I fixed up some grammar and punctuation issues that I found while rereading the last chapter. I thought I had done a better job fixing it up before uploading, but I must have been tired and made a lot of errors, especially towards the end. I'll do my best to pay my chapters more attention. You all deserve a story worth reading, and I will do my best to deliver that.

To his surprise, there was already an offering set up in the column Seto would typically use. For a moment, he stared at the column from the top of the stair case before turning and going to the one across from it's facing. Another offering had already been made. This was very odd to him. It wasn't like the other farmers to make offerings more than once a year, just before the harvest festival. To see multiple at once otherwise… He couldn't explain why it happened. Holding everything in his hands, he walked to the other columns. Ever last one of them had an offering already prepared, each lit with incense, lined with flowers, fruit, and vegetables. Decorated with weaves of wicker and wheat, with sparkling bowls of water. They were all the same, each one exquisite and beautiful.

Someone had a wish for the Dragon of the South, and they wanted that wish more than anything. Their respect for her most have been far greater than Seto could have imagined. Where most people would never have gifted her such outstanding offerings, every place holder was filled in her honor.

Astonished, Seto could only smile. If only he had the pleasure of meeting the person who loved the shrine's dragon as much as he. Perhaps there's one other being out there that he could be content with having an acquaintance with. But just perhaps. His eyes would surely scare them away.

With a sigh, the realization came to him that there was no possible way for him to set up a proper offering with no columns available. Instead, he walked through the small garden, stepping around the pond that centered the walkway. He admired the small amount of koi fish that swam from the pond to the small stream that led into it, exiting from both sides of the shrine. Koi weren't the kind of fish you'd see outside the dome. The didn't like being so far beneath the sea, so he was dazzled by the way found their home here. Everything about this shrine was perfect to him. Every last detail was important to him, even in the smallest way.

It was then that he noticed a slight hum. As he neared the entrance of the shrine itself, the hum came more clearly to him as a voice, muffled behind the limestone doors. The thick doors made the words incoherent, and yet… He felt as though he could some how understand them. As if mesmerized, he could only stare at the door. Too paralyzed to move, he just stared. During the passing of the time, he questioned why he couldn't break his gaze from the door and fought with his mind of trying to move forward, and open the doors.

But his was more than words he was hearing now. He knew it was a song. The person just on the other side of those doors offered their voice in their prayer. And for that, Seto was in awe. This person was surely the same who placed all the offerings. He was almost envious of this person, and yet… He felt as though he couldn't be.

"Who…?" He managed to ask aloud, knowing that he couldn't be heard.

He suddenly broke free of his trance, reaching forward and placing his hand on the door. He held it there, questioning if he should enter. He didn't want to interrupt the prayer, but his curiosity struck ever so strong. Typically, Seto had so much more self control, but at that instance, he couldn't hold back.

It took a moment for him to initiate the push on the door. His muscles tensed in his arms as he did. The moment the doors separated, the sound of her voice filled the air. Her words were clear, but the language was not typical. In fact, he had never heard the language. It was fluent, and ancient. This was the original tongue spoken of the dragons, mostly forgotten in this day. All the more, he was in awe. The silver haired woman sung in a dead language without any flaw.

Seto pushed the doors more, now able to press himself inside the shrine. The moment his foot met the stone floor, he felt a force call him to a halt. He watched, as the woman rose her left hand high, turning it to and reaching out to the left. Her right hand was held to her chest in front of her, where Seto could not see. She lowered her left hand back to her side and extended her right hand as if reaching to the sky, but also appearing as if she were reaching to the head of the dragon statue that stared down to the spot to which she stood.

The eyes of the statue were glowing. Had he not been so taken aback by the woman, he would have noticed it sooner. She continued her tune, the words that he shouldn't understand somehow seeming apprehensible to him. It was as if he knew the words she spoke were of the "light." As if she were speaking of the sun gracing her skin with its burning rays. A beacon that guides her higher and higher, and yet… Being so trapped in the depths. She will never reach the sun the calls to her, no matter how many prayers she makes.

And with that, silence befell the shrine. The echo escaped to the outside behind where he stood. What ever was causing her to feel imprisoned… She couldn't care it any more. She closed her hand to a gentle fist before lowering her hand to her side. Seto could feel the hurt inside of her. It was the strangest of feelings. He never knew of empathy for anyone outside his home, even losing the feeling towards his older brother.

The moment her words ended, Seto felt as though he could move again, finishing his insertion inside the shrine. The clack of his cleat against the stone drawing the woman's attention. Quickly, she turned to face him, the sharp blue eyes piercing straight to the core of his soul. He falters as her stare meets his own eyes. Her white hair falls over her shoulders, draping the outsides of her silk robes that hugged her pale skin. This woman, was without a doubt, one of the descendents of the white dragons.

"How long have you stood there?" Her voice was bold, something Seto had not expected from how frail she appeared.

Seto swallowed the air that felt so thick in his lungs. "Not long… Just enough to see you raise your hand with the final words of your prelude."

Her brows intensified. "Odd choice of words..."

"Were they?" He thought over his speech. "Perhaps they were a bit formal. I apologize for that..."

His eyes broke their gaze and looked down to the floor. It was riddled with petals. He hadn't once noticed before hand. It was more like he had interrupted a ritual, and not so much a prayer. He took a sharp inhale, before looking back to her. She fully faced him, holding her hands together in front of her. In the distorted light that seeped through the cracks of the shrine, she looked like a bride, ready to be taken away. Seto felt ashamed of himself for being able to gaze upon her beauty.

