“Well, is there anything else here, Ai?” I asked, my voice still laced with lingering uncertainty. My gaze flickered between her and the dragon, which remained eerily silent, watching me with those glowing purple eyes. A part of me wanted to stay, to figure out why it was reacting this way, but another part of me, the rational one, knew that standing too long in front of a chained, high-level undead dragon was probably not the best idea.

  Ai shrugged, her fox ears twitching slightly. “No,” she said simply, her tone casual, but there was a flicker of something unreadable in her expression. She turned her gaze away from me, her golden eyes darting toward the walls of the underground chamber as if she were searching for an answer that wasn’t there. “This place… it’s not something I fully understand. The shrine holds secrets, even from me.” Her fingers curled slightly, and for the first time since I met her, she looked… hesitant.

  Before I could question her further, I felt a small but firm tug on my wrist.

  Yuzu had grabbed my hand, and Ai’s as well, her tiny fingers squeezing tightly. Her jet-black eyes, usually filled with childlike wonder, were now sharp with unease. She glanced at the dragon one last time, then quickly turned back to us.

  “Well then,” she said hurriedly, her tail puffing up slightly. “Let’s bery leave!”

  Her voice was lighthearted, but the way she pulled at us made it clear, she didn’t want to be here any longer. I glanced back at the dragon, its massive form still restrained by the heavy chains that bound its wings and legs. It didn’t roar again. It didn’t try to break free. It just… watched. Silent and unmoving.

  I nodded to Yuzu, not wanting to linger any longer in the eerie underground chamber. The air was thick with unease, the presence of the massive undead dragon weighing heavily on my mind. It was unsettling how it simply watched, its glowing purple eyes never leaving me. But even though curiosity gnawed at me, screaming for me to stay and understand, my instincts told me to leave.

  I turned around, ready to ascend the long stone staircase and leave this place behind, until—

  ROAAARRRR!

  A deafening roar shattered the silence, a deep, primal sound that reverberated through my bones. The sheer force of it sent violent tremors through the underground dungeon, making the walls quake and the stone beneath us rumble. A powerful gust of wind blasted through the chamber, sending dust and loose debris flying. I threw up my arms instinctively, shielding my face as my ears rang from the sheer volume of the beast’s cry.

  I barely had a moment to recover before I spun around, my eyes widening at the sight before me.

  The dragon was moving.

  It lurched forward, its colossal body straining against the thick, ancient chains that bound it. Its enormous claws scraped against the cold stone floor, sending a shower of sparks dancing through the dimly lit chamber. The metallic links groaned under the dragon’s immense strength, rattling violently as it struggled to break free. The sheer force of its thrashing sent ripples of energy through the air, shaking the very foundation of the shrine.

  I took an involuntary step back, my breath catching in my throat. It’s trying to break free.

  “Nnai! Run!”

  Yuzu’s voice cracked with urgency, snapping me out of my stunned daze. She yanked at my sleeve, already stumbling backward in a panicked retreat. Her small hands gripped me with surprising strength, her tail fluffed up in fear. Ai reacted immediately, seizing my other wrist without hesitation.

  We ran.

  Our footsteps echoed loudly as we bolted up the staircase, our hurried ascent feeling like an eternity. My heart pounded violently in my chest, every rapid breath burning in my lungs. The stairs seemed to stretch on endlessly, each step steeper than the last. The roars from below did not cease, if anything, they grew louder, more desperate. The dragon’s fury was palpable, shaking the underground dungeon with every attempt to free itself.

  The sound of metal straining under immense pressure made my stomach twist into knots. The groaning, high-pitched screech of chains being pulled beyond their limit echoed through the chamber, sending a sharp jolt of unease through my entire body. The dragon wasn’t just struggling, it was fighting to break free, its massive limbs convulsing against its restraints with a terrifying display of raw power. Each rattle of the ancient bindings sent tremors through the stone floor beneath us, the ground itself quaking beneath the beast’s fury.

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  What if it actually breaks free? That singular, terrifying thought gripped my mind like a vice, refusing to let go. The dragon was undead, and yet, it wasn’t attacking us, not yet. But if those chains shattered, if it regained its full mobility, what would happen then? Would it lash out in uncontrollable rage, destroying everything in sight? Would we be fast enough to escape before it turned its glowing, cursed eyes on us?

  "You… have died… too, right..?"

