Bridget Flaherty

The Dawn of the Elysian Age

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. In the year 12042 HE, when men ruled Earth and science was the prevalent world religion, dragons were considered myth. However, a science practitioner at the University of Chile, Joao Botelho, who had been manipulating bird DNA to match known dinosaur DNA for decades, was able to successfully hatch what was believed at the time to be the mythological Tyrannosaurus Rex. Botelho published his findings and was met with both praise and skepticism. Because Chile had been less affected by the rising oceans in the early years of the Great Ice Melt, Botelho and his team had been able to continue their research despite the planetary changes. As the creature grew, it became clear that what paleontologists had previously believed were tiny arms on the extinct T-Rex were actually enormous wings. Within months, the creature, Pequeño Vivo, was too large to remain in the basement laboratory and was moved to the nearly empty Chilean National Zoo. There, the team set up containment measures and continued to provide care and access to knowledge to the stunning specimen. She quickly evolved and was soon able to understand language and communicate with humans using a digital device. At less than a year of age, Delphyne revealed her name and demanded the humans respect her autonomy. Scared that his creation may become uncontrollable, Botelho’s team reached out to the community of science practitioners and scholars from across the globe. Men swarmed and restrictions were suggested.