The word "Time" suddenly invaded his thoughts, a mysterious intrusion he couldn't quite fathom. This compulsion to document it confounded him. The man, with his pallid complexion and obsidian attire, bore an eerie air of non-existence. It was as if he had sprung into being only moments ago. What remained clear to him, however, was his identity as a writer, albeit one whose attempts had met with failure. He found himself sitting on a stone armchair, nestled within the aged inn's bar.

In the dimly lit tavern, an insatiable urge to write still gnawed at him. From his frayed bag, he retrieved a substantial tome bound in leather, its cover adorned with intricate golden floral motifs and a central emerald of deepest azure. His finger grazed the emerald's surface as he lifted the cover. Page after page, he flipped, from front to back and back to front, only to find emptiness.

“I must’ve missed the page, it should be here somewhere” he muttered to himself

Not a single word, nor a mere scratch upon the pages. Panic coursed through him momentarily, as if he had written something significant but failed to recall it, leaving him mired in confusion.

Following a brief contemplation he told himself “I must’ve picked the wrong one, it can wait”, and surely a more pressing task beckoned, although its nature eluded his memory. There was an inexplicable compulsion to traverse the narrow cave passage across from the inn. The "why" of it remained unknown to him.

Emerging from the inn, the solitude was suffocating, with the only semblance of light filtering through the massive crevices in the domed ceiling of the subterranean city, mirroring the expanse of a peculiar underground sky. In fact, he seemed to be the sole inhabitant of this subterranean realm. A dazed gaze surveyed the surroundings as he made his way toward the cavernous passage.

Within the passage, dense cobwebs posed a challenge, each step met with an arduous struggle. Initially, he dismantled them with his bare hands, each subsequent step repeating the process. This laborious routine continued until he reached the city's heart.

Here, where others might have resided, the beams of light dwindled, and visibility grew scarce. He decided to wait for his eyes to adjust to the dimness. After a brief interlude, his dilated pupils could now discern their surroundings. Amidst the stone structures that surrounded him, one particular ruin held his attention.

It resembled a dilapidated castle, its crumbling walls intermittently aglow with red light that pulsated. Drawn towards it, he quickened his pace, the echoes of the underground city's eerie winds intensifying as he ventured further from its heart. As he entered through the shattered stone door, hundreds of door fragments crunched beneath his feet. The interior bore the semblance of a library, though bereft of books, its stone shelves suggesting a display purpose.

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Advancing a few steps, he at last located the source of the strange light” "Is that a sword? What is it doing here?" he paused for a moment and scrutinized the blade with curiosity, it was seemingly embedded in one of the stone shelves. Eventually he extended a hand to grasp the hilt and dislodge it. To his astonishment, it proved stubbornly immovable.

Unfazed by the setback, he retrieved a knife from his bag and commenced carving away at the encasing stone. Gradually, he chiseled a large enough cavity to withdraw the sword . A gust expelled any remaining stone fragments, and the sword was freed. He was admiring the sword between his palms, its blade curved towards the tip and adorned with dark red engravings. The hilt, swathed in a depiction of a serpent-like dragon, appeared to spring to life, entwining itself as he held it.

"Incredible, I’ve never seen something like it before" he whispered to himself, his eyes locked on the sword with an expression of profound astonishment. The sight of the dragon etched onto the hilt, spinning horizontally while seamlessly retracting vertically without unsettling his grasp, left him confounded. Yet, his curiosity prevailed, compelling him to make another attempt. He swung the sword repeatedly, and with each oscillation, he witnessed the dragon circling the hilt with increasing duration. As if his confusion wasn't already overwhelming, this added layer of mystery intensified his bewilderment.

His contemplation was disrupted by an eerie sound emanating from outside. His gaze, now alert, captured a chilling silhouette,

“What the hell is that thing?” he exclaimed then squinted his eyes further to make out what it was “ Is that a dragon? You’ve got to be kidding me”

And indeed the silhouette resembled the wingless dragon etched onto the sword's hilt. However, this creature bore skeletal wings and crawled along with scales flaking off. In a moment of terror, he hurled the sword towards the bony-winged reptilian beast.

Suddenly, a newfound exploding light flooded his senses and surroundings then nothing.

As he slowly blinked his eyes open, he noticed a subtle increase in brightness. His surroundings became clearer, and he endeavored to piece together his situation. It felt as though he had some inkling of why he was there, an elusive familiarity teasing the edges of his consciousness. Then again, perhaps he didn't truly grasp it. A throbbing ache in his head intensified, motivating him to seek an exit. His steps led him toward the beckoning light, and that's when he caught sight of "it."

"This, it’s the sword I saw before" he said as he tried to pull out the sword that was stuck just at the edge of the doorway of the stone building he was in “Which means… that THING….. What the hell? Was it even real to begin with?” he wondered aloud as he attempted to extract the weapon lodged at the very threshold of the stone structure. The questions kept piling up and his confusion kept growing while he looked around him for any clue “Nothing to do about it, I better be safe and dash out of here now” he thought to himself

Leaving the building, he blew the lingering dust from the sword in his hand and carefully stowed it in his bag. The sword's hilt peeked out just above his light brown leather belt, a silent reminder of his peculiar discovery. With resolve, he proceeded in the direction of the cave passage that led to the city center.