  I froze. The voice was deep and broken, like a dying breath that had been stretched across centuries. It carried a hollow weight, a chilling resonance that seeped into my very bones. But what made it truly terrifying wasn’t just the tone, it was the fact that I didn’t hear it. I felt it. It hadn’t come from Ai. It wasn’t from Yuzu.

  It came from nowhere and yet, it was inside my head.

  A sharp, ice-cold sensation stabbed through my skull, making my vision wavered. My limbs felt strangely numb, my breath caught somewhere between my throat and my lungs. My breath hitched as an overwhelming chill spread through my body, like something unseen had wrapped its hands around me.

  The voice was rough, broken, as though each word took immense effort to form. It crackled like dying embers, filled with something that made my chest tighten. Desperation? Pain? Longing? I gritted my teeth, forcing my fingers to clenched into fists, grounding myself in the present, but the voice wasn't done.

  "Must… comfort…"

  The words echoed through my mind, a hollow whisper filled with something raw and aching. It wasn’t just speaking to me. It was reaching for me.

  My body refused to move. A strange pull, something invisible yet undeniable, wrapped around me like chains, urging me to turn around. To look back. To acknowledge the presence that had called out to me from beyond the veil of death.

  A shudder ran down my spine, my body locked in place as my fingers trembled. My grip on Ai’s hand weakened as I turned my head slightly, an invisible force urging me to look back. To see who, or what was speaking to me.

  But before I could move, Yuzu yanked my arm hard. “Nyo!” she cried, her voice shrill with panic. Her small frame trembled as she clung to me, but her grip was fierce, unrelenting. “Mashiro bery no look back!”

  Her plea snapped me out of it. I clenched my teeth, forcing my legs to move once more. We had to get out of here. Now.

  I shook my head, shoving aside the lingering chill that the voice had left in my mind. Focus. There was no time to think. No time to hesitate. The only thing that mattered was getting out, getting to safety before the worst could happen.

  “!” I forced my legs to move, pushing against the burning sensation creeping up my muscles as we ran up the long staircase. The stone steps blurred beneath my feet, my breath coming out in ragged gasps. Ai’s grip on my wrist was tight, as if she were afraid I would disappear if she let go.

  CRACK!

  A single, deafening sound shattered the atmosphere. I knew what it was before I even turned around. The sound of metal giving way. The sound of chains breaking.

  A cold, suffocating gust of wind surged through the dungeon like a living force, its sheer pressure slamming against my back and nearly knocking me off balance. Dust and debris whipped past us, and the torches that lined the stairway flickered wildly before being snuffed out entirely.

  ROAAAAARRR!

  The dungeon trembled violently under the sheer force of the dragon’s roar, a furious, almost agonized bellow that reverberated deep within my bones. The sound was raw and thunderous, shaking the very foundation of the shrine. Cracks splintered through the stone walls, and small fragments of rock rained down from above.

  “Oh nyo!” Yuzu’s panicked voice cut through the chaos.

  In one fluid motion, she reached into her inventory, her fingers moving with practiced ease. A bright flash of light flared as she pulled out her katana, its polished silver blade gleaming even in the dimness. Her dark jet-black eyes flickered, shifting into a sharp, light blue hue, a sign that she was fully prepared for battle.

  And then she moved. With a speed that my eyes could barely register, she leapt, landing directly between me and the dragon. Her black cloak billowed dramatically behind her, a stark contrast against the swirling dust and darkness. Her small hands gripped her katana tightly, the edge of the blade gleaming with a cold, determined light.

  “Mashiro bery run!” she ordered, her voice unusually firm despite the fear trembling beneath her words.

  My breath hitched as I stared at her small, yet unwavering frame standing between me and a beast that could wipe us out in an instant. Ai clung to my arm, her own expression laced with worry, but she, too, was ready to follow Yuzu’s lead.

  But It was too late. The dragon’s enormous form loomed over us, its sheer size closing the distance with a single, effortless sweep of its massive wings. The force alone sent another powerful gust of wind hurtling toward us, causing me to instinctively shut my eyes for a split second.

  And in that moment, everything stopped. All sounds from the world were cut off. No more roaring. No more crumbling stone. No more rushing wind. Just… silence. A void-like, unnatural silence that made my skin crawl.

  I opened my eyes, and the last thing I saw was the dragon, its glowing, cursed eyes locked onto mine as the world itself seemed to be swallowed in darkness.