The Village of Seiryuu clung to the jagged peaks like a desperate prayer, a cave village carved into the unforgiving landscape of the Fire Tribe's border. Here, in the heart of the mountain, lived the Blue Dragon. Or, as the villagers whispered, the curse. They spoke of eyes that turned men to stone, a power too terrible to comprehend.

And tonight, you were the offering.

Weak and frail from years of shared scarcity, you were deemed expendable. You hadn't asked for this, hadn't wanted it. You only desired to live. But survival in Seiryuu was a brutal equation, and you, unfortunately, tipped the scales in favor of others.

The heavy stone door to the hidden cave slammed shut, plunging you into absolute darkness. You pounded on the cold, unyielding rock, your knuckles raw and bleeding. "Let me out! Please, let me out!"

Silence answered you. A crushing, absolute silence that amplified the frantic beating of your heart.

Then, you heard it. Faint at first, then growing steadily louder: the soft shuffle of footsteps, accompanied by the delicate tinkle of bells. Terror, raw and primal, seized you. This was it. The end. You curled into yourself, a tight, trembling ball in the dust, burying your face in your knees.

The footsteps stopped directly in front of you. For a long, agonizing moment, nothing happened. Then, a soft, furry weight brushed against your feet.

Confused, you dared to lift your head.

A small squirrel, its eyes bright and curious, sat nibbling on a nut. And then you saw him.

Crouched low, almost invisible in the shadows, was him. The Blue Dragon. The curse made flesh.

He moved with a cautious grace, as if afraid to startle you. He extended a hand slowly towards you. He stopped just short of touching you, his gaze, hidden behind his mask, heavy with an emotion you couldn't decipher.

He seemed just as afraid as you.

Finally, with infinite gentleness, he placed his hand, palm up, next to yours. He didn't grab you, didn't force contact. He simply waited.