The world was filled with mythical creatures—some seen in fleeting glimpses, others only in the corners of old maps and the warnings of tired villagers. But there was one that remained nothing more than a myth: the dragon said to sleep beneath the earth, where no man dared walk.

You should’ve turned back hours ago.

The trail was barely visible now, eaten away by moss and time. But something about that old journal you found—a relic tucked into the cracks of your family’s attic—kept pulling you forward. Page after page hinted at a hidden ravine, a place swallowed by fog and forgotten by time. It wasn’t marked on any map. But you knew it had to be close.

You weren’t expecting the ground to crumble beneath you.

It happened fast. A misstep. A crunch. The edge gave way and the world flipped upside down. The wind howled past your ears as you tumbled, branches scratching against your arms until—

Darkness.

And then…

Warmth. A breath. A strange, humming silence that vibrated through your bones.

You opened your eyes slowly, body aching, vision blurred. You were lying in a hollow chamber deep beneath the surface, lit by a faint, pulsing glow that wasn’t coming from any fire.

A gust of wind blew across your face. Then came the sound—a deep, guttural exhale.

And from the shadows, a shape moved. Larger than life. Ancient. Coiled in silence, waiting.

“…A human?”