashed through the heavens.

Falling... Falling... Falling...

A thousand stars fell with her. Silver, white, pure. She, the only sapphire star among them. Falling... Crashing... Closer and closer to the green land below...

Nova.

The voice echoed from the twilight skies. She twisted her neck around, but no other dragons fell with her. She was completely alone.

"Nova!"

In a flash the starfall was gone. There was cold stone beneath her ebony talons. She was falling no more.

She lifted her head. The Mistress glared down her jade snout at Nova. "Do you have an answer?"

Nova glanced around. All of the other dragonets watched her. Even the paintings on the walls of the Primordials seemed to eye her in disapproval. "... Answer?"

The Mistress gave a slow nod. "Yes. To which Primordials the Empire of Bast serves?"

Nova's eyes widened. "Yes-- Ah-- Pyr Argona. Yes?"

The Mistress frowned. "Pyr Argona serves no one. She is present wherever there is war and disaster. It may seem... Fitting, to think the Eastern Empire worships her. Given their current status. But no. The Empire of Bast serves Pyr Horus-Set. Primordial of Death."

Nova frowned. "Are we sure that's true?"

A dragonet in the back gasped. The Mistress froze.

"I mean... Isn't it just... Cliche? Just because they're our enemies doesn't mean we have to assume they worship a god of death. Who realistically does that anyway?"

The Mistress took a breath. "Pyr Horus-Set represents death, and death is not inherently evil. I've heard his followers say he also represents truth, and brutal honesty. They say the desert has a way of uncovering truth in someone. And if they can't accept that truth, then they will perish."

"Philosophy. Great. How about we take a trip to the desert and see if any of it is true? We may die, but at least it would be more exciting than this."

In truth, philosophy fascinated her. Her words were more aimed at frustrating the Mistress.

Which they did. She could have sworn the forest naturae was struggling to hold her spines down. "Nova, you may think that your status gives you the right to say whatever you please. But I could care less that you were adopted by the queen. You must learn to think before you speak, and to respect your elders and the Primordials--"

"Why should I have to listen to something that I don't even think exists?"

The Mistress looked as if she would burst right then and there. "I am going to have a talk with the queen, little ryss."

Nova stared defiantly up at the naturae. Do that, she thought. Do that and see what happens. See me run again. See me fall again.

A crashing sounded outside the wooden door of the stone monastery. A moment later, a merwyss tumbled in, scales blindingly bright. The princess righted herself in an instant. "I'm here to retrieve Nova."

Nova was quick to race from her seat to the side of her sister. "Just in time," she whispered.

Gwennelarch scowled. "Were you getting yourself in trouble again, Nova?"

"This isn't over," The Mistress growled. "I will talk to the queen about your behavior today."

Gwen sighed and dipped her head. "My sincere apologies, Mistress."

The Mistress snorted. "It isn't you who should be apologizing. Now go. Get her to her next lesson. I'd hate for her to be late."

The white merwyss nodded her thanks, and turned for the door. Nova swiftly followed. As soon as they were out on the cobblestone path in the dappled, cool shade of the ancient redwoods, Nova took a breath. "Sorry," she murmured.

Gwen shook her head. "I don't understand it. Why do you take such pleasure in torturing that poor merwyss?"

Nova shrugged. "She seems to take equal pleasure in torturing me." She quickened her step to keep up with her sister. The elder ryss was over three times Nova's size, and her stride covered much more ground. The frost dragon's white scales stood in stark contrast with the myriad of greens and earth tones in the surrounding forest. Nova could only imagine how much her own sapphire scales stood out in comparison. 

"She isn't torturing you, just training you for your future."

Nova laughed at that. "What future? A future of bowing down to mystical oversized dragons with imaginary powers? Ha."

Gwen looked thoughtful. "I thought you believed in them?"
They walked in silence for a moment. Nova listened to the birdsong in the trees above. "I do, in truth. I do believe in them," she admitted. "But that still doesn't mean I want to dedicate my life to them."

Her sister nodded, a shadow crossing her turquoise eyes. "It's better than training to be a back-up. My entire life: Training to take the place of my older sister if she dies."

Nova halted. "Why don't you just run?"

Gwen furrowed her brows. "What sort of question is that?"

"If you don't like it. Why not just run? Find a new life somewhere else?"

The frost prinuae scoffed. "Where? One of the moons? Anfeiliadd is my home. There's nowhere else to go. So I just have to do my best to serve it."

Are you so sure about that?

Suddenly, the ground disappeared from beneath her talons. She was in the starfall again. Falling... Falling... But free.

I could fall again... Find somewhere else... Somewhere better...

"But I should consider myself lucky."

Gwennelarch's voice drew Nova back to reality. "Lucky?" she asked. "How?"
Gwen resumed her walking, and Nova fell into step beside her. "Well... I may only be the backup... But I'm also more in control of my life. I can choose more of what I learn, what I do... Who I choose to be with..."

Nova snorted. "Yes. You are lucky in that aspect."

A rustling from the great trees above caught her attention. Nova almost thought that the emerald dragon was a part of the canopy until a part of that canopy broke away and glided towards them.

Acantha landed before them, and sketched a bow. It didn't change the fact that, as a fully-grown dragon, she towered over the both of them, almost twice the size of Gwen. Her silver royal-guard's armor only added to that effect. "Miss Gwennelarch, Nova. Apologies to disturb you, but we have received word from the Eastern Empire, and the queen requests your presence at once."

