While the stardust still rained steadily from the sky, Rhaego decided this Stardust Festival would reign as his favorite forever. There was little to be compared to one’s first experience, and the masqueraded prince had already discovered the nights of the festival outlived every dream he could have imagined. On the first night, he attended the feast and stood before Akako—Rhaego had felt naked and stripped down to his core as he felt the heat of the dragon’s gaze, but it was a searing warmth that incubated the passion within the heart of the masquerade prince. He had soon realized that no matter how much he missed his family and their home in the Wasteland, Doutaini was his destiny and future. Rhaego was meant to come here and thrive, and for a moment, his thoughts transport to that of his mother as he questioned what caused her to abandon the wonders of this world for a place without magic. Whether it was the easy amusement of a youthful child or truly the spectacular display of the gods, Rhaego wished to prolong this night as he wandered away from the feast. He had been too excited to eat anything, his stomach immune and placated against hunger for at least a few more hours. The exhilaration of the festival was the nourishment that sustained him, surrounded by the gleam of iridescent splendor that garbed him in a regal makeshift crown and stole.
