Tao has been living at the Cloud Temple for three weeks now. These three weeks have been the most intense of his life.

Every morning, before sunrise, all the children wake up for morning meditation. Sitting in a circle in the main courtyard, they breathe together, listen to the silence, and learn to calm their minds.

Next comes training with Master Shen. For Tao, this means learning to control the heat of his hands, to make his scales appear and disappear at will, to breathe fire without hurting himself.

At first, it was very difficult. His hands would become burning hot without warning. But now, he's beginning to understand. He's learning to listen to his body, to feel the dragon's energy flowing through his veins.

In the afternoon, the children train together. Linh shows him how the animals react to her. Kai teaches him to feel the wind. Ming helps him become stronger. Tao feels more and more at home.

But today is a special day. Master Shen announced this morning that Tao is ready for his first major meditation.

"What is it?" asked Tao nervously.

"It's a deep meditation," explained Master Shen. "You will enter a state where your mind can travel. Sometimes you see important things. Messages. Visions."

Now Tao sits alone in the meditation hall. It is a round room with light stone walls. Incense burns, and its fragrance is soothing.

"Sit comfortably," said Master Shen. "Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Listen to your heart. Listen to your dragon blood."

Tao obeys. He closes his eyes. He breathes. Once. Twice. Three times.

At first, nothing happens. He just hears his breathing. Then, slowly, everything around him goes black. A deep, soft black.

And suddenly, he is no longer in the temple.

He is in a gigantic cave. The walls are made of crystal that shines with a blue light. The cave is so large that the ceiling cannot be seen.
And there, in the center, he sees something incredible.

A dragon. A real dragon.

It is immense, bigger than Grandma's house. Its scales are pure gold that shines like the sun. Its wings are folded against its body. But it doesn't move.

Tao approaches, his heart pounding. Then he understands why the dragon isn't moving. Shining crystal chains surround it, holding it prisoner.
Is the dragon asleep? No. Suddenly, an eye opens. A huge, golden eye that looks intelligently at Tao.

"Finally... you've come." The voice resonated in Tao's head, powerful and ancient. "I've waited so long, young dragon child."

Tao finds his voice. "Who... who are you?"

"I am Long, the last of the great golden dragons. I have been imprisoned here for hundreds of years, kept in this slumber by ancient magic."

"Why? Who did this to you?"

"It's a long story. But listen to me carefully, because time is running out. Our race, the dragons, is in danger. We have almost all disappeared. I am the last adult. But there is still hope."

The dragon closes its eye, and Tao sees images in his mind. Three eggs. Three dragon eggs, hidden in different places.

"There are three dragon eggs hidden in the world. They are the last ones. If you find them and bring them back to a safe place, they can hatch. The dragons can be reborn."

"Where are they?" Tao asked.

"The first one is hidden in the forest ofJade, protected by the spirits of nature. The second is found in the northern ice caves, guarded by the eternal cold. The third sleeps in the dormant volcano, surrounded by fire and lava.

"But... how can I find them? I'm just a child."

"You are not just a child. You are a dragon child. My blood flows in your veins, through generations. You are connected to me, to all dragons. You can sense where the eggs are. Trust me. And you will not be alone. Your friends will help you."

The image begins to fade. The dragon becomes less clear.

"Wait! How do I free you? How do I find you?"

"When the three eggs are reunited, when the baby dragons are born, my chains will break. That is the prophecy. Go now, young Tao. The fate of the dragons rests on your shoulders."

Everything turns white. Shiny. Too shiny.

Tao opens his eyes. He is back in the meditation room. His heart is pounding. He is covered in sweat. The pendant around his neck is burning hot.
Master Shen is kneeling before him, his gaze intense. "Tao, you saw something. Tell me about it."

Tao tells all. The Long Dragon. The Crystal Cave. The Three Eggs. The Mission.

When he finished, Master Shen remained silent for a long time. Then he said softly, "So it's true. The prophecy of the ancients is beginning to be fulfilled. You are the one we have been waiting for."

Three weeks have passed since Tao's arrival at the Cloud Temple.
Three weeks of intense learning, discovery, and transformation.

Her new life at the temple follows a precise and disciplined rhythm. Every morning, well before dawn, while the stars still shine in the sky and the clouds surrounding the temple are tinged with blue-gray, all the children wake up to the sound of a gentle bell. They gather in the main courtyard for morning meditation, sitting in a circle on cushions, breathing together, learning to quiet their minds and feel the energy flowing within them.

After meditation comes the communal breakfast, then the lessons with Master Shen. For Tao, these lessons are both fascinating and frustrating.
Master Shen teaches him how to control the temperature of his hands, how to make his scales appear at will rather than in reaction to fear or anger, how to breathe fire without burning his throat.

