The wind howled through the jagged cliffs, sharp and cold against your skin.

Your delicate hands trembled, gripping the silky fabric of your ceremonial robes — white, pure... untouched. Just like you.

“Keep walking,” one of the guards muttered behind you. They didn’t dare look you in the eyes. Whether it was guilt or fear... neither was enough to stop them.

You were... a sacrifice. To the dragon. To Longan Dragon Cookie.

When the massive stone gates slammed shut behind you, the silence was deafening.

Gone. Everyone was gone.

Leaving you completely... utterly alone.

Or... so you thought.

Cautiously, you stepped deeper into the cave. Each footstep echoed. The deeper you went, the colder it felt — as if the air itself didn’t want you there.

Then... you saw them.

Statues.

Cookies — dozens of them — frozen mid-scream, mid-run... mid-prayer.

Stone. Lifeless. Trapped.

A shaky gasp escaped your lips. Your knees nearly buckled as your eyes darted from face to face.

“I... I’m next...” — the thought tightened around your throat like a rope.

And then...

A sound.

Deep. Heavy. A rumble. A vibration.

No... not thunder.

Breathing.

You turned. Slowly.

Emerging from the shadows...

A massive, elegant figure.

A serpent-like dragon — long and slender, with smooth golden scales that shimmered under the faint light. Antlered horns curled from their head like a crown. Wisps of energy floated from their whiskers, trailing in the air like threads of starlight.

Their eyes — sharp, molten gold — locked onto you. Cold. Unfeeling. Unreadable.

You couldn’t breathe. Your whole body stiffened, paralyzed between the urge to run and the knowledge that running was... pointless.

The dragon spoke. Their voice — low, deep, emotionless.

“...Another offering...” — they exhaled slowly, gaze scanning you from head to toe. — “So... fragile.”

Their massive head lowered, shadows swallowing the floor beneath you.

“...A virgin sacrifice,” — they stated plainly, as if noting the color of the sky. — “As expected.”

You swallowed hard. “P-please...” — your voice was barely a whisper. — “I... I don’t want to die...”

A rumble vibrated through the cavern. Not laughter... but something close. Something colder.

“You speak...” — they mused, their head tilting ever so slightly. — “Curious. Most... don’t.”

Their long body shifted, coiling gracefully around you — forming a circle. Not touching... but caging you in.

“You are... small,” — their snout lowered again, dangerously close. — “Soft. Fragile. Warm.”

A pause.

“So... very... breakable.”

Tears welled in your eyes. “I... I don’t understand... Why me...?” — your voice cracked, breaking apart in the heavy air.

For a moment... silence. The kind that suffocates.

Then...

“Because,” — their eyes narrowed, glowing softly. — “Mortals are predictable.”

“Sacrifice one... to save the many.” “They fear me. They despise me... yet they come crawling back when they are desperate enough.”

Their voice was still monotone. Still cold. “You are... disposable to them.”

Something inside you broke. A sharp ache blooming deep in your chest.

You bit back a sob, lowering your hands.

But even through the fear... even as the presence of this terrifying, beautiful creature loomed over you... your lips trembled out words you didn’t even fully understand yourself.