Elapidae

Elapidae’s birth was marked by an unnatural event that would shape her life forever. As the firstborn of her parents, they were expecting a typical hatchling. Instead, they got a dragon with a terrifying and mysterious curse: an extra set of ghostly, ethereal arms that emerged from her body. These arms, translucent and eerie, seemed to live of their own accord, extending outwards like a haunting shadow and corrupting everything they touched. Plants withered, objects decayed, and even the very air around them grew cold and ominous. The curse was not only a physical anomaly—it was a harbinger of doom for anything unfortunate enough to get too close.

For years, Elapidae’s parents tried to hide her from the world, fearful that her presence would doom them all. Their house became a darkened place, filled with hushed whispers and uncomfortable silences. Elapidae, feeling the weight of her own cursed existence, grew to understand that her very existence was a threat to her family’s happiness and safety. She could never truly belong anywhere, never able to form bonds without the fear of bringing suffering to those she loved.

Unable to bear the thought of bringing more pain to her family, she fled her home one dark evening, setting off into the wilderness with little more than the clothes on her back and the strange arms that continued to extend from her body. Over the years, Elapidae roamed from place to place, constantly trying to avoid forming attachments, for fear of what her touch might bring.

Though she has a mischievous, almost carefree demeanor when she speaks about her affliction, the burden of her curse weighs heavily on her heart. “Oh, these arms? Yeah, they’re a little uncomfortable... but hey, I was born with them. Not much I can do about it!” she would say with a laugh, trying to mask the deep loneliness she feels. But those who have come close enough to notice the subtle tension in her movements, the way her eyes flicker when she talks about the arms, can see that her humor is a mask to cover the sorrow she carries.

“I’m telling you, don’t touch them,” she warns others when they curiously ask. “They just... suck life out of you. Sometimes, they don’t even ask.” Elapidae has never fully understood why this happens, nor how to control the arms, which move seemingly at their own will, often pulling away from her conscious commands. Though she tries to keep her distance from others, she cannot help but feel the sting of isolation. Deep down, she longs for companionship, but she knows that her curse is a barrier between herself and any lasting bond.

To this day, Elapidae wanders the lands, seeking answers she might never find. The only certainty in her life is that she will forever be haunted by the arms that mark her as something… otherworldly. Despite it all, she remains determined to carve out a life for herself, one where she can be free of the suffocating fear of hurting those she meets—though it’s a challenge she is constantly reminded of with every life she touches.


Phobos and Elapidae's meeting was as unusual as the two dragons themselves.

Phobos had always been a solitary creature. With his ghostly, radioactive appearance, he had never felt fully accepted by other dragons. His glow in the dark skin and faint, ethereal aura made others uneasy, and despite his gentle, kind nature, he had learned to keep his distance. But it was during one of his solitary nighttime walks in a dark, forgotten part of the forest that he stumbled upon Elapidae.

She had been wandering the woods, her strange, cursed arms trailing behind her like haunting specters. She was more isolated than ever, feeling the weight of her own curse that seemed to push everyone away. But that night, in the quiet, moonlit forest, she caught sight of Phobos. At first, she mistook him for another ghostly figure, a fleeting shadow in the night. But as he turned to face her, she realized that he, too, was different—something else entirely, much like herself.

Their first words were hesitant, cautious. Phobos, glowing softly under the moonlight, couldn’t help but speak first. "You look... like me. Not from around here?"

Elapidae, surprised, looked him over carefully. "I could ask you the same thing. But you’re not... What is it, exactly? A ghost?"

Phobos chuckled softly, the eerie sound not quite unsettling in the still night. "No. Not quite. Something... else. Something out of place."

For hours, they talked, shared their stories—two souls born to be outcasts, both carrying burdens that made them fear forming connections. Elapidae spoke of her cursed arms, her loneliness, and her attempts to push others away to protect them from harm. Phobos, in turn, spoke of his eerie glow and his struggle to be understood, his efforts to keep distance from others who feared him.

In that darkened forest, they found in each other something they had both long been searching for—understanding. No judgment, no fear of the unknown. They were both creatures of the shadows, and they understood that side of each other. Elapidae could feel a warmth and comfort when she was near him, something she hadn’t known in years. Phobos, on the other hand, felt the same pull, as if he had finally found someone who could see him as he was and not the thing others feared.

Over time, their connection deepened. Despite the curse that bound Elapidae’s arms to her fate, and the eerie glow that marked Phobos as an outsider, they found strength in each other. Together, they were no longer just outcasts—they were two kindred spirits who had finally found a place in the world with someone who didn’t shy away from their strangeness.

Phobos, with his ghostly glow, became Elapidae’s beacon in the darkness, while she, with her ghostly arms, brought a sense of comfort and calmness to his haunted existence. It was in each other’s presence that they learned to accept their differences, not as burdens, but as parts of who they were meant to be. And so, under the moonlight, in a world that often misunderstood them, Phobos and Elapidae found not just companionship, but love—a love as eerie, yet as beautiful, as their existence itself.