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Mate: Nadir Family: Rei-Sun | Fa-Rin Occupation: Archivist

Artwork: Album Scattered: 11 Times

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Xu-Bai was born into the loving arms of two of the clans strongest Warriors, a pair of refugees who had found solace within the shadowed groves of the Tangled Wood. From the moment he hatched, he was alert and aware of his surroundings. Xu-Bai seemed to have a far greater knowledge of the world around him than a child his age ought to, easily teaching himself to walk and open his wings after only a few days.

Shedding one's skin is something most often done by elder dragons who have outgrown their scales, and so it was understandably startling for his parents when Xu-Bai did just this. They were concerned and in moments even frightened by this odd development in their child, but Xu-Bai seemed to perfectly understand what was happening. More than anything, the hatchling seemed terribly intent of getting out of the old skin and when he did his coloring had changed significantly. This seemed to satisfy the young Imperial, and afterwards he appeared to be an almost normal hatchling.

He might have kept up this illusion of normalcy if not for the defining factor of his birth, something that had been murmured about amidst the clan long before he had hatched. It so happened that their sister clan, the Twisting Crescendos had a prince, and this prince so happened to have imprinted on the egg from which Xu-Bai eventually hatched. His name was Nadir, and Rei-Sun did not approve of him in the least.

But, as if he had not already displayed his abnormal intellect despite his age, Xu-Bai handled his first meeting with his mate with ease. As with the shedding of his skin, he seemed to understand the whole situation without being told a thing, already attached to Nadir after seeing him just the once. The prince remained with him as long as he could and returned to visit his young mate often, slowly growing on his father as time passed.

As he matured Xu-Bai became a quick witted and kind young dragon, always eager to learn about the world around him. Unlike his parents before him, he chose the path of an Archivist, dedicating himself to the pursuit of knowledge and lost secrets. Like his father, in combat he favored magic over his breed's usual physical inclination, and proved himself an apt healer from an early age.

Part of his choice to pursue life as an Archivist was the promise of travel. Not just to learn about the vast world they lived in, but so he had an excuse to make frequent trips to the Twisting Crescendos, where his Nadir resided. It seemed obvious he was destined to become something of an expert on the culture and history of the Windswept Plateau, though his hunger for adventure went far beyond that. As any parents would be, Fa-Rin and Rei-Sun were concerned to see their child eventually fly the nest but... They supposed that by then, he would be in good hands.

Xu-Bai had always approached life with whimsy and a hint of mischief, used to his sharp mind being capable enough to get him in and out of any circumstance that happened to befall him. It was this kind of hubris, however unintentional, that made the Revolt so very jarring. Xu-Bai had always considered himself to be capable in his own rights, but when faced with enemies as numerous as the siege brought upon them, he found himself nearly powerless. He was overwhelmed, frightened, and though he tried his hardest to stand his ground he felt suddenly impossibly small.

But reinforcements would arrive, screaming battle cries and descending from the sky into the fray, among them a familiar face. Xu-Bai saw his mate long before Nadir reached his side, but it was enough of a shock to spurn him into action. The safety of the Annex was at his back, but Nocte had never had many healers and so the young apprentice gritted his teeth and threw himself into the swarm of bodies. Oh it was terrifying, enough to shake his bones and bring tears to his eyes, but he had been born of determination and will to live.

His shielding magic was strong enough to keep him more or less safe, and though he was no Healer his magic was enough to get Warriors back on their feet. Nadir found him eventually, tried to rout him back towards the Annex, but instead Xu-Bai took his back. He'd been childish to think the world a place of games and bemusement, for there was hardships the likes of which even this siege could not compare. If he backed down here, how could he ever hold his head high in the future?

In the end, the damage was done. The leader's shadow lay comatose and the clan lay in shambles, held together by the will of the dragons within it and little more. Xu-Bai was rattled, but held firm, cutting away the things that hindered him and focusing completely on how he might help his clanmates and home. Nadir rarely left his side, the only thing capable of forcing him to rest where even his parents failed to do so. If not for him, Xu-Bai might never have come back to solid ground.

As the clan recovered from the siege, Xu-Bai redoubled his training efforts, throwing himself almost exclusively into his studies. He trained alongside the apprentice Warriors and studied late into the moonlit nights. There were also trips to the Twisting Crescendos where he spent hours in their records hall, pouring over what they had collected about the land around them and forming plans for future expeditions.

By the time he graduated to a fully fledged Archivist, Xu-Bai was a different dragon than when he had begun. This is of course natural, for all living things change as they grow, but somehow he felt he might not have changed so much if not for the Revolt. His outlook had been childish before, taking life too lightly for what it was, and in a way he was almost grateful for the experience he had been through. One could not change the past, and so instead Xu-Bai swallowed what good it had to offer and continued moving.

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