That same evening, after dinner, Master Shen summoned all the children of the temple to the great hall. It was an impressive room with high ceilings decorated with paintings of dragons and phoenixes. Paper lanterns cast a soft light.

The eight children sit down on cushions. Tao is still a little disturbed by his vision. His pendant is still warm against his chest.
Master Shen stood in the center of the circle, his face grave.

"My dear children, Tao received an extraordinary vision today. The Long Dragon, the last of the great golden dragons, spoke to him. He entrusted him with a mission of vital importance."

All eyes turn to Tao. He feels his cheeks turn red.

"Long revealed to Tao the existence of three dragon eggs hidden in the world. If these eggs are not found and reunited, the dragons will disappear forever. Tao must go on a quest to find them."

A silence filled the room. Then Kai jumped up.

"I'm coming with you!" he said resolutely. "You can't go alone."

"Me too!" exclaimed Linh. "The animals of the forest can guide us. I can talk to them."

"We should all go," Ming suggests. "Together, we are stronger."
Master Shen raised his hand to temper the enthusiasm. "Your loyalty is admirable. But you cannot all leave. The temple must be protected. And a large group would attract too much attention. No, Tao must choose two companions for this quest."

Tao looks at his friends. It's a difficult decision. He loves all the children at the temple. But he has to be practical.

"I choose Linh," he said. "She can talk to animals. That will be very useful in the jade forest."

Linh beams with joy.

"And I choose Kai. He controls the wind. That will help us in the ice caves and on the mountains."

Kai slaps his fist into his palm. "We won't let you down!"

The other children are a little disappointed, but they understand. Bo approaches Tao.
"I've seen fragments of your journey in my dreams," he said mysteriously. "It will be difficult, but you will succeed. Beware of the shadows that follow the light."

Tao doesn't really understand, but he nods. Bo's visions are always a bit enigmatic.

"Good," said Master Shen. "Now, all three of you, follow me. There is something you need to see."

He leads them out of the great hall, through corridors they have never walked down. They descend a spiral staircase that plunges deep beneath the temple. The air becomes cooler, almost cold.

They arrive in front of a solid wood door covered with strange symbols.
Master Shen places his hand on it, and the symbols light up in gold. The door slowly opens.

Behind it lies a secret library. The walls are covered with shelves filled with ancient books, yellowed parchments, and mysterious objects. In the center of the room stands a large stone table.

"Welcome to the secret archives," said Master Shen. "Few people know of the existence of this place. Here are preserved the most ancient lore about dragons and their magic."

He walks towards a closed cabinet and takes out a very old roll of parchment. The paper is yellowed with age, but it gives off a faint golden light.

"Here is the map of the stars," he solemnly announced. "It was created over a thousand years ago by the first dragon guardians. It is a magical map that shows the locations of the most important places."related to dragons."

He unrolls the parchment on the table. The three children lean over to look.

The map is magnificent and strange. It doesn't resemble ordinary maps. It shows lands, mountains, rivers, but also constellations of stars that actually shine, as if the map were alive. Golden lines connect the stars to places on Earth.

"Look here," said Master Shen, pointing to three spots that shone brighter than the others. "These lights correspond to the three eggs."

He points east. "Here lies the jade forest. It is an ancient forest, protected by nature spirits. The first egg, the green egg, is hidden there."
His hand moved north. "There, the ice caves. A frozen labyrinth where few dare to venture. The blue egg has slept there for centuries."

Finally, he points south. "And here, the sleeping volcano, where the red egg waits in the fire."

"How are we going to travel to all these places?" asks Linh, impressed by the distances.

"One at a time," Master Shen replied. "You will begin with the Jade Forest. It's the closest, about a three-day walk from here. Once you have the first egg, we'll see about the rest."

"When do we leave?" Kai asks impatiently.

"Tomorrow at dawn. Tonight, prepare your belongings. Take warm clothes, food, and water. I will also give you items that may help you."

Tao felt his heart beat faster. Tomorrow. It's so soon. Is he really ready?
As if reading her thoughts, Master Shen placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You're ready, Tao. You've learned a lot in three weeks. And you're not alone. Your friends will be with you. Trust your dragon instincts. They will guide you to the eggs."

That night, lying in his bed, Tao stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. His mind was filled with images: the jade forest, the green egg, the Long dragon in its crystal prison.

He touches the pendant around his neck. It's still a little warm.

"Mom," he whispers in the darkness, "I hope that wherever you are, you are proud of me. I will save the dragons. I promise you."

He lies back down and falls into a deep sleep, his heart at peace.

That same evening, after a dinner where Tao barely touched his food as his mind was elsewhere, Master Shen summoned all the children of the temple to the great hall for an extraordinary meeting.

The great hall is the heart of the temple, a majestic room with ceilings several meters high, adorned with ancient frescoes depicting the history of dragons and humans living in harmony. Carved wooden columns support the structure. Red and gold paper lanterns hang from the ceiling, diffusing a soft, warm light that makes shadows dance on the walls.

