The three sisters' sleeping arrangement was always in a specific order: Noah, Muwen, and Aurora, from left to right.
On the surface, it seemed to be based on birth order, but there was a bit more to it.
Noah slept on the outer edge of the bed to keep her sisters from accidentally rolling off in their sleep; Aurora, the youngest, slept on the innermost side where she could keep an eye on both her older sisters and observe any "nighttime antics."
As for why Muwen slept in the middle…
Aurora lay peacefully on her back, her breathing even and calm. A pair of little legs were draped over her soft belly, and Muwen's arm hugged her shoulder tightly, effectively turning her into a plush, pink-haired body pillow.
Aurora knew her second sister always needed to cling to something when she slept.
Before Aurora was born, Muwen had always clung to Noah. But after Aurora's arrival, Muwen would alternate between her two sisters as her "snuggle target."
This was precisely why Muwen always slept in the middle.
On her left was her soft and cuddly little sister, and on her right was the classic comfort of her eldest sister. As the third princess of the Silver Dragons, Muwen was all about spreading the love evenly.
Aurora had grown used to this and slept soundly through it.
"Mmm… jerky… jerky is so yummy…" Muwen mumbled in her sleep, clinging to Aurora as she dreamt about the snacks Noah had brought back after dinner.
Aurora, however, showed no reaction, staying deeply asleep. Years of practice had taught her to sleep through anything short of an earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption.
After a while, Muwen rolled over, satisfied with her cuddle time with Aurora, and decided it was time to reach over and cling to Noah.
But as she turned and stretched out her arm, she found… nothing.
With her eyes still closed, Muwen frowned, reaching over again but still grasping at empty sheets.
Wait… something's not right.
She usually only had to reach out to find Noah. Could it be… her sister had fallen off the bed?
Drowsy and half-awake, Muwen squirmed closer to the edge of the bed, blindly feeling her way to the floor, but she found no sign of Noah there.
"Sis? …"
There was no answer.
In a flash of alarm, Muwen sat up and, by the light streaming in from the moonlit windows, scanned the room. She called out for her sister again, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"Sis?"
Still, no reply.
Now fully awake and alarmed, Muwen quietly pulled back the covers and jumped out of bed, her bare feet padding across the floor to check the bathroom.
But the bathroom lights were off.
She found no sign of Noah anywhere in their room.
Rushing back to the bed, Muwen knelt beside Aurora and gently shook her shoulder.
"Aurora, Aurora, wake up. Noah's missing!"
Aurora mumbled in her sleep, her voice hazy, "Mmm… maybe she went to the bathroom?"
"She's not in there."
Slowly waking up, Aurora sat up with a yawn, rubbing her tangled pink hair. She glanced around the room and, seeing no sign of their sister, instantly felt a surge of alertness.
"Maybe she went to the dining hall for more snacks?" Aurora suggested.
Muwen's eyes filled with worry. Sure, they were safe at home… but Noah had never disappeared in the middle of the night like this.
"Let's go check the dining hall," Muwen proposed.
Aurora nodded. "Alright."
The two little dragons hopped out of bed, put on their shoes and jackets, and tiptoed past their parents' room, down the hall and the staircase, all the way to the dining hall on the first floor.
But Noah wasn't there, either.
"She's vanished!" Muwen slapped her little hands to her cheeks, her mind already spiraling into tragic scenarios.
"What if a monster snatched her away?"
"Or maybe that spatial rift from ages ago reopened and pulled her in?"
"Or what if she left us? What if she decided to go off on her own?"
"Or—"
"Muwen."
Aurora clamped her hands over her sister's soft, chubby cheeks, stopping her from spiraling further.
"First, no dangerous creature could enter the Silver Dragon Sanctuary. Dad would turn them all into roast beef before they got close.
"Second, that spatial rift was dealt with long ago. Dad handled it well.
"And finally, if Noah would leave anyone behind, it would never be you. So relax."
Muwen took a deep breath, slowly calming down thanks to her sister's reassurance.
With a tearful look, she asked, "Then… where could she be?"
Aurora rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "She's been eating a lot lately, says it's because her training has increased. Maybe… she's out here training on her own?"
Muwen's eyes lit up in realization. "That's possible! Let's go check the training grounds!"
"Right!"
The two young dragonesses made a beeline for the sanctuary's training grounds.
Sure enough, under a towering ancient tree, they spotted Noah.
Muwen's eyes brightened, and she called out, "Sis!—mmph!"
Her shout was quickly muffled by Aurora, who covered her mouth and pulled her behind a nearby tree. Together, they peeked around to observe Noah.
"What's wrong?" Muwen whispered.
"Look at her. She doesn't seem to be doing regular physical training."
Muwen looked more closely and saw that Noah was sitting cross-legged under the tree, eyes closed, a faint aura of energy drifting around her, ruffling her hair lightly.
She didn't look like she was working on physical training. If anything, it seemed more like she was gathering mana.
"Is she practicing magic condensation?" Muwen guessed.
Aurora shook her head gravely. "Noah's magic attribute is thunder. If she were gathering mana, we'd see some thunder element around her. But there's no elemental reaction at all."
Though Noah wasn't gathering thunder magic, they both sensed a subtle energy pulsing around her.
What could it be…?
Their thoughts were interrupted as Noah's voice rang out suddenly.
"Who's there?!"
Startled, the two sisters peeked sheepishly from behind the tree and stepped out, one after the other.
Recognizing her little sisters, Noah relaxed, her guard dropping.
She stood up and walked toward them.
"What are you two doing up in the middle of the night?"
"We… we couldn't find you in the room and thought something had happened, so we came looking for you…" Muwen explained.
"Something happened? What could possibly happen to me?" Noah said, patting Muwen's cheek. "Everything's fine. Go back to bed."
"Really?" Muwen's wide, teary eyes were full of worry.
Noah placed one hand on her hip and waved with the other. "Yes, really. Now go to sleep."
"Then let's go back together." Muwen took her hand.
Noah hesitated, instinctively wanting to pull her hand away, but then caught herself.
Her gaze flickered, and after a brief moment, she said, "Alright, let's go."
With that, she led Muwen back toward the sanctuary.
Aurora followed a short distance behind, her eyes fixed on her sister's back with a pensive expression.
Did Noah just refer to herself with an unusual title? Or did I mishear…?
She scratched her head, shook off the thought, and quickly caught up with her sisters.
Once back in their bedroom, Noah watched as Muwen and Aurora got back into bed.
"I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be back soon," she said.
Muwen held onto the edge of her blanket, "Okay, but come back soon."
Noah nodded, heading into the bathroom.
She quietly closed the door, turned on the light, and stood in front of the mirror over the sink, gazing at her reflection.
The cheerful smile on her face faded, replaced by an expression of cold detachment.
This wasn't Noah's usual look of "acting grown-up." It was the calm, distant look of someone who'd seen it all—someone who had lived through countless lifetimes and every sorrow and joy the world had to offer.
"Though this body is female like mine, adapting to it isn't difficult. But this kid… she's still so young. It'll take time to fully recover my strength."
Noah looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers as she tried to channel the power she'd recently gathered.
But suddenly, a sharp pain reverberated through her mind.
She massaged her temples, clicking her tongue in irritation.
"Seems this kid has a high level of alertness… I can only control this body for less than two hours while she's asleep."
"Well then, until my full power is restored, I suppose I'll just have to stay here temporarily."
"Consider it… a fee for using my name without permission."