Chapter 36: Leap of Faith

The ground shook violently beneath Liam as the mighty figure behind him metamorphosed into a gargantuan dragon. Each thunderous step it took reverberated through the plateau, sending shockwaves of terror into his racing heart. He could hear the labored breaths of the beast in sync with his own panicked gasps, a chilling soundtrack to his desperate escape.

As Liam stole a fleeting glance over his shoulder, the sunlight glinted off the dragon's magnificent scales, casting an array of dancing reflections around the clearing. These scales, each larger than Liam's hand, shimmered like polished onyx, their surface marred by the occasional scar of battles long past. The dragon's formidable presence, exuding raw power and primal menace, was a stark reminder of the desperate situation he found himself in.

The dragon's wings, massive constructs of sinew and scale, unfurled with an ear-splitting crack, casting a terrifying shadow over the plateau. The shadow, cold and foreboding, swallowed the daylight, plunging the world around Liam into a surreal twilight. The contrast of the light beyond and the sudden darkness under the dragon's shadow lent an even more ominous aura to the scene, amplifying the dread that clawed at Liam's soul.

As if in a dreadful sync with his frantic heartbeat, the system message blinked back into existence before his eyes.

{Tutorial end in 1 minute}

it flashed urgently, casting an eerie glow over his field of vision. His breath caught in his throat at the message, stark white against the bleak landscape, serving as a relentless countdown to an end he was not ready for.

His breaths came out ragged and desperate as the harsh realization dawned on him - he had merely a minute to get off this mountain, to escape from the clutches of the fearsome dragon. A minute to evade what seemed like a certain demise. His fear fueled his legs, pushing him to run faster, harder.

Ahead, he spotted the rough-hewn path he had painstakingly scaled to reach this plateau. The path, that once seemed like a monumental challenge, was now his only avenue of escape. His eyes traced its winding descent, calculating his path through the treacherous terrain even as he raced toward it. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat a desperate plea for survival.

The sight of the dragon barring his path was as unexpected as it was terrifying. Ignis, his form now fully draconic, exuded an aura of menacing power that was impossible to ignore. The dragon stood as a terrifying sentinel, its enormous body obstructing the path with an ironclad resolve. His path to freedom had, in a heartbeat, become an impassable wall.

An icy surge of panic seized Liam, his heart skipping a beat as he skidded to a halt, his boots screeching against the hard surface. He glanced frantically over his shoulder, his eyes immediately finding the steadily ticking countdown. The glowing numerals, marking the dwindling seconds, seemed to pulsate in sync with his frenzied heartbeat, each decrement amplifying his growing despair.

Trapped between a dragon and an unforgiving cliff, Liam felt the walls of his hope begin to crumble. But he couldn't afford to surrender now; he wouldn't let his journey end here, not after everything he had endured.

Driven by desperation, Liam wheeled around, sprinting with a renewed fervor towards the cliff that overlooked the rest of the mountain. His every footfall echoed in his ears, pounding a rhythm of primal fear and survival. The cliff seemed to loom ever closer, its sheer face appearing as a daunting barrier, a monolithic testament to the brutality of nature.

Yet, it was his only option. His path was dominated by a deadly precipice on one side and a formidable dragon on the other. It was a grim choice: certain death or the unknown. The cliff's edge, jagged and ominous, was his last desperate gambit in the face of impending doom. His breath hitched as he neared the edge, his pulse echoing loudly in his ears, a frenzied drumbeat that mirrored his manic desperation.

The ground shuddered as Ignis roared, his voice a tempest that swept over the plateau, carrying with it an undeniable threat of death. "You are dead, human!" His words rang out, echoing harshly against the mountainside, an inescapable prophecy that seemed to shake the very air around Liam. The draconic behemoth then lunged towards him, an unstoppable force hurtling towards a seemingly inevitable target.

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Summoning every ounce of courage left within him, Liam made his choice. The world seemed to hold its breath as he neared the precipice. The ground gave way beneath him and for a moment, there was nothing but empty air beneath his feet. The harsh wind howled in his ears, drowning out the roar of the pursuing dragon.

