AT ABYSS
The hall grew colder as they stepped inside.
Massive black stone pillars stretched toward a ceiling lost in shadow. Purple crystals burned softly along the walls, casting dim light across polished obsidian floors. Armored monster guards stood silently on both sides, lowering their heads the moment Varkryth entered.
Mia, still trying to process the sheer absurdity of her life, shifted into her human form with a shimmer of dark mana.
She folded her arms immediately
They reached the center of the great hall.
At the far end stood a woman.
Elegant. Tall. Dressed in flowing dark robes that shimmered like midnight water. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, and her blue eyes—strikingly bright against the darkness around her—locked onto Mia instantly.
She froze.
The entire room seemed to stop breathing.
Varkryth's voice echoed calmly through the chamber.
"Meet your mother."
He gestured once.
"Nythera."
Mia blinked.
"...What?"
The woman took one slow step forward.
Her hand trembled slightly.
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"...Little star...?"
Mia's brain fully stopped functioning.
(Excuse me?)
Nythera's eyes were already filling with tears.
"It... it really is you..."
And then—
she ran.
Straight at Mia.
Before Mia could react, Nythera pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I thought I lost you forever..."
Her voice cracked.
"I thought you were gone... I thought I'd never see you again..."
Mia stood there like a statue.
Arms still awkwardly half-raised.
Soul leaving body.
Because what exactly was the correct response to this?
She slowly looked back at Varkryth.
Varkryth stood there with his arms folded, looking completely satisfied.
Nythera held her tighter.
"You were just an egg..." "They took you..." "I searched for years..."
Her voice shook.
"I hated myself for failing you."
Something in Mia's chest tightened.
Because unlike Varkryth's calm dragon logic…
this pain felt painfully human.
Slowly…
awkwardly…
Mia lifted one hand.
And lightly patted Nythera's back.
"There, uh..."
She looked like someone trying to defuse a bomb.
"...there?"
Nythera somehow cried harder.
Mia looked at the ceiling.
(Help.)
Varkryth gave a small approving nod.
Nythera slowly let go of Mia, though her hands still rested on her shoulders as if she needed physical proof that her daughter was truly there.
Her blue eyes scanned Mia from head to toe with the intensity of a mother inspecting damage to the universe itself.
"Do you hurt anywhere?" "Did they mistreat you?" "Did anyone torture you?" "Did he force you?"
Mia scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"Uh… no, not really." She pointed a thumb toward Varkryth.
"But this dude did hit me with a sleep bomb and chained me to a wall like some kind of dangerous house pet."
Silence.
Abyss-level silence.
Even the guards in the room seemed to stop breathing.
Nythera looked to Varkryth very slowly.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"…Vark."
Varkryth, ancient terror of the Abyss, destroyer of kingdoms, stared forward like a dragon suddenly discovering consequences.
Nythera's eye twitched.
"Tell me that is not true."
Varkryth folded his arms.
"…Context is important."
Mia immediately pointed again.
"IT IS TRUE."
Nythera's smile appeared.
It was the kind of smile that made wars start.
"Care to explain?"
Varkryth cleared his throat.
"She was resisting."
Mia stared.
"Because you kidnapped me?!"
Varkryth nodded once, as if that helped.
"Yes."
Nythera closed her eyes.
Took a deep breath.
Opened them again.
"…You chained our long-lost daughter."
Varkryth raised one finger like a professor defending a thesis.
"Temporarily."
Nythera: "You put a collar on her."
Varkryth: "For security."
Mia: "LIKE A DOG."
The room entered spiritual silence.
Nythera looked at him with the expression of a woman reconsidering every life choice she had ever made.
"…Varkryth."
He straightened slightly.
"Yes, dear?"
She pointed toward the door.
"Leave."
Varkryth blinked.
"…This is my castle."
"Leave anyway."
A pause.
Varkryth, conqueror of nightmares, nodded once.
"…Understood."
He turned and walked toward the exit with the dignity of a king being defeated by marriage and muttered.
"This is why I preferred war."
The doors shut behind him.
Nythera turned back to Mia with perfect gentleness.
"Now then." "are you hungry little star?"
