Aurican couldn't believe it. Whatever scorn that's been crawling into his expression was completely wiped clean, his fierce golden face completely devoid of any expression. He had that look, once, when he saw Silvanos' majestic city wiped out, just before he nearly fell apart in his grief.

The gold dragon twitched his head toward Crucible, mutely asking for confirmation of what Kang was saying. The darkening expression said more than Kang's words.

How horrible Aurican must be for not thinking of Kang and the misery he had been forced to, but to rather the eggs Oro has laid, as well as the other females. The eggs that had been entrusted to Darlantan and Aurican to protect, after the other males fell to Crematia's trap. He wondered, What happened to those future wyrmlings to be fallen to the wayside?

"What had happened to me?" Aurican asked to Crucible, and Crucible alone. "What happened to Darlantan and the females and I? Did we die before the eggs - our eggs - hatched?"