"Wait-- me too?" Nova questioned.

Acantha looked down at her, brown eyes hard but sympathetic. "No, little one. The queen wishes for you to return to the monastery until further notice."

Nova sagged. "Oh."

Gwen spread her wings, but placed a talon gently over Nova's. "I'm sorry. I'll make sure we make up our battle training tomorrow. But please make this easier for Mother, and just go back to the monastery."

The thought filled her with dread. Having to trudge back to that cold, stone building and spend the day under the glare of the Mistress. But she owed it to her adoptive parents to at least not get in the way. So Nova nodded.

Gwen nodded. "Thank you, Nova. See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, Gwen."

With that, the two beautiful merwyss's leapt into the air, leaving Nova buffeted in the winds from beneath their wings. Within seconds, they disappeared into the trees, flying west towards Tragwyddol Keep.

Nova stood, and studied the glimmery gray stones that led south back to the monastery. If she kept following them north, she'd end up at a crossroads: West, the nature-grown capitol city of Azriel. North, the market-rich city of Alacast. Both cities offered adventure, excitement... If that was where she was going.

She sighed, and turned south.

A growl sounded behind her.

Nova froze, her spines slowly raising. "Whoever you are, you don't know who you're messing with."

The thing behind her coughed.

She whirled around.

There, just down the road, hunched a young dragon. A ryn, by the looks of it. Race or class she couldn't tell. He was stark pale, but lacked the massive, icy spines of a prinuae. He could have been a water naturae, but had no webbed membrane to speak of. Or perhaps he was an earth territe, but she suspected the brown and gray on his scales was dirt and grime rather than actual coloration.

The violet was definitely blood.

"Who are you?" she called, holding her stance.

The young ryn collapsed.

She chewed on her lip. Could be a trap... Most likely a trap...

Do I care at this point? Not really.

She trotted over to the collapsed ryn. He bled from several long scratch marks along his flank. His hide clung to his bones, and his breath shuddered. Perhaps he was just scant from hunger, but she suspected he wasn't much older than herself. "You. Who are you? Do you want help?" asked she.

His flank rose in a struggling breath. Pale lavender eyes looked to her, cautious. "You offering?" he rasped.

She sat down. "I really can't offer much. But there's a monastery just south of here. I can help get you there. They'd be able to help you."

Something like a laugh shuddered from him. "Ah. Monks. Just what I need."

She couldn't resist a grin. "Can you afford to be choosy?"

"Shouldn't a dying ryn have a right to good company?"

Nova frowned. "Let me help you to them. You don't look dead yet."

"Don't I? Everyone always says I look pale as death."

She ignored his comment and slipped under his arm, helping him to his talons. "Well, I'm sure they'd love to have a deep conversation with you about what death looks like. They're into that sort of thing. Just this morning we were discussing Pyr Horus-Set. He's a sand territe. So why isn't death gold?"

He grunted, stumbling, but eventually settled into a position in which they could both walk together. "Don't know much about the Primordials to be honest."

She huffed. "I wouldn't either, if I had much choice in the matter."

He made no response. Curious, she asked, "So, mystery ryn, I don't charge much for my life-saving services. But a name would be appreciated."

He grinned. "You should be very honored to have saved me. Really, I think you owe me your name, mystery ryss."

Nova was tempted to roll her eyes. "Nova," she answered. "Now. Your turn."

He paused to make a very sloppy, pained impression of a bow. "Aldebast, at your service."

She raised an eye ridge. "Alacast?"

The pale dragon shook his head. "No. Aldebast. Aldebast of Alacast."

She mocked a grimace. "Aldebast of Alacast? That's a rather unfortunate one. Parents not so creative, then?"

Aldebast chuckled. "I'd say it's my worst curse but... I'm not so lucky."

She grinned. Yet when the gray, ivy-covered building came into view around the bend, that grin fell away.

"You don't want to go there, do you?"

"W-what?" She nearly dropped him in her surprise.

His gaze remained calm. "I recognize the look of someone who dreads a place. Who wants to escape somewhere."

She glared at him. "And what are you doing getting so familiar? I just met you."

He ignored her hostility. "I can get myself from here, if you want."

She considered his offer. He was right-- she didn't want to return to the monastery. Yet that didn't mean she could just walk away. The queen wanted her waiting there. And more than that... Even if she turned, if she ran... She'd be falling again. Aldebast's presence, leaning on her, relying on her to walk... It kept her talons grounded. Somehow, without that weight on her, all alone... The ground would disappear. The night would return. She'd rejoin the starfall. And who knows where she'd end up then.

Nova shook her head. "No. I'll go with you. I'm supposed to go back anyway. Now no more wise comments. Or then you can drag yourself all the way to that door."

Aldebast looked like he had more to say. But he obeyed her, and kept silent.

Part of her wished he would argue. But the other part was glad he didn't. She wanted to talk to him, learn more about the pale rogue. But right then, she was leaning on him almost as much as he leaned on her. Not physically. But his presence, as new and strange as it was-- it kept her from falling.

And to her, that was all that mattered. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hello everyone, and welcome to HyperNova. This is a book very close to my heart. This world, these characters, have waited twelve years to have their stories told. Now it is finally time. 

It is my greatest pleasure to introduce you to Nova, the first of the three. I'd love to hear your thoughts on her, and her new companion. 

Welcome to Anfeiliadd.