Auriya

Auriya began life as a bright and talented hatchling, but this happy state of being did not last as she grew older. In time she became emotionally stunted, descended into a deep depression, and lost her friends. Nothing that her loved ones did reached her. Her parents pushed her to utilize her academic abilities to become a scholar, but her attempt at higher education was a catastrophic failure. Broken and dazed, she plunged into a dissociative fugue state and her eyes dimmed. For most of her adulthood, all she could muster was holding her ground and doing the bare minimum needed to survive. As debilitated as she was, it was hard for her to find a home, and after some time she was eventually adopted into the tolerant and understanding Empyreal clan.

Help eventually arrived from an unexpected place. She heard rumors about an elusive clanmate named Amore who resembled her in many ways, but was in far worse condition. Auriya was intrigued at the prospect of speaking with a dragon with comparable experiences. She began asking questions and gathering information with the intent of meeting with him, possibly befriending him, but that was never on the table. She later discovered that he'd never agree to it. What did happen was that by learning about him, she also learned much about herself and her own condition. And what she saw horrified her. After she accepted that she wouldn't get a chance to meet him and wrapped up that idea, all she could think was...

"I see him in myself. And I don't want to be that way anymore."

Auriya's project was a bust, but some good came of it. As she digested this strange experience, she noticed the dissociation's grasp loosening on her and her eyes literally lit back up. For the first time in her adult life, she began having energy to ask herself uncomfortable questions and do difficult tasks. Auriya's still not fully functional, and she may never be, but she swore to hold onto this feeling forever. As strange and disquieting as it is, it's guided her towards a more complete and joyful life.