The dawn didn’t break with the usual quiet chirping of mountain birds or an argument between the males. Instead, it arrived with a low, chaotic chatter that vibrated through the stone walls of the den.

Hana’s eyes snapped open to the sound of a low, vibrating growl that seemed to shake the very bedrock of the cave. The bright LED light, which she had dimmed to a soft glow before bed, was now competing with the pale gray light of a crowded morning.

She sat up, rubbing her temples. Beside her, the spot where Kulu had laid was empty. In fact, all three of her mates were already at the mouth of the den, standing like a wall of impending doom.

But they weren’t arguing. Hana wondered, if it wasn’t them doing the arguing, then who?

"What’s with the noise?" Hana muttered, standing up and smoothing out her dress.

"Pests," Caspian rumbled. He stood in the center, his massive chest puffed out, his golden eyes glowing with a dangerous, molten heat. "The light has brought out every cockroach in the valley. I should just burn the plateau clean and be done with it."

"Oh, please do," Raiden added, though he was busy checking his hair in his mirror. "They’re tracking mud everywhere, and the smell of unwashed fur is starting to overwhelm the scent of Hana’s soap."

Kulu said nothing, but his hand was white-knuckled at his side, his amber eyes scanning the crowd with the precision of a hawk.

Hana walked past them, ignoring Caspian’s attempt to pull her back into the ’safety’ of the den. As she stepped onto the ledge, she saw the sheer scale of the mess. The plateau was packed. Leopard-kin, bear-kin, and various mountain tribes were jostling for space, their eyes darting between the glowing cave and the sun-glass panels on the ridge.

And right in the front, looking both arrogant and incredibly nervous, was Vane.

The younger dragon prince was flanked by a group of his own warriors. He was busy boasting to a group of female cat-kin, pointing up at the solar panels.

"You see that? That’s dragon magic. My brother—the Fire King—and I, we decided the mountain needed a second sun. It’s a royal thing, you wouldn’t understand."

His nose was so high up in the clouds that he didn’t even notice Hana was already out.

"Is that so, Vane?" Hana’s voice cut through the morning air like a shard of ice.

Vane jumped nearly a foot into the air, his tail flared in a panicked reflex. He turned, his face pale as he saw Hana standing there with the Fire King, the Nine-Tailed Fox, and the Red Falcon looming behind her like the horsemen of the apocalypse.

"F-female!" Vane squeaked, quickly trying to regain his composure. "I was just... explaining the brilliance of our—I mean, your—achievements! You know, someone has to spread the word!"

Just like you spread the word to the Boars that your brother was weak because he was listening to me, huh? Hana thought, her gaze filled with heavy scrutiny and he gulped.

He stepped back a pace, his eyes darting to Caspian. He still remembered the last time Hana had looked at him with that gaze and flipped him to the floor. Even now, she was scarier than his brother’s dragon breath.

The crowd erupted into whispers.

"Is that the female?"

"I hear she is a human,"

"What’s a human?"

"She looks so small... how does she hold the King’s leash?"

"Look at the light behind her... she really did capture a piece of the sun." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"If I kick her out, will the cave be mine?"

"I want the Fire King to adore me too."

Caspian stepped forward, his shadow falling over Vane and the front line of the tribesmen. "The show is over," he roared, the sound echoing off the peaks. "Unless you want to be turned into charcoal for the morning fire, get off my ridge!"

The weaker beastmen scrambled back, but the more troublesome ones stayed put, their greed for a piece of the sun outweighing their fear of dragon breath.

Hana watched the chaos, her mind already running the numbers in the daily log as well as the sudden quest hovering near her side vision.

> [Daily login: Day 5]

> [CURRENT BALANCE: -991,880]

> [NEW EVENT: THE BEACON’S BURDEN]

> Objective: Manage the sudden migration and chaos.

> Note: A crowd is just a group of employees who haven’t been hired yet.

A small, sharp grin touched Hana’s lips. Caspian wanted to burn them; Raiden wanted to ignore them. But Hana saw a goldmine.

"Caspian, put out the fire," she said, tapping his arm.

"Hana, they are disrespecting our nest—"

"I said, put it out," she repeated, her tone final. She stepped to the very edge of the ridge, looking down at the hundreds of gathered beastmen. "You all came here because of the light, right? You want to know how the Fire King and his mate live in a cave brighter than the day?"

She gestured back to the glowing interior of the den.

"I’m not giving away secrets for free," she announced, her voice carrying across the plateau. "If you want to stay near the light, you work."

The beastmen stayed silent, wondering what kind of work she could be referring to.

Hana’s eyes swept across them. With this many beastmen, word should go around fast, right? And she won’t have to worry about searching the entire world for the bunkers herself.

"I’m looking for something very specific," Hana continued, her voice echoing with an authority that made even the rowdiest bear-kin settle down. "My light comes from the earth’s hidden treasures. I am looking for places that you folks cannot understand. Caves where the walls aren’t made of stone, but of cold, gray metal that no claw can scratch. Entrances that are sealed so tight even the wind can’t get in."

​She paced the edge of the ridge, looking every bit the commander. "If you find me one of these ’Iron Caves,’ and you can prove it exists, I will pay you. Food, tools, and the protection of the Fire King. But don’t bring me gossip. Bring me the truth."