The gigantic dragon loomed over us like a fortress of living shadow, its massive form barely shifting as it observed us. Its two towering black horns curved backward like jagged obsidian spires, glistening under the dim, flickering light of the underground chamber.

  A deep, low rumble vibrated from its throat, and with every exhale, thick purple mist escaped from its maw, dispersing like an eerie, ethereal fog. The very air around it crackled with an unsettling energy, as if the space itself struggled to contain the creature’s presence.

  I swallowed hard as I turned to Yuzu. “Yuzu, were you able to identify it?” I asked, my voice hushed but firm.

  Yuzu’s ears twitched as she furrowed her brows, looking at the translucent interface only she could see. Then, with a dramatic shake of her head, she puffed out her cheeks. “Nnai… Yuzu only get rough info. Dragon bery powerful and hab over level 500.” She crossed her arms and huffed. “Yuzu’s identification skill gib range, but it too beeg! Too beeg to bery conclude!”

  I frowned. Over 500? That was the same thing Catherine had said when she spoke about the Red Ancient Dragon. Could this dragon be of the same kind? Or was it something even more terrifying?

  Just as the thought crossed my mind, the ground trembled beneath us, a deep, guttural snarl echoing through the chamber. The dragon’s massive body tensed, its muscles coiling with raw, unbridled fury. Then, with a violent jerk, it attempted to lunge forward, its obsidian chains rattling against the stone floor. The metal cuffs that bound its legs and wings groaned under the immense pressure as it struggled, its entire form thrashing in an attempt to break free.

  The force of its movement sent shockwaves through the cavern. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and the sheer impact of its struggles made my ears ring. Cracks splintered across the ancient stone beneath its claws, and the thick, cursed air around it pulsed like a living thing.

  I took a reflexive step back, my heart pounding. If those chains weren’t there, we’d already be dead.

  “B-Bery scary…” Yuzu whimpered, her tails puffing up in alarm. She crouched slightly, her dark eyes darting between me and the dragon as if waiting for instructions.

  Ai’s grip on my sleeve tightened, her tiny fingers trembling ever so slightly. I turned my head to look at her, but her gaze remained locked onto the massive dragon below. Her silver-white eyes shimmered with unease, reflecting the flickering purple mist that seeped from the beast’s maw.

  “Ai…” I called softly. “Do you know what this thing is?”

  She inhaled sharply, her ears twitching at my question. For a moment, she looked as if she wanted to say something, but then she hesitated. Her lips pressed together, and she shook her head.

  “I… I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “This place, this dragon… it shouldn’t be here. And yet, I can feel something familiar about it.”

  I furrowed my brows. Familiar? Yuzu’s ears perked up at Ai’s words, her tails flicking in confusion. “Nnai, bery strange? If fox girl Ai no know, then who bery know?” She puffed up her cheeks in frustration. “Mashiro bery figure it out?”

  I glanced at the dragon again, its strained breaths heavy with fury and pain. The air around it pulsed unnaturally, as if the very dungeon itself was rejecting its presence. The chains holding it in place weren’t just ordinary restraints, there was a magic woven into them, something ancient and powerful, something designed not just to bind, but to suppress.

  Ai took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, her snowy-white hair shifting slightly as an unnatural coldness radiated from her. She tightened her grip on my sleeve before speaking again, this time with more certainty.

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  “I told you before, Miss Mashiro…” she said, her voice quiet yet firm. “I was born from the consciousness of this shrine, but that doesn’t mean I understand everything about it.”

  She lifted her free hand, allowing a small snowflake to form in her palm. The frost glowed faintly before vanishing into the air. “I can feel the shrine’s presence, its emotions, and its will… but its history? Its true purpose? That remains a mystery even to me.”

  Yuzu tilted her head, her black tails swishing in curiosity. “Nnai? Bery weird. Fox girl Ai bery no know about own home?”

  Ai gave a small, almost helpless smile. “It’s strange, isn’t it?” she murmured. “But I do know one thing… This shrine is holding a secret. A secret that it has been guarding for a very, very long time.” She turned her gaze back to the dragon below, her silver-white eyes darkening with unease. “And whatever that secret is… I think it has something to do with this.”

  The dragon’s massive form loomed over the underground chamber, its black scales shimmering with an eerie, unnatural glow. Purple mist coiled from its mouth, dissipating into the cold air like tendrils of cursed energy. The rattling of its heavy chains echoed through the vast dungeon, metal grinding against metal as it struggled, its massive claws scraping against the stone floor in frustration. It was a terrifying sight, one that sent a primal shiver down my spine.

  Yet, as it thrashed and roared, something changed. Its movements slowed. The violent rage that had consumed it moments ago seemed to dissipate like a fading storm. Its massive head turned toward me, and in that instant, everything else blurred into the background.

  A piercing coldness shot through my body, as if an unseen force had wrapped around my soul. The moment our gazes met, the chaotic atmosphere of the dungeon came to an abrupt standstill. The air, once filled with the constant sound of its roars and the clanging of chains, fell into complete and utter silence. Even Ai and Yuzu, who had been chattering moments ago, seemed to freeze in place.

  My breath hitched, and I felt an overwhelming pressure settle over me. The dragon’s eyes, devoid of life, yet brimming with something ancient and powerful seemed to pierce straight into my very existence. It wasn’t just looking at me. It was seeing me.

  A strange sensation washed over me, as if invisible threads were pulling me toward it, binding me in an unspoken connection. My thoughts scattered, my surroundings blurred, and all that remained was the unrelenting weight of its gaze. I wanted to move. To look away. To break free from whatever force held me in place. But I couldn’t.

  The world around me faded, as though being swallowed into an abyss. My ears rang with a distant sound, an echo of something old, something lost. And then, in the depths of my mind, I heard it. A voice. Faint. Hollow. Yet undeniably there.

  “...Who... are... you?”

  Before I even realized what was happening, my legs were already moving on their own. Step by step, my feet tapped softly against the cold stone floor, drawn forward by an unseen force. The air around me felt thick, pressing against my body like invisible hands guiding me toward the chained beast.

  The world blurred at the edges of my vision, and my own thoughts felt distant, muffled, as if submerged underwater. The dragon’s hollow eyes burned into me, its presence overwhelming, ancient, and commanding.

  A whisper, too faint to understand, curled around my thoughts like tendrils of smoke. It wasn’t just a voice. It was a feeling, a presence calling out from the depths of the unknown. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, yet it was drowned beneath that eerie silence, that indescribable connection forming between me and the dragon. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to stop, to turn away, to break free from whatever spell had taken hold of me but my body refused to listen.

  I took another step forward. Then another.

  Just as I was about to take another—

  “Mashiro!”

  The sudden chorus of voices shattered the haze in my mind. Hands, small but firm, grasped onto mine, yanking me back with surprising strength. I gasped as I was forcibly pulled away, my feet skidding against the stone. The moment their hands touched me, the world around me snapped back into clarity. My vision refocused, and the oppressive silence shattered, replaced once more by the distant sound of rattling chains and the eerie hum of magic lingering in the air.

  Yuzu clung tightly to my arm, her black tails puffed up in alarm, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and frustration. "Mashiro bery almost eaten!" she cried, her grip tightening as if afraid I would slip away again.

  Ai, standing beside her, had her own hands wrapped firmly around my wrist. Her silver-white eyes, usually filled with calm confidence, now held traces of worry. "Miss Mashiro," she said, her voice steady yet laced with concern, "what happened to you just now? You weren’t responding. It was like… you were in a trance."