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He’d been walking the edge of the ruins when something in the air shifted. It was small, almost nothing, just that strange, quiet pull that made the fur along his spine rise. Then came the scent. Faint, but familiar in a way that hit him right in the chest. Jasmine. Sandalwood. Incense.

And something newer too: mud, moss, and the damp of this strange place.

For a second, he stopped breathing. It couldn’t be, he thought. It just… couldn’t.

And then he heard it. That small, frightened sound that cracked through the silence like glass.

...Lian.

Her name fell out of him before he could stop it—barely a whisper, half disbelieving and half in awe. Could it be? Could the Celestial Dragon have blessed him so?

He didn’t think after that. He just moved. His paws carried him fast through the mud and grass until he saw her—small and curled, fur a mess, and golden eyes wide with fear and confusion. For a moment, all he could do was stare. His little girl. His daughter. Here.

Lian… he said again, voice breaking somewhere between relief and awe. By the Blessings of the Heavenly Dragon...

He was at her side before she could blink, lowering his head to nudge her shoulder gently. The smell of her, alive and real, hit him so hard he almost laughed.

You’re here, he breathed out, soft and shaky, a smile finally pulling at his lips. You’re really here.

He pulled back just enough to look her over, his golden eyes full of warmth and disbelief. I thought I’d lost you to the world between, he admitted quietly, then let out a small huff that might’ve been a laugh. And yet here you are. He grinned, eyes narrowing with playful fondness. You’ve got mud on your face, little lotus. Your mother would faint if she saw you like this.

He turned his head toward a stream not far away, flicking his tail for her to follow. Come, my darling girl. Let’s get you cleaned up before I start catching the ghosts of our ancestors yelling at me for letting a princess of Tianlong roll around in the dirt.

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