by Master Alchron
They called her a monster before she ever took her first breath. When an S-rank adventuring party is ordered to exterminate an evil dragon's nest, the mission ends with an even crueler command: destroy every unhatched egg. Everyone obeys. Everyone except one healer. Unable to kill a single unborn child, the elven healer Lexana secretly rescues one egg and hides it beneath her woodland cottage. Together with the legendary adventuring party known as the Holy Shadows, she raises the hatchling in secret, teaching her that kindness is a choice, mercy is strength, and a person's worth is never decided by the blood in their veins. Her name is Aurelithra Rurikson-Vel'sar Raised by heroes, an ancient dragon, and a family that refused to abandon her, Aurelithra grows into a dragon-kin unlike any the world has ever seen. She learns swordsmanship, magic, healing, martial arts, and the ancient traditions of both dragons and humans. But beyond every lesson lies a single promise made to the woman who saved her life: Protect the innocent. Show the world that good is taught. Now, at sixteen years old, Aurelithra steps beyond the safety of her home for the first time—not disguised, not hidden, but as herself—to become an adventurer. The world is not ready. Some see a hero. Many see a monster. Others see only a weapon they can use. As kingdoms, guilds, churches, dragons, and monsters collide, one dragon-kin girl will have to prove that a person's choices matter more than their birth—and that sometimes the greatest heroes are not those who wield the strongest swords, but those who choose compassion when the world demands hatred. For legends are not born from blood... They are raised by love.
