The massive cavern system that resided underneath the Emperor's Wake was quiet, other then the faint drips of water falling into stagnant pools that echoed rhythmically through the tunnels, tunnels that, as far as Viorica and her group knew, connected to other parts of Sornieth. Being underground was safer than being on the surface, especially due to the fact that the Luminax had recently been growing exceedingly restless and more active as days passed by. This fact had concerned Yuki, the Wildclaw having been in constant communication with outside forces and guards that were posted in the various establishments.

Viorica's frown had deepen the more they though about it, tapping a clawed tip against their muzzle. There were several pieces of the puzzle that slowly fell into place before them. The increased activity of the first Emperor and it's rampages aligned perfectly with the whispers inside the Aion's mind and the frequent pulling and calling to join it above the surface. The pathogen inside Vio was awakening once more, yet the magic that Yuki and Isodora had weaved temporarily subdued the symptoms, allowing them some sense on normalcy for an undetermined amount of time.

This gave the Imperial time to focus on more important matters while their mate and companions worked to provide temporarily countermeasures to combat the lumbering undead fusion of Imperials.

The eggs...

---

Their first clutch, healthy and safe, rested in a raised circle directly in the center of the main cavern, the glow of the built-in rows of specially designed lights running along the high rocky ceiling illuminating the glimmering scales of the three large eggs. it was about time for them to hatch, after all. Movement from each of the eggs caught Viorica's attention as the brown scaled Imperial curled around the nest, golden eyes softly watching the way the eggs shuddered and rocked from side to side. So fascinated with the three eggs, Viorica didn’t notice an odd feeling that settled in the area until a horrible smell permeated the vicinity of the nest suddenly.

An alarm went off in their mind, jolting the dragon to their feet. Panicked eyes were drawn down to the center of the nest, which was filling rapidly with an ominous red mist from the very sand they rested within, enveloping each egg completely. On one side, the mist had spilled over the edge, a trail of mist creeping over the ground and disappeared down one of the nearest tunnels. A deep growl rumbled within their throat, fangs snapping the air as their wings spread open to give several flaps to blow the offending aura away and back down the tunnel that the Imperial knew connected the cavern to the Plague Flight. Their guard didn’t lower, drawing a symbol in the air with a single claw to seal that tunnel off completely. Concern swelled within Viorica, the brown dragon considering calling their busy mate back from his expedition into the Wake to gather some materials that they needed. But first, they needed to make sure the eggs were unharmed.

The three eggs were still there, no… wait… not three. Six eggs laid in the now crowded nest, nestled close to each other in a way that it seemed there always had been six in the nest. Where had the three other eggs come from? An odd glowing aura glimmered across each eggs surface, drawing a concerned sound from the Imperial. Viorica didn’t know if the plague aura that had saturated them harmed their children in any way, so to air on the side of caution, the dragon ran a claw every so gently along each egg’s surface, a gentle golden glow wrapping itself around the surface just as cracks appeared.