At the end of time, there was nothing but nothingness and the only existential proof that something did exist in this dead universe was a small blue stone... a kind of marble that migrated in the absolute nothingness, where even the black holes collapsed one after the other and this small marble was heading at a crazy speed towards a well of light.

Millions of years later, in the north, there was a kind of tundra covered by fir trees, rocks and snow as far as the eye could see, but what was most striking was the huge pyramidal crystal mountain

Centuries and millennia later, the gigantic structure was covered by volcanic ash. From the fire and the bowels of the earth, the pyramid was covered with a thick mantle of earth, trees and different rocks and soils where life could develop.

The fauna was so varied that it could be called megafauna.

At the foot of the monstrous mountain, there was a crack.

If one dared to penetrate inside, one would see an immense valley with, in the middle, a ghost village coming from somewhere else, from another world, from another time.

In spite of the light coming through the ice dome, everything was dark and the plants and crops would die for lack of light.

The valley remained deserted, isolated from the world and the water had stopped for a long time. Only the melting of the real ice fed the water but the cold was permanent, like a fridge and staying there was dangerous, the temperature was well below zero.

At the bottom of the valley, there was a hole overlooking a dome of ice crystal that had partially melted.

Eternal ice can melt instantly but not everywhere at the same time.

It was probably the weather that altered the ice, not the temperature.

For one of the trapped creatures, time had begun to pick up its pace and it was standing still on its base. The inscriptions were in an alphabet from another time, another place.

But they were refugees from time, and their lives would pick up where they had left off.

The creature opened its eyes and its vision was different.

Her chest swelled and deflated with the rhythm of her breathing and, completely ankylosed, she wanted to get up and tip over on her side, like falling out of bed when she woke up.

"COOOUIIC" she made, crashing her mouth out of the base and the bed that served her on the very very long trip. She blinked and wanted to put her hand in front of her to help her up but something was wrong.

She could see her watch on the floor, but it looked small, as if it had shrunk three times.

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Then she squinted and saw that her nose... was no longer a nose but... a snout... very long

And still slumped, a huge weight was holding her down... something was wrong with her legs...

She curled up and put her hand on her muzzle, but with difficulty, she had to bend her neck so that her head could reach her arms and hands. But it was only a black mass of scales and her hands were talons! with skin stretched to half her body.

She felt her head and ... it felt like ice crystals instead of hair...

"NoooNNN" (SQWEEEEK) That was the only sound that left her throat...

"I'm a dinosaur!!!"

But that wasn't exactly the case... she was an ice vulture... a black wyvern-like dragon with a head that looked like a Jurassic crocodile.

Her entire back was covered with ice crystal spines and a very long tail held her down. Its tail ended in a club of ice and a sharp sword.

Her eyes fell on the English inscription on its base... "Louise"

She began to whimper and her cries echoed through the huge ice-blocked hallway.

The ice around her glistened and crystals re-growed, as if to close the alcove.

She was afraid of being locked in and crawled on all fours on the crystal-covered floor and managed to escape from the trap that the Crystal Ark had become.

She managed to get out of the dome by straightening up and adopting a bipedal posture, but her tail was pushing her forward and she ended up with a sore back and resigned herself to walking like a quadruped and her long neck ended up in a natural pose.

In the reflections, she could admire herself.

A wyvern, a young wyvern the size of a large raptor, plus the neck, wings and long tail, which served as a pendulum, for flight and a terrible weapon to strike down her enemies.

It was only weeping and sobbing.

and she arrived in front of the statue of the black hydra.

"Grandmother??? why??? I was so pretty... I didn't want to become a dragon! I can defend myself as a human... I have powers like... like Arnold .... Yessssss, my big brother! Arnold, how I miss him...."

Then she shouted. "ARNOLD?? ARE YOU HERE???"

No answers...

But the air here was frosty, and there was only death...

She knelt before the idol and prayed to Enka...

and... looking down, there was a black letter...: Louise.

As soon as she touched the letter, it, as if by magic opened and a holographic message appeared, Louise unable to use her talons as her fingers.

"My dear little girl, Louise, I know that your awakening will not be the most pleasant but you have long received my blessing and this primal world brings out the most primal part in you. It is quite possible that you will wake up as a dragon instead of a human, but this is for your own safety.

We don't know what awaits you out there, let alone the wildlife and inhabitants, if there are any.

You'll be back to your old self as soon as you're strong enough, but in the meantime, be careful and look after yourself. I am unfortunately in hibernation and we will meet again in a few years. Don't worry, you're not alone and this will also be an opportunity for you to make friends and meet other members of your family.

The defense system of the village is still activated and despite the cold, it remains a sanctuary for you.

You have an inventory and I have put food and plants in it to heal you. Be brave and know that I am watching over you, even when you are asleep... You know that the darkness is always open to you and that you will know when the time comes how to do it and how to find me...

Your Enka who loves you!"

Louise clutched the letter to her scaly chest and her tears formed ice crystals, falling to the ground.

The sun was starting to go down but...Louise was impervious to the cold but everything was like frosted, frozen and it disturbed her.

"I have to get out of here! If the ice closed the passageway? I would be stuck and condemned to die of hunger or to be refrozen by the eternal ice?

The decision was quick and she rushed towards the exit of the village, praying that the defense system would not turn against her.