The eight children sat on embroidered cushions, as they did during important ceremonies. Tao noticed that they were all looking at him with curiosity and a hint of concern. News of his vision had spread quickly.

Master Shen enters. His face, usually serene, is grave and solemn. He takes the time to look each child in the eyes before speaking.

"My dear students, my dear children. What happened today is unprecedented in the recent history of our temple. Tao received a direct vision from Long, the last of the great golden dragons."

An excited murmur rippled through the room. Everyone knew the legends about Long, but few would have believed he actually existed.

"This vision was not a mere dream or a hallucination. It was genuine communication, a message of vital importance. Long revealed to Tao the existence of three dragon eggs hidden in the world. These eggs are the last of their kind. If we do not find them, if we do not reunite them and allow the young dragons to hatch, then dragons will disappear forever from this world. And with them, an irreplaceable part of the magic and balance of the world will die."

The silence that follows is heavy with meaning. All the children understand the gravity of the situation.

"Tao was chosen for this quest," Master Shen continued. "Not by chance, but by destiny itself. His dragon blood binds him to Long and the eggs. He alone can sense where they are, he alone can awaken them."

"But he can't go alone!" Kai exclaimed, leaping to his feet, forgetting protocol in his enthusiasm. "I'm coming with you, Tao. You're my friend. I won't let you face this alone."

"Me too!" Linh stood up in turn. "The animals of the forest and mountains can help us. I can communicate with them. I will be useful."

"We should all go," Ming suggests in his calm but determined voice.
"Together we are stronger. Each of us has gifts that could help."

Other voices rise, all the children wanting to participate. But Shen raises his hand, and silence returns.

"Your loyalty and courage do you credit. You are truly the most extraordinary children I have ever had the privilege of teaching. But consider this: you cannot all leave. The temple must be protected. There is knowledge here, artifacts, that must not fall into the wrong hands. Furthermore, a group of eight children traveling together would attract too much attention. There are... forces in the world that do not want the dragons to return."

He lets these words resonate, then continues: "No, for this quest, Tao must travel light. He can choose two companions. Only two."

Tao felt all eyes turning towards him. His heart sank. How could he choose? How could he leave some behind when everyone was ready to help him?

He thinks intensely. He needs to be practical, strategic. WhatWhich donations will be most useful for this specific quest?

"I choose Linh," he said finally, his voice firmer than he thought it would be. "The first trial is in the jade forest. Linh can communicate with animals and nature spirits. Without her, I don't know if I'll even be able to find the egg."

Linh beams with joy and nods vigorously.

"And I choose Kai. His powers over the wind will help us in the ice caves and in the mountains. He can also protect us from storms."
Kai clapped his fist into his palm with a big smile. "You can count on us! We'll bring back those eggs, I promise."

The other children are visibly disappointed, but they understand the logic behind Tao's choices.

Bo, the boy with prophetic visions, steps forward in turn.

"I've seen fragments of your journey in my dreams these past few nights," he said in a low voice. "I see green, blue, red. I see trials, but also triumphs. You will succeed, Tao. But be careful. There are shadows that always follow the light. Someone else is also searching for the eggs. Someone who doesn't want the dragons to return."

A shiver ran down Tao's spine. "Who?"

"I don't know. My visions aren't clear. But be careful. Trust your instincts."

Master Shen intervenes. "Thank you, Bo. Your warnings are always valuable. Now, Tao, Linh, Kai, follow me. There is something you need to see before you leave."

He leads them out of the great hall. The other children watch them leave with a mixture of envy and concern.

Master Shen guides them through parts of the temple they have never explored. They walk through narrow, torchlit corridors, descend a spiral staircase that seems to plunge deep beneath the temple's foundations. The air gradually becomes cooler, almost cold. The stone walls ooze moisture.

"Where are we going?" asks Linh, a little nervously.

"To a place that very few people have seen," Master Shen replied mysteriously.

They finally arrive at a massive door made of ancient wood, so old it is almost black. The door is covered with intricate symbols that seem almost alive in the dancing torchlight - intertwined dragons, characters in a language Tao does not recognize, stars and moons.

Master Shen placed his hand flat on the door. The symbols suddenly lit up, shining with a golden light that spread like water across the entire surface. An ancient mechanism creaked, and the door slowly opened inwards.
"Welcome," said Master Shen as he entered, "to the secret archives of the Cloud Temple."

The three children follow him and stop, gaping open.

It's an extraordinary library. The room is circular and vast, with a domed ceiling that seems to rise very high. The walls are entirely covered with floor-to-ceiling shelves, filled with old books with worn leather covers, parchments rolled up and tied with ribbons, and mysterious objects in glass cases. A sliding ladder provides access to the highest shelves.

At the center of the room is a large circular polished stone table, engraved with symbols and star charts. Antique astronomical instruments are arranged on pedestals around the room. Crystals suspended from the ceiling diffuse a soft, constant light, without any visible flame.

