"Well met, fellow traveller of the cosmos. How fare thee?"
I was born amidst the glistening crystals at the foot of The Observatory. My father always used to say that just above our heads, the mighty Arcanist sat gazing into the vast horizons. I was always enamoured with the Observatory. The Arcanist was not unlike a god, and I loved the thought of him living next door.
Every day, I would crane my head and peer into the windows of that incredible monument, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysteries concealed within its walls. I was so proud, and I always boasted to other Clans how my Clan served directly under the Arcanist, assisting him in his studies. Even though I've never seen even a flicker of the one I claimed to serve. I was young and hopeful, and I wanted to believe.
Youth came and went, and before I knew it, I was no longer young... and now, no longer hopeful.
Time and time again, when we needed him, the Arcanist was not there. Prayer after prayer went unanswered.
Enough. I had decided. Clearly, no matter what the world throws at us, we must face it ourselves.
Venturing out into the world was something not many of my Clan dared. They had all they needed - plenty of food, shelter, and the prestige of being one of the most established clans in the area. The territories are all harsh and unforgiving, the different Flights seemed alien to those who have known nothing but crystals, fields and sun.
But I was adamant. The world is bigger than the bottom of a hill. I had decided that instead of sitting rooted to this place my whole life, I will go and leave a mark elsewhere on the world. I said as much to my Clan, but I had other motives for leaving home. I thought that if only I could do something truly extraordinary, something all the dragons of all Flights will marvel at... perhaps then, the Arcanist will notice me at last.
Wandering into the Observatory itself was both terrifying and exhilarating. For so long I had lived under its all-encompassing shadow, and for the first time in my life, I dared to set foot within the towering spires. Along its pristine marble walls, countless deep magic runes gleamed. Magic saturated the air, pulsing like a living being, and my heart pounded as if one with that ageless beat.
I had waited, for fifteen days and nights. Hoping against hope, inching deeper and deeper... and yet even as I threatened to get lost within the great chambers, the Arcanist never once gave me his gaze.
As my patience failed me, so too did my nerve. I wonder if I had dared to brush my hand against the hallowed scriptures, would I have received his touch in return? None approached as close as I, and yet, they shuddered as if they were granted a taste of his mighty power. All except me. I was incapable of blessing. And so, the shifting winds now beckons me away, to somewhere far beyond the horizons.
Do I miss the Observatory? In my dreams, I often still see myself still sitting under the stars, gazing up into the night sky. It's hard to imagine now that I was ever as innocent as that little hatchling, blindly following the whispered tales of some all-knowing being. Yet I wish I can go back to those simple years, where the deities of the world were not the stories I now struggle to accept, but a fact of life.
Still, can I know that my dreams are foolish and empty, and still chase them?
Endlessly.