Sky Astrolabes and Strange Secrets

"You did this."

The dragon's deep voice resonated through the quiet room. He looked down on Nupon, who was barely holding back his tears. The dragon's massive, leathery wings flapped against the stone floor as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. His horns were sharp and fearsome, his tail vicious and full of barbed spikes. Not even a single inch of him was unmarred by battle. Despite that, he had a look of regret on his face.

"I - I didn't mean for it to happen," Nupon replied softly. "Kaya... She snuck into my lab! She wanted to see what I was working on!"

"She is dead," the dragon said sternly. "That is not debatable."

"She's just a little girl!" Nupon shouted back, raising himself up off the ground where he lay. "How could you do this to her? Her parents are going to be so upset!" A tear rolled down his cheek and splashed against the collar around his neck. It sizzled and evaporated instantly on contact with the hot metal.

The dragon sighed. "This is exactly why your research is banned in this land." His eyes narrowed when he saw Nupon reaching for something hidden beneath his clothes. "Do not even think about it, little man." His voice grew darker as he spoke. "You will find no mercy here today."

"They're gonna blame me for this," Nupon sobbed, wiping his nose on his sleeve before continuing. "If they don't execute me, they'll lock me in some dungeon for the rest of my life." He looked up at the dragon pleadingly. "Please! You have to understand how hard it was for me to be alone! I've never fit in! I need people - especially friends - so badly!"

The dragon looked down at him sadly, then shook his head slowly. "You know that you're different from everyone else here," he said quietly, looking away with closed eyes and furrowed brows. "We all knew it back then." Slowly, he opened his eyes again, leveling them with Nupon once more as he spoke again slowly and softly: "But we always hoped that you would grow out of your phase." He paused again, letting out a long sigh before speaking again: "It seems that you never did."

Nupon hung his head in shame as he heard those words once more echo in his mind after all these years. Tears flowed freely from both of his bloodshot eyes now as he remembered how alone he felt during those dark days when he was younger than Kaya was now. How lonely he had been since childhood even though many others were friendly toward him and offered their friendship and love freely; how those same people suddenly stopped talking to him after just a few days of silence once they found out about what he liked doing with other boys in secret; how Kaya's mother had turned away from him without so much as a glance when she saw him walking down the street together with kaya just yesterday; how Kaya's own father had turned away from them both while they were still kissing each other, holding hands in public like lovers would do - even though they weren't lovers at all but only friends who enjoyed each other's company - right before Kaya snuck into his lab later that day and got herself killed because of it...