"It's incredible," Kai murmured, turning around to see everything."How many books are here?"

"Thousands," replied Master Shen. "Some are over a thousand years old. Here are preserved the oldest and most precious knowledge about dragons, their magic, their history. The temple guardians have accumulated this knowledge for centuries, protecting it from those who would destroy it or misuse it."

He walks towards a peculiar cabinet, secured by an intricate lock. He utters a few words in an ancient language, and the lock opens. From the cabinet, he takes a scroll of parchment that emits a faint golden glow, as if it contained its own source of light.

"Here is one of the most precious treasures in our collection," he said solemnly. "The star map."

He brings the roll to the central table and carefully unrolls it. The three children lean over, fascinated.

The map is both beautiful and disconcerting. It's unlike any other map Tao has ever seen. The parchment itself seems to be made of a material that isn't quite paper—it gleams softly, and points of light dance across it like real stars. The map shows lands, mountains, rivers, and oceans, but in a stylized, almost lifelike way. And superimposed on all of this are constellations—real miniature stars that twinkle and pulse.

"This map," explains Master Shen, "was created over a thousand years ago by the first dragon guardians. It is not just a geographical map. It is a magical map that connects earthly places to celestial constellations. The ancients believed that everything on earth is reflected in the sky, and vice versa. This map shows these connections."

He points to three spots on the map that shine more intensely than the others, pulsing with a warm light.

"Look at these three lights. They appeared on the map just a few hours ago, right after your vision, Tao. The map reacted to the awakening of your connection with the eggs. These lights show you where they are."

Her hand rests on the light to the east. "Here, the jade forest. An ancient and sacred forest, protected by nature spirits since time immemorial. The first egg, the green egg, is hidden there among the thousand-year-old trees. The constellation that overlooks it is that of the Green Serpent, guardian of nature."

His hand moved north across the map. "There, the ice caves. A labyrinth of ice and crystal in the coldest mountains in the world. Few humans have gone there, and even fewer have returned. The blue egg sleeps there, frozen in time. Above, the constellation of the Ice Phoenix."

Finally, he points south. "And here, the dormant volcano, named Mount of Eternal Fire.
It is not truly asleep - lava still flows in its depths.
The red egg waits there, in chambers of fire where no normal human could survive. The constellation of the Fire Dragon watches over it.

Tao studies the map intently, trying to memorize every detail. The distances seem immense. How will they be able to travel to all these places?

"We'll start with the Jade Forest," said Master Shen, as if reading her thoughts. "It's the closest one—about three to four days' walk east. Once you've retrieved the first egg, we'll assess the situation and plan the journey to the next one."

"How will we know exactly where to look once we're in the forest?" Linh asks practically. "A forest is so big."

"Your dragon instinct will guide you,"Tao," assures Master Shen. "The closer you get to the egg, the more you will feel it. It will be like a magnetic attraction, a call that only you can hear."

"When do we leave?" Kai asks, the excitement evident in his voice.

"Tomorrow at dawn. Tonight, rest as much as possible and prepare your belongings. Take practical and warm clothing - nights in the forest are cool. Food for five days. Water bottles. I will also provide you with some items that might be useful: an enchanted compass, medicinal herbs, light crystals for dark places."

He carefully rolls up the map and hands it to Tao. "Take it. It will guide you."
Tao reverently takes the parchment, feeling its warmth and weight. It is not just an object - it is a responsibility.

"Master Shen," said Tao hesitantly, "I... what if I fail? What if I'm not strong enough, not smart enough to succeed in this quest?"

The old monk kneels down to be at Tao's eye level. His grey eyes are filled with kindness and trust.

"Tao, listen to me carefully. You were not chosen for this quest because you are already perfect or all-powerful. You were chosen because you have a pure heart, courage, and the capacity to grow. The greatest quests are not accomplished by those who are never afraid, but by those who move forward despite their fear. And remember: you are not alone. Your friends will be with you. Their strength combined with yours can accomplish miracles."

He gets up and places a hand on the shoulder of each of the three children.
"I believe in you. The Long Dragon believes in you, Tao. Now you must believe in yourself."

That night, in his bed, Tao couldn't sleep despite his exhaustion. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Excitement, fear, anticipation, doubt – everything was mixed together.

He gets up silently so as not to wake the other children sleeping in the dormitory and goes to the window. The moon is almost full, bathing the temple and the surrounding mountains in a silvery light. Clouds drift gently, shimmering in the moonlight.

He touches the pendant around his neck. It is warm, always warm, as if it contained a living flame.

"Mom," he whispers into the silent night, "I hope that wherever you are, you can see me. I hope you are proud. I will do what you would have wanted to do. I will save the dragons. I will continue your quest."

In the sky, a shooting star streaks across the firmament, leaving a trail of golden light. Tao chooses to see it as a sign, an encouragement from the universe itself.

He goes back to bed. This time, sleep comes easily. He dreams of green forests, shining eggs, and a dragon flying free in the sky.