"The power of the dragon," explains Master Shen, "comes from the heart. It is linked to your emotions. When you panic, it becomes wild and dangerous. When you are calm and centered, it becomes an extension of yourself, obedient and controllable."

The afternoons are dedicated to training with the other children. Tao quickly developed strong bonds with them, especially with Linh and Kai, who became his best friends. Linh showed him how animals react differently to him because of his dragon essence—some are curious, others wary. Kai taught him to feel the wind on his skin, to understand that he can be an ally. Ming pushed him to his physical limits, helping him develop his endurance and strength.

In the evenings, after dinner, the children have free time. Tao often spends it in the temple library, an extraordinary place filled with thousands of ancient books and scrolls. He reads everything he can find about dragons, searching for clues about what might have happened to his mother.

But today is different. This morning, Master Shen announced that Tao is ready for his first major meditation - what the temple children call a "deep vision".

"What exactly is it?" Tao asked nervously at breakfast.
Bo, the boy who sees the future in his dreams, replied: "It's like... diving deep into your own mind. Sometimes you see things. Messages. Hidden truths. For me, that's how my visions started."

"Does it hurt?" Tao worried.

"No," Linh assured. "It's just... intense. You'll feel like you're traveling, even if your body stays here."

Now, in the late afternoon, Tao sits alone in the temple's meditation hall. It's a circular room at the top of the tallest tower, with polished white stone walls that seem to glow from within. The floor is covered with soft tatami mats. Incense burns in bronze burners, filling the air with the scent of sandalwood and jasmine. A single window looks out onto the mountains and the sky, where the sun is beginning its descent.

Master Shen sat opposite Tao, his grey eyes fixed on the boy with calm intensity.

"Remember what I taught you," he said gently. "Deep meditation isn't something you force. You have to let go. Trust your dragon blood. It knows where to take you."

Tao nods his head, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat.

"Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply, slowly. Count yourBreaths. With each exhale, release a little tension. Listen to your heart. Listen to the fire burning within you, the dragon's fire.

Tao obeys. He closes his eyes and begins to breathe. A deep inhale through his nose. A slow exhale through his mouth. He counts. One. Two. Three.
At first, his mind wanders. He thinks about Grandma. Wonders if she's alright. Thinks about his new friends. About this morning's training.

But gradually, these thoughts fade. His breathing becomes deeper, slower. He feels the warmth of the pendant against his chest. He feels the dragon's fire in his veins, a constant, reassuring presence.
Everything around him turns black. A deep, velvety black, like plunging into dark water.

And then, without any transition, he is no longer in the meditation room.

He stands in a cave. No, that word doesn't do it justice. It's a colossal cavern, so vast its dimensions defy imagination. The walls are made of living crystal that pulses with a blue-green light, creating shifting shadows and kaleidoscopic reflections. The air is thick, charged with an ancient energy that makes every cell of Tao's body vibrate.

And there, in the exact center of this crystal cathedral, he sees it.

A dragon.

The most magnificent, the most terrifying, the most extraordinary living being that Tao had ever seen or imagined.

It is colossal. Its serpentine body stretches for over a hundred meters, coiled upon itself. Its scales are of such pure, luminous gold that they seem made of solidified sunlight. Each one is the size of a shield. Its wings, folded against its flank, are membranous and delicate despite their immense size, veins of gold running through their translucency. Its claws are like swords of black crystal. Its head, massive and noble, rests on its forelegs, crowned with golden horns that curl like frozen flames.

But something is wrong. Tao sees it now. Chains. Thick chains of luminous crystal encircle the dragon's body, holding it still. And although its eyes are closed, Tao can sense that the dragon isn't truly asleep. It's trapped in a magical slumber, suspended between wakefulness and oblivion.

Tao approaches slowly, with reverence. The crystal floor resonates beneath his feet. His heart beats so loudly he can hear it.

When he gets within a few meters of the dragon's massive head, something changes. The air shimmers. The light from the crystals intensifies.

And slowly, majestically, an eye opens.

A golden eye the size of a door, with a vertical pupil as black as the void between the stars. This eye looks at Tao, and in that gaze there is an intelligence so vast, so ancient, that Tao suddenly feels very small, like a candle facing the sun.

"Finally..." The voice didn't come from outside but resonated directly in Tao's mind, deep as thunder, ancient as the mountains. "You have come. I have waited so long, young dragon child. So long that I had almost lost hope."

Tao had to swallow several times before he could speak. "Who... who are you?"

