3AM WHISPERS The Moon Didn't Rise (The Dragon Cycles)

By Captain Hedges

Log Date: January 18, 2026 Time: 0300 Hours 

Status: SYSTEM LOCKDOWN

I stepped out onto the porch at 3 AM. The swamp is pitch black. The water is still. There is no silver reflection on the cypress trees.

I checked the charts, and here is the hard truth: The Moon did not rise tonight. It rose with the sun and set with the sun, leaving the night watch in total darkness.

And because the Moon is gone, the Portals are shut down.

If you tried to jump to the Leo Galaxy tonight, or open a gate to Zimrala, you failed. The mag-locks are dead. The Trinity Engine is silent. We are grounded.

Here is the reason why.

We have made a mistake. For too long, Star Knights and Void-Travelers have taken the Ether Dragons for granted. We treat them like machines. We treat the Portals like automatic doors that open whenever we push the button.

But they are ancient, living predators. They exhaust their own essence to weave the wormholes we use. And tonight, biology has taken over.

To understand why the gates are locked, you have to understand the Cycle of the Scale.

The Biology of the Shutdown

The Ether Dragons navigate the Aether-Tides using the Moon as a celestial anchor. It is their lighthouse. When that light changes, their behavior changes.

Phase I: The High Weaving (Full Moon) This is what we are used to. The Dragons are vibrant, their scales glowing with Aether-fire. They fly fast and weave strong, stable portals. Travel is instantaneous. We get arrogant in this phase.

Phase II: The Waning Drift (Quarter Moons) As the light fades, the Dragons conserve energy. They fly closer to the "Shores of Reality." Portals get choppy. Old ships shudder. The Dragons get irritable and demand higher tribute.

Phase III: The Stone Sleep (New Moon / Tonight) This is where we are now. When the Moon goes dark, the Dragons go blind. To survive, they initiate Hibernation Mode. Right now, the great beasts are landing on the invisible Void-Reefs. They curl their wings around their bodies, and their scales harden into an impenetrable, gray stone chrysalis.

• Effect: Total Shutdown. No portals. No hyper-lanes. The universe holds its breath.

Phase IV: The Snap (The Waking) When the first sliver of the new moon returns, the Dragons will crack their stone shells. But be warned: A waking dragon is groggy, hungry, and dangerous. Portals in this phase are unstable and prone to snapping shut.

The Great Silence

So tonight, we are in Phase III.

The Penitent Thief sits cold on the landing pad. The Star Knights are cut off from the Temple.

We are forced to sit in the dark and wait. And maybe that’s a good thing. We need to remember that we are small. We need to remember that without the Dragons, we are just monkeys looking at the stars.

Tonight, we respect the cycle. We let them sleep. We repair our gear, we sharpen our blades, and we watch the eastern horizon. Because when that first sliver of light returns... the Dragons will wake up hungry.

– Captain Hedges

---

Product Identity & Legal The "Year of the Snake" Project, "The Ether Dragons," "The Stone Sleep," and the "Hedge Wizard of the Shreveport Cabin" persona are Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All original lore regarding the Dragon Cycles is designated as Open Game Content. © 2026 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.