His heart pounded against his chest like a wild drum as he hurled himself off the cliff, casting one last glance at the beast that chased him. The sight of Ignis, with his wings outstretched and eyes ablaze, would forever be seared into his mind.

The sensation of free-falling was indescribable, a strange mix of terror and exhilaration. His body plummeted, spiraling down the seemingly endless drop. The biting cold of the air whipped against his face, causing his eyes to water and his vision to blur. There was no turning back now; he was at the mercy of gravity, hurtling towards an uncertain fate.

As he fell, the world above him — Ignis, the plateau, the sky — all seemed to recede into the distance, getting smaller and smaller until it was just a speck in the vastness above. The cliff face whizzed past him in a blur, its rugged surface marking the boundary between life and the impending doom.

As the dust of the tumultuous chase settled, the monstrous form of Ignis began to shrink, his dragon scales receding, his wings folding back until he resumed the imposing but decidedly more humanoid figure he had first taken. The transformation was a spectacle to behold, a dance between two forms, a mystical interplay of power and control.

But then, the plateau was silent again, save for the occasional gust of wind howling past. Ignis stood alone, gazing down the cliff from which Liam had leapt. His usually hard, piercing gaze softened with contemplation, and he broke the silence with a rumbling voice that echoed in the mountain's solitude.

"That one," he mused, his words filling the desolate air, "he was unique. It isn't often you come across a human with such resolve." He paused, as if lost in thought, "The audacity to stand against me... It's not the act of a madman, but of one who possesses an insatiable will to survive."

His gaze wandered over the harsh, unforgiving landscape around him - a world that was as much a part of him as he was of it. "Those who can stand tall in the face of such danger, they truly have a will to live. They carry a flame within them that refuses to be extinguished."

Despite the awe-inspiring power he held, there was a touch of admiration in his voice, a begrudging respect for the human who had dared to stand up to him, to challenge the absolute authority he held over this realm.

Despite being the one to have issued the deadly challenge, the echoes of Ignis' own words seemed to linger with him, a testament to the indelible impression Liam had left. His solitude was interrupted only by his own thoughts, voiced aloud in this lonely corner of the world, a world that had witnessed countless struggles for survival. It was a rare moment of introspection for the ancient dragonkin, a creature whose existence spanned eons.

Ignis' posture subtly shifted, his hulking shoulders slumping ever so slightly. He heaved a sigh, the sound rumbling through the lair like a low growl of an unsatisfied beast. "If my pride as a dragonkin wasn’t so overbearing, I could have seen him defy the odds," he admitted, his voice filled with a regret that seemed out of place amidst the austere grandeur of his lair.

There was a slight tremble in his voice, betraying the facade of indifference he projected, "I would have liked to see him thrive in this new world," he confessed, the words carrying an undertone of uncharacteristic sentimentality. It was a strange admittance from a creature of such power, a subtle chink in the seemingly impregnable armor of his pride.

His gaze, piercing and intense, drifted towards the precipice from where Liam had taken the fatal leap. He seemed to be searching for something, his gaze trailing the falling path as if he could will the human to miraculously reappear. "But alas, he will meet his end before the tutorial's completion." There was a finality in his words, a bitter acceptance of a foregone conclusion.

"He will fall to his death," he continued, each word echoing through the expanse of the plateau like a mournful dirge. The way he spoke the words hinted at a hint of genuine loss. "What a waste of potential..."

The last words faded into a whisper, as if the wind itself was reluctant to carry them. They hung heavy in the silence of the lair, a poignant reminder of the relentless reality of this world.

For a moment, Ignis seemed lost in thought, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the cliff's edge. It was a rare sight, a mighty dragonkin, momentarily brought low by the lost potential of a single, audacious human. A testament, perhaps, to the profound impact Liam had managed to leave in his brief encounter with the ancient entity.

Level: 13

Race: Human

Class: Survivalist

Profession: Explorer

Skills: Endurance, Weapon of Opportunity, Rapid Regeneration, Stealth, Crisis Instinct, Last Stand

Traits: Fearless, Detest the Heavens, Dance of the Wild

Faith: N/A

Blessing: Nature