"Why are you here?" She asked him, catching him off guard by her softened expression.

For a moment, Seto looked away, feeling the weight of the items he brought with him for his offering beneath his arm and against his waist. "I had been planning to do my offering today. All of the columns were taken though. I walked the garden while I thought of what I should do, since I couldn't offer anything until a place was free. That's when I heard your voice."

He couldn't figure out why he spoke such honesty with her. Perhaps it was the impressive display of her offerings, mixed with an even greater prayer. Perhaps it was how much he had wanted to meet the person who had made such great offerings. But the more he stood within her presence… The more uneasy he felt. She never once broke her gaze. She held herself tall, and though she was much smaller in build… Her aura was intimidating. Perhaps this is what it meant to be within the same space as a dragon decedent.

"I apologize for bothering you during your prayer..." Seto looked back to her, trying to maintain a firm appearance. "I was distracted by your voice. I didn't mean to cause a disturbance."

"Your… Prayer," the woman started, "would you tell me what it was?"

Though he was confused by her request, he felt as though he couldn't deny it. And that… made her truly terrifying in his eyes. "I was going to pray to the Dragon of the South, to bring a good harvest from my fields, and a bountiful gain for the royal family. I wanted to ask her for protection of my land in my absence, and guidance on the coming years."

She listened intently, a small smile forming on her lips. "How often do you come to make prayer?"

The more she wanted to know, the more Seto felt confused. "I come every few days..."

"Does she…" The woman was hesitant in that moment for the first time. "Does the Dragon answer your prayers? Surely, you've heard the rumors of her insolence. And how she's viewed as a bigot. Yet… You still offer this shrine your prayers?"

"I don't think those things of her." I answered confidently. "I find solace here. And while I can't be certain that she directly answers my prayers… She is the only one who I could ask for such things. The Dragon of the South does not look down on me. She hears me. And that's all I could ask."

The woman fell silent, taking in the words he spoke. Her smile quickly faded as she thought of what he said. Seto couldn't be sure, but he felt as though she didn't believe him. Her gaze spoke immeasurable amounts of disarray. Seto couldn't hope to understand her. The intimidation that she held was inconsistent, but Seto was somehow able to comprehend every emotion this girl shed. Was that just how those with dragon's blood were? He had never been so close to one, not since his mother. But he couldn't recall if things were ever like that back then.

"I should leave you to your prayer." Seto was ready to make his leave, feeling as though he's becoming a burden to the woman. "I'm sorry for causing you any disturbance."

"That's twice now, that you've assumed you disturbed me." She spoke with a bold tone once again. "Tell me… Why do you think that?"

He scoffed, becoming somewhat irritated with all of the questions she had for him. "Because I would be bothered if my prayer were interrupted. Try as I might… I wasn't able to walk away from the sound of your voice. It was rude of me."

"My voice..." She spoke quietly to herself, as she rose her hand to her mouth, pressing the knuckle of her index finger to her bottom lip. "Does it… restrain you?"

"Completely..." He says without thought.

His response leaves the woman in silence. It is that moment, he notices something about her that causes Seto to freeze once again where he stands. This woman… Has white pupils, the same that he despises within his own eyes. But why? It was trait he had never seen outside him and his father's eyes. Why did someone who appeared so perfect before him carry such a horrific trait?

"I'm sorry to have kept you with my questions." She apologized. "Allow me to clear out a column for you, so you may set your offering. Or, feel free to set it at the alter."

She stepped to the side, giving sight to the alter that the Dragon Statue had perched itself upon. The alter was never a place he had considered for an offering, and yet… She already had an offering placed there. Seto hadn't once noticed the incense burning, its scent somehow just now lingering to him. She was like magic, preforming tricks before his eyes.

All the more reason for him not to like the dragons. "It's alright. I don't want to take from your prayers. I'll return tomorrow and give my prayer then. I'll be going now."

And though it was difficult for him to break their locked gaze, he forced himself to turn, and take a few strides out the shrine. What ever grip she had on him was suddenly uplifted, as he felt much more free returning to the distorted light of the day. He walked back through the garden, passing it's streams and returning to the steps where he could now exit the shrine. But he stopped just a few steps down, the feeling building in his chest.

It felt wrong for him to walk away as he had. It felt disrespectful. Would it be like this in the imperial city? In the kingdom where most people who walked the streets there carried dragon's blood as well? The more he thought of it, the more he feared being away from his farm. He still wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from that place as possible.

Seto rose his head, looking to the outer dome above him. He could stare at the sun without worry, knowing the light was distorted, and unable to burn him through the waters that surrounded their city. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his now racing heart as he fought with this feeling of restraint in his chest.

Woosh.

His eyes nearly burst out of his skull as his hair was blown off his shoulders and swaying behind him. This was a sharp gust of wind, something he had never experienced before in his entirely lifetime. It wasn't just a moment, but a continuing flow of wind. It hurt his eyes, causing them to shut as he turned his back to the gusts. Holding on to his own items for the offering so the wouldn't be pulled away, he reopened his eyes to see the offerings being put out by the winds. The flames burning their incense immediately dispersing. As soon as their smoke had cleared, the winds had stopped.

And his lungs hurt as they finally relaxed. His heart that was beating hastily finally halted. A calm overwhelmed him. Every muscle in his body became loose, and his skin crawled with chills.

Somehow, he knew… He could feel that he knew… Her prayers were denied.