Mia blinked
"Ehhh.. kinda?"
Nythera guided Mia deeper into the castle or fortress.. what ever it called because she don't know.
through halls of black stone and glowing crystal veins running through the walls like frozen lightning.
The deeper they went, the quieter everything became.
Eventually, they stopped in front of a massive chamber.
Nythera opened the doors slowly.
Mia stepped inside…
…and froze.
At the center of the room stood an enormous bed-like nest made of dark silk, soft furs, and some kind of glowing stones meant to hold dragon eggs safely.
And resting there…
were two black dragon eggs.
Large. Smooth. Beautiful.
Their dark shells shimmered faintly under the crystal light.
Mia stared.
"…What?"
Nythera smiled softly.
"Those are your siblings."
Silence.
Mia slowly turned.
"…Wait."
She pointed at herself.
"I have siblings?????"
Nythera nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Mia turned back toward the eggs like they had personally betrayed her.
"EXCUSE ME???"
She walked closer, still in human form, and carefully placed a hand against one of the shells.
Warm.
Alive.
She blinked.
"…They haven't hatched yet?"
Nythera stepped beside her.
"No."
Her voice softened.
"They still need around twelve more years."
Mia's brain tried to calculate.in her mind.
"…So I got kidnapped by my possible father, reunited with my crying dragon mother, and discovered I'm apparently the eldest sister now."
She stared into the distance.
At that moment, the doors opened again.
Varkryth entered.
Nythera didn't even turn around.
"Vark."
A pause.
"Out."
Varkryth sighed like a man burdened by love.
"I am only here to inform her."
He looked at Mia.
"Training begins soon."
Mia groaned immediately.
"Can I at least process my emotional collapse first?"
"No."
"Cruel."
"Necessary."
He folded his arms.
"Your growth phase approaches."
His voice became more serious.
"If you do not become stronger, you may fail your growth phase battle."
Mia blinked.
".. like I said.. that not your concern!'
Nythera's expression darkened slightly.
"For dragons, growth is not simply age."
She looked at the eggs.
"It is survival."
Varkryth continued.
"When your next growth phase comes, your body and mana will force evolution.you have to face your future self."
His glowing eyes locked onto hers.
"If your strength is insufficient…"
"…your own power can destroy you from within."
The room fell quiet.
Mia stared.
"…That sounds incredibly unfair."
Varkryth nodded once.
"It is."
Nythera gently took Mia's hand.
"We already lost you once."
Her voice was soft.
"We will not lose you a second time."
For a moment..
Mia had no joke ready.
She just looked at them quietly.
Then—
Nythera turned toward Varkryth.
"She will sleep here while training breaks"
Varkryth nodded.
"Fine."
Then, because peace could never survive around him, he added:
"And Mia."
She looked up.
"If you wish to test your cardio against one thousand dragons and my entire army…"
His purple eyes glowed faintly.
"…you are welcome to attempt escape."
Mia stared.
"Do you threaten your children recreationally?"
"Yes."
Nythera pointed at the door.
"Out."
Varkryth gave one final nod and left with the dignity of a dragon king being repeatedly evicted from his own castle.
The doors shut.
Silence.
Mia looked at the eggs.
Then at Nythera.
Then at the ceiling.
"…This family is insane."
Nythera smiled softly.
"Yes."
Mia sat quietly beside the massive nest, the warmth of the two dragon eggs still lingering on her fingertips.
Everything still felt unreal.
Mother. Father. Siblings.
She felt like someone had dropped her into the middle of a family drama she had not signed up for.
Beside her, Nythera sat down softly and took her hand again, holding it like she was afraid Mia might disappear if she let go.
Her voice was quiet.
"I am so happy you're alive, little star…"
Her thumb brushed gently over Mia's hand.
"And I am sorry."
Mia looked at her.
Nythera's blue eyes were full of guilt.
"I was not able to protect you."
Mia's chest tightened.
Because this was the dangerous part.
She couldn't just blurt out:
"I not your daughter.. Actually I'm technically a reincarnated office worker and emotionally very confused."
That would probably destroy this poor woman on the spot.
So instead…
carefully…
awkwardly…
Mia spoke.
