After swimming three kilometers non-stop and his harrowing encounter with the slave merchants, Sif, now in a younger, unfamiliar body, was utterly exhausted. He found a giant tree to rest beneath, collapsing into the damp earth, his wet clothes clinging to him. Despite the discomfort, exhaustion quickly overtook him, and he slept soundly until dawn.After swimming three kilometers non-stop and surviving a harrowing encounter with slave merchants, Sif, now trapped in a younger, unfamiliar body, was utterly spent. His muscles ached, his lungs burned, and his clothes clung to his skin, still soaked from the sea. He stumbled through the forest, his senses dulled by exhaustion, until he found a giant tree with roots sprawling out like the legs of some ancient, sleeping giant. With no other options, he collapsed beneath it, letting the damp earth cradle his weary body. Despite the discomfort, sleep claimed him almost instantly, pulling him into a deep, dreamless slumber.

The forest was silent, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. But as dawn began to break, the silence was shattered by a sound that made Sif's heart skip a beat—a distant, blood-curdling scream. Sif shot up, his senses immediately on high alert. The sound was unlike anything he had ever heard, like the roar of some great beast mixed with the agonized cry of a dying man. Driven by curiosity and a nagging sense of dread, Sif set off toward the source of the noise.

After about ten minutes of cautious trekking, he reached a clearing. What he saw there stopped him dead in his tracks. In the center of the clearing lay a creature out of legend—a dragon. It was massive, easily the size of a house, with scales that shimmered like molten gold in the early morning light. Its wings, now tattered and weak, were sprawled out on either side of its enormous body. But something was wrong. The dragon was clearly dying, its once fierce eyes now dull and glazed over.

Sif ducked behind a large rock, peering out cautiously at the creature. He had never seen a dragon before, but he knew this had to be one. As he watched, the dragon let out another low, guttural moan.

“I know you’re near, stranger,” a voice boomed, startling Sif. It wasn’t a sound he heard with his ears; rather, it echoed inside his mind, filling his chest with a heavy pressure.

Sif hesitated but then slowly emerged from his hiding place. The dragon’s eyes, now filled with an ancient, weary wisdom, locked onto him.

"Come closer," the dragon commanded, its voice softer now but still reverberating in Sif's mind.

Sif obeyed, stepping carefully over the roots and fallen branches until he stood just a few feet away from the dying beast.

"You are a stranger… peculiar,” the dragon observed, its voice tinged with curiosity. “I have lived for ten thousand years and have never encountered a creature like you. You are human, yet… not. You have no mana, yet you live. You are truly a mystery."

Sif remained silent, unsure of how to respond. The dragon's eyes narrowed as it continued, "It was hard to detect you. You do not possess mana, but your presence is… loud. What do they call you, stranger?"

"My name is Sif," he replied, his voice steady but cautious.

"Liar!" the dragon roared, the ground beneath Sif trembling from the force of its anger.

Sif flinched but quickly recovered. "I swear, that's what they call me. Sif," he insisted, the truth of his statement dawning on him even as he spoke. It wasn’t his real name, than sif said : what do they call u dragon

The dragon studied him for a long moment before letting out a raspy chuckle. "You are strange indeed. Asking a dragon for its name… you either mad man or not from this world."

Sif nodded. "No, I’m not. I was… dropped here suddenly."

"Truth, it seems," the dragon murmured. "But you will not survive here. You are in the heart of the Forbidden Forest, a place where even the most skilled warriors fear to tread."

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"I think I’ll manage," Sif replied, though his voice lacked conviction. "You… you look like you’re dying. Are you going to be alright?"

The dragon let out another low laugh, this one filled with a deep, ancient sadness. "It is the circle of life, a mere drop of sand in the vast ocean of existence. The world shall continue without me."

Sif sighed, realizing how futile it was to ask for help. "I suppose it’s pointless to ask you for a map, then?"

The dragon’s laughter rumbled through the clearing. "You could take my heart and eat it," the dragon suggested, its tone casual, as if offering him a simple meal.

"Do what?" Sif asked, horrified.

"It is the only way you might survive. And I would not mind it. In fact, I would quite like to become a part of you, to continue my story through you."

Sif stared at the dragon, unsure if it was serious or if this was some kind of bizarre, ancient joke. "I’m not sure that’s a good idea," he said carefully.

"There is no other way for you to survive this place. Even if you did, the humans would kill you," the dragon said, its voice growing weaker with each word.

"Humans… why would they do that?" Sif asked, more to himself than the dragon.

"Tell me a story, stranger," the dragon said suddenly, its eyes focusing on Sif with an intensity that made him shiver.

"A story?" Sif repeated, caught off guard. "Uh, okay… Let me see. Have you heard of the story of Perseus?"

The dragon shook its massive head. "No, but I am intrigued."

Sif took a deep breath and began to recount the tale. "Perseus was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and Danaë, the daughter of King Acrisius of Argos. Acrisius, fearing a prophecy that Perseus would one day kill him, cast his daughter and grandson into the sea in a wooden chest. They were rescued by a fisherman and lived on the island of Seriphos. When Perseus grew up, he was sent on a quest to slay Medusa, a Gorgon whose gaze could turn anyone to stone. With the help of the gods, Perseus beheaded Medusa and later saved Andromeda from a sea monster, marrying her. In the end, Perseus accidentally fulfilled the prophecy by killing Acrisius with a discus. He went on to found the city of Mycenae and became a legendary hero."

The dragon listened intently, its breathing becoming shallower as Sif spoke. "It was a good story," the dragon said finally. "I have never heard of it."

Blood began to pour from the dragon's mouth, and Sif realized its time was running out. "It looks like my time has come," the dragon rasped. "I shall give this world one last deed before I go. Here, stranger…"

A light, faint at first but

growing brighter, began to glow in the dragon’s throat. Sif watched in stunned silence as the light traveled up the dragon’s neck, finally emerging from its mouth as a glowing orb. The orb floated toward Sif, and before he could react, it entered his chest with a warmth that spread through his entire body.

Sif gasped as the light enveloped him, a surge of energy coursing through his veins. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest as the warmth turned to a burning sensation. The world around him began to blur, his vision darkening as he struggled to remain conscious.

“Use it wisely,” the dragon’s voice echoed in his mind, now soft and distant. “My name is Nyxdrath be sure not to forget it ”

Sif’s vision went black as he lost consciousness, the last remnants of the dragon’s presence fading away.

When he finally awoke, hours had passed. The sun was now high in the sky, casting dappled light through the trees. Sif sat up slowly, his head spinning. The clearing was empty—no sign of the dragon’s massive body. It was as if the creature had vanished without a trace.

He looked down at his hands, noticing that they no longer trembled with exhaustion. In fact, he felt… different. Stronger, more alert, as if the weariness of the past day had been washed away.

“What happened?” Sif muttered to himself, trying to piece together the last few hours. Then he remembered the dragon’s words—the gift it had given him. He closed his eyes and focused, feeling a strange new energy pulsing within him.

Suddenly, a voice—calm and robotic—spoke in his mind. "Transformation of mana succeeded. Mana acquired."

Sif’s eyes shot open. “Mana…?” he whispered, disbelief coloring his voice. The dragon had given him something more than just a chance to survive; it had bestowed upon him a power he had never known before.

But what did that mean for him in this strange, dangerous world? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he had to keep moving. The forest around him felt more ominous than ever, and he could sense that staying in one place for too long would not be wise.

As Sif stood, he noticed something glimmering in the grass where the dragon had lain. He bent down and picked it up—a single scale, golden and smooth, radiating a soft warmth. He pocketed it, feeling that it might be important late