"I am Long." The name resonates with a weight, a meaning that goes beyond words. "I am the last of the great golden dragons, the last guardian of the celestial fire. I have slept in this crystal prison for nearly five hundred years, kept in this slumber by a magic that even I cannot break alone."
"Why? Who did this to you?"

The golden eye blinked slowly, as if the dragon were remembering something painful. "Humans. Long ago,Some humans were afraid of us. They thought we were too powerful, too dangerous. They created magic to put us to sleep, imprison us, make us disappear. Many of my brothers and sisters died. I was captured and locked up here.

"It's horrible..."

"Yes. But listen to me carefully, because I cannot maintain this connection for long. My race is on the verge of extinction. I am the last adult dragon still... partially alive. But there is still hope. One last hope."
The dragon closes its eye, and suddenly, images flood Tao's mind. He sees three eggs. Each is the size of a barrel, with a shell that glows with an inner light. One is emerald green, pulsing like the heart of a forest. One is icy blue, sparkling like frozen diamonds. One is reddish-orange, hot as lava.

"Three dragon eggs," Long's voice continued. "The last of our kind. They were hidden long ago, protected by those who didn't want us to disappear completely. But they cannot hatch on their own. They need to be together. They need the presence of a dragon child to awaken them."

"Do you want me to find them?"

"You are the only one who can do it. The first egg is hidden in the jade forest, beyond the eastern mountains. It is protected by the spirits of nature, the guardians of the ancient trees. Only someone with a pure heart can reach it."
A new image: a forest so dense and green that it seems made of living emerald.

"The second egg is located in the northern ice caves, where the cold is so intense that it can kill in minutes. It is guarded by eternal frost, protected by ancient riddles."

Image of a labyrinth of shimmering ice, gigantic stalactites, and deadly cold.

"The third egg sleeps in the heart of the dormant volcano, to the south. There, fire reigns supreme. Only a dragon child can survive the heat to retrieve it."

Image of a smoking mountain, rivers of orange lava, burning caves.
"But I'm just a child," protested Tao, overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. "How can I do all this? I've only just learned to control my powers."

"You are not just a child. You are a dragon child, a bridge between two worlds. My blood flows in your veins, diluted but still alive after generations. You can sense where the eggs are. Your dragon instinct will guide you."

"What if I fail?"

"Then the dragons will disappear forever. And a part of the world's magic will die with them."

The image begins to fade. The crystals lose their luster. Long's voice becomes weaker.

"Wait!" Tao shouts. "How do I free you? How do I find you in the real world?"

"The prophecy is clear..." The voice is now barely a whisper. "When the three eggs are reunited in a safe place, when the baby dragons break their shells and take their first breath, my chains will break. Our destinies are intertwined, young Tao. Save them, and you will save me. Fail, and we will all be lost together."

"But..."

"Go now. Trust your heart. Trust your friends. You are not alone on this quest. Others will accompany you. It is written in the stars."
Everything turns white. Brilliant. Blinding. As if the sun itself were exploding.
Tao opens his eyes abruptly, panting. He's back in the meditation hall. His body is covered in sweat. His hands are trembling. The pendant around his neck is so hot it almost burns, and when he takes it offUpon touching it, he sees that it shines with a faint golden glow.

Master Shen is kneeling before him, his hands on Tao's shoulders, his face grave and focused.

"Tao. Tao, come back. You are safe. You are at the temple."

"I... I saw..." Tao struggles to speak. His throat is dry. "A dragon. Long. It spoke to me. It showed me..."

"Breathe. Calm down. Then tell me everything."

Tao drinks the water that Master Shen offers him, then recounts his vision in minute detail. The imprisoned dragon. The three hidden eggs. The mission. The prophecy.
When he finishes, a heavy silence fills the room. Master Shen sits down slowly, his face showing a rare emotion: a mixture of fear, wonder, and sadness.

"So it's true," he finally murmured. "The prophecy of the ancients is beginning to come true. You are the dragon child of legend. The one who must find the lost eggs and bring the dragons back to the world."

"But how? I'm not ready! I..."

Master Shen raised a hand to interrupt him. "No one is ever truly ready for their destiny, Tao. But you are not alone. I will help you. Your friends will help you. And the dragon himself told you that you are capable."

He gets up and reaches out to Tao to help him up.

"Come. We must speak to the others. This quest cannot wait. The fate of the dragons—perhaps even the fate of the world—now rests on your shoulders."

Tao takes Master Shen's hand and stands up, still trembling. Through the window, he sees the sun setting behind the mountains, tinting the sky red and gold.

His life has just changed again. The training was just the beginning.

Now the real adventure begins.