"…It's okay… m-mother."
The word nearly tripped and died on the way out.
Nythera froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
And for a second, Mia thought she had broken reality.
Then—
Nythera smiled.
A real one.
Soft. Painful. Beautiful.
And somehow that made Mia feel ten times more embarrassed.
She looked away immediately.
"Y-Yeah. Anyway."
Professional emotional escape.
"If everyone protected the eggs so carefully…"
She frowned slightly.
"How did they even take me?"
Nythera's expression darkened.
Her fingers tightened around Mia's hand.
"We did protect them."
Her voice became quieter.
"There was conflict."
She looked toward the dark windows of the chamber.
"Another Abyss Domain challenged our territory. A rival lord."
"Your father, our generals, and I… we were all forced to leave for battle."
Her eyes lowered.
"We believed the inner fortress would remain safe."
A pause.
"It did not."
Mia stayed silent.
Nythera continued.
"While we fought…"
"…human thieves entered."
Mia blinked.
"…Humans?"
Nythera nodded slowly.
"Mercenaries. Slave hunters. Treasure seekers. Desperate fools."
Her voice carried no anger.
Only cold hatred.
"They were paid by outsiders who wished to seek powerful beings to use or take advantage,They sneak in and stole dragon eggs."
Her eyes trembled slightly.
"They stole you."
The room felt colder.
Mia frowned.
"…They just walked into the Abyss and stole a dragon egg?"
Nythera gave a bitter smile.
"No."
"They died."
Mia blinked.
"…What?"
Nythera calmly replied:
"Most of them."
Mia sat there.
Waiting.
Because that sounded like there was definitely more.
Nythera sighed softly.
"One survived long enough to escape with your egg."
She looked directly at Mia.
"And because of that…"
"…I spent years wondering if you were broken before you were even born."
Silence.
That one hit harder than expected.
Because suddenly…
this wasn't just fantasy lore.
It was a mother who had spent years imagining the worst.
Mia swallowed quietly.
"…That's rough."
Nythera let out a weak laugh.
"Yes."
Then she reached up and gently moved a strand of hair from Mia's face.
"But you are here."
Her voice softened again.
"Alive. Strong. Stubborn..I. so happy for it"
Mia rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.
"...Yeah.me too"
Then she hesitated.
"And… my name is… actually Little Star?"
Nythera let out a quiet laugh, warm and gentle.
"No, no… that is only what I call you."
Her blue eyes softened.
"When I carried your egg, it always gave off the faintest glow at night. Small… but bright."
She brushed a strand of hair from Mia's face.
"So I called you my little star."
Mia blinked.
For some reason, that hit way harder than she expected.
Nythera continue
"But your father had already chosen your true name."
Mia immediately looked suspicious.
"…Should I be worried?"
From the doorway, a deep voice answered.
"Yes."
Varkryth stepped inside, arms folded, looking exactly like a man who could start an apocalypse before breakfast.
Nythera sighed.
"You were told to stay out."
"I was. I chose otherwise."
He looked directly at Mia.
"The name I chose was Vaelith."
Mia repeated it slowly.
"…Vaelith."
It sounded ancient. Heavy. Like something carved into stone.
She frowned.
"That sounds way too important. I sound like I should be leading armies."
Varkryth nodded once.
"Correct."
Mia stared.
"…That was not encouragement."
Nythera covered a smile with one hand.
Varkryth stepped closer.
"In the old tongue, it means…"
His purple eyes met hers.
"Child of the endless night."
Silence.
Mia looked at him.
Then at Nythera.
Then back at him.
"…You named your baby like a that?I perfer my current name"
Varkryth frowned
"Weak name.. it sounds like hatchlings noises"
Mia try to speak but stopped because if she thinks about it.. she can still remember her "Miii" sound when she was younger..
"it .. ughhh.."
Nythera failed to hide her laugh.
Mia rubbed her forehead like she was trying to physically push the conversation out of her brain.
"Yeah… thanks for that."
She pointed weakly at Varkryth.
"But I prefer Mia. Or… little star."
She made a vague gesture in the air.
"Not… Vaelith."
Her face twisted dramatically.
