Noah felt like something was wrong with her body.
Her recent increase in appetite could, at a stretch, be explained by "growing pains" or "intensive training."
But as days passed, Noah found herself waking up each morning feeling unusually exhausted.
This was unheard of for her. Even during the most grueling training sessions, she always woke up energized and ready to face the day.
Her body's ability to recover was practically superhuman. It was a prerequisite for being a champion of relentless training.
So… was this fatigue somehow connected to that strange dream?
Noah rarely dreamed. Her sleep quality was usually perfect, only interrupted when Muwen crawled into her bed for a cuddle.
But could a dream really affect her physical state?
She had no idea what to make of it.
If it were just an illness, her body would have healed within a couple of days. But after almost two weeks, her condition seemed to be worsening.
Finally, the determined young "champion" decided it was time to consult her father.
Her dad always had a way of solving problems, no matter how big or small.
Of course, she didn't want to make her parents worry, so she avoided mentioning anything about her physical discomfort. She had a theory—maybe her recent changes, along with the strange dream, were somehow connected to the incident in the Primordial Dragon King's ruins a couple of weeks ago.
So, she decided to approach her dad with that angle in mind.
Noah found Leon in Rosswessi's private library.
He was helping Muwen and Aurora review material for the next school term.
"Good morning, big sister!" Aurora was the first to notice Noah's arrival and greeted her cheerfully.
"Good morning, sis! Finally woke up, huh?" Muwen put down her book, hopped off her chair, and ran over with her tail flicking excitedly as she grabbed Noah's hand.
Noah smiled and greeted them both before walking over to join her father and sisters at the study table.
"Good morning, Dad," she said, using the informal address "Dad" that Aurora had influenced her to use.
"Good morning," Leon replied warmly. He was about to invite Noah to join their "study group" when he noticed the fatigue in her expression, a tiredness lingering in her eyes.
He opened his mouth to ask, but after glancing at the younger girls, he decided against it and instead said, "Noah, let's go pick out a few books together."
"Sure."
"Muwen, Aurora, keep studying, and let me know if you have any questions when I get back."
"Yes, Dad!"
After giving the instructions, Leon rose and led Noah toward the nearby bookshelves.
They each took a side, browsing through the shelves with casual interest.
Picking books was just an excuse. Leon didn't want Noah to feel uncomfortable talking about her health in front of her sisters.
Noah, smart as she was, understood his intention. She also felt that what she wanted to discuss should be a private conversation.
After a few moments, Noah lowered her arm and turned to Leon.
"Thanks, Dad."
Leon set down the book he'd picked up and looked at her, "No problem. It's just us here now. Can you tell me what's going on?"
Noah scratched her head, choosing her words carefully.
"Lately, I've been having the same dream over and over again."
"The same dream? What's it about?"
"It seems like… a war. A war from a long, long time ago."
They walked slowly between the rows of bookshelves until they reached the large windows at the far end of the room. Warm sunlight bathed Noah, bringing her some comfort, though her little face still held a serious expression.
"In that war, different dragon clans fought each other to the death for resources and territory, which led to a sharp decline in their population.
"At the end of the dream, there's always a massive white dragon. It perches on the highest mountain in the ice plains, bringing an end to the brutal war with its overwhelming strength and authority."
Noah's brows furrowed as she looked up at Leon, a hint of unease in her gaze.
"I wanted to look up some information about this white dragon, but its image is so vague in the dream. I don't know where to start."
Leon listened quietly, not rushing to offer his thoughts or guesses. Noah was just recounting her dream, and he felt there was more to hear before drawing any conclusions.
"Ever since I started having this dream, I've been feeling extremely tired every morning when I wake up," Noah continued, looking at her father with a look of quiet desperation in her eyes. "I've thought it over for days, and I decided to come to you. Do you know any way to stop me from having this dream?"
Leon's expression grew serious as he stroked his chin in thought.
The battlefield Noah described seemed to be the ancient civil war among the dragons, a conflict that occurred thousands of years ago.
And the "white dragon" that ended the war was none other than the Primordial Dragon King, Noah.
Leon knew this because he had helped Rosswessi research the Primordial Power and collected various ancient texts about it.
In those texts were records of Noah, the legendary dragon ruler of old.
Noah was a hero among the dragons, the first Dragon King in their history. It nourished the dragons' lands with its power, influencing dragonkind for generations, even to the present day.
Such a revered ancestor would be considered a legendary figure among humans, too—someone who would always have a place in the history books.
But why was this piece of history appearing in Noah's dreams?
Leon had a few ideas, but he wanted to hear if Noah had come to any conclusions of her own. He replied, "Controlling dreams can be risky. It's easy to get addicted to the sense of control within them, and that can make it hard to distinguish dreams from reality."
"So, before we figure out how to stop you from dreaming, maybe we should first understand why you're having these dreams."
Noah blinked, confused. "But dreams are just random. Can we even figure out why I'm dreaming this?"
Leon shook his head, "This isn't just a dream, Noah. It's a part of real history."
He decided not to keep anything from her.
Leon understood his eldest daughter. She was smart, and repeatedly having the same dream had likely raised suspicions in her mind already.
"Real… history?" Noah was only mildly surprised, her brows knitting thoughtfully.
"Yes."
Leon briefly recounted the story of the Primordial Dragon King and the ancient dragon civil war.
When he finished, Noah nodded, a glint of understanding in her eyes. "So the white dragon in my dreams is the Primordial Dragon King?"
After a moment, she added, "And Mom named me after this Dragon King…"
"Mm-hmm. After all, Noah was a hero to the dragons, and your mother hoped you'd grow into a warrior as noble as that," Leon said, though he thought privately:
Forget the "hero" of dragonkind, the real hero here is Leon Cosmodeous!
Crossing time and space, saving his wife and daughter, and, incidentally, the entire dragon clan, Leon would do it all, then quietly slip away, leaving his accomplishments unsung.
Noah scrunched up her nose, muttering under her breath, "But honestly, I'd rather grow up to be like you, Dad—Ow! Ow…"
Startled, Leon quickly reached out to steady her. "What's wrong? Headache?"
Noah rubbed her temples lightly, "I don't know why, but my head suddenly started hurting… Maybe I really haven't been getting enough rest."
Leon began gently massaging her temples, "Is that better?"
"Mm, it just hurt for a moment. I'm fine now."
(An ancient dragon spirit: "Using my name, yet dreaming of becoming like someone else? These young dragons are just begging for a lesson!")