"That sounds like the name of someone who destroys kingdoms before breakfast."
She looked him dead in the eyes.
"That is a villainess name."
Varkryth stood there in complete silence.
Then, very calmly:
"It is an excellent name."
Mia immediately pointed harder.
"See?! That response proves my point!"
Nythera covered her mouth, clearly trying not to laugh.
Varkryth folded his arms.
"A name should carry weight."
"It does," Mia shot back. "It carries several crimes."
Nythera finally lost the battle and laughed softly.
"My little star does have a point, Vark."
Varkryth looked mildly betrayed.
"You too?"
Nythera smiled sweetly.
"I love you, dear. But yes."
For perhaps the first time in centuries…
the Abyss Sovereign looked outnumbered in his own house.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Very well."
Mia blinked.
"Wait, seriously?"
Varkryth sighed like a man burdened by the incompetence of the universe.
"Fine. Mia."
He said it like he was testing the shape of the word.
Shorter. Softer. Less ancient.
But strangely fitting.
Nythera squeezed Mia's hand.
"Mia, then."
Her smile was warm.
"But to me…"
She gently tapped Mia's forehead.
"You will always be my little star."
Mia froze for half a second.
Then looked away quickly.
"…That's unfair."
Varkryth folded his arms, looking entirely too calm for a man who had kidnapped someone yesterday.
"And let us not waste time."
His purple eyes settled on Mia.
"Eat something. Then follow me."
"Your training begins now."
Mia stared at him.
"Wow. No 'welcome home,' no emotional reunion, just straight to suffering."
"Correct."
"Fantastic."
Beside her, Nythera crossed her arms sharply.
"Vark… she just got here."
For the first time, Varkryth's voice softened slightly when he answered her.
"I know, my love."
He stepped closer, his expression serious.
"But what would you choose?"
"To let her rest beside us for a little while…"
His eyes turned toward Mia.
"…and then watch her fail her growth phase?"
"Or let her train now…"
"…and watch her live long enough to truly grow?"
The room fell quiet.
Nythera looked at Mia. Then at Varkryth.
Her expression tightened.
Because unfortunately…
it made sense.
She hated that it made sense.
Slowly, she sighed
Nythera walked over and gently touched Mia's shoulder.
"He is right, little star."
Her voice was soft.
"If your growth phase is near… we cannot be careless."
Mia looked between both of them.
Ancient dragon father. Elegant dragon mother.
Both united in the powerful parental strategy of:
you are going to training and you have no vote.
She sighed like a defeated office worker.In her mind
"…I miss labor laws."
Nythera smiled gently.
"First, food."
A few minutes later, Mia sat at a massive stone table inside the abyss hall.
And honestly…
she was expecting worse.
Much worse.
She had imagined something like: bones. skulls. ominous evil soup.
Instead—
there were apples.
Fresh ones.
Cooked meat seasoned with herbs.
Wild fruits she had never seen before.
Roasted root vegetables.
Even some kind of warm bread.
Mia blinked.
"…Wait."
She pointed at the table.
"You people eat… normal food?"
Varkryth, standing nearby, looked mildly offended.
"What exactly were you expecting?"
Mia hesitated.
"…Honestly?"
She made vague spooky hand gestures.
"Dark rituals. Lava soup. Maybe suffering."
Nythera laughed softly.
"Little star…"
She placed sliced fruit onto Mia's plate.
"We are dragons, not some kind of what ever humans told you."
Mia slowly turned her head toward Varkryth.
"…Debatable."
Varkryth ignored that with the dignity of a man used to disrespect.
"The apples are from the northern cliff gardens."
"The fruit is cultivated near mana springs."
"The meat is from abyss elk."
Mia stared.
"You have gardens?"
"Yes."
"farm?"
"Yes."
"You have agriculture?"
Varkryth narrowed his eyes.
"Mia."
"Yes?"
"Did you think I ruled a cave full of screaming monsters and poor management?"
Mia took a bite on cooked meat.
"…I mean…"
She chewed.
"…kinda?"
Nythera was openly laughing now.
Even Mia had to admit—
for the terrifying Abyss Domain…
the food was suspiciously excellent.