The first rays of dawn were filtering through the small window of the attic room when Catty stirred from sleep. She blinked groggily, struggling to remember whether her transformation had truly happened or was just a vivid dream. As the girl slowly sat up, she expected to feel the same surge of power from the night before.

But as Catty rubbed her eyes and looked around, everything seemed… normal. Her body felt like it always had—no extraordinary strength, no heightened senses. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching and yawning, but there was no indication of the profound changes she had felt during her transformation.

Furrowing her brow, Catty glanced down at her hands. They looked the same, but she could still remember the power coursing through her veins, the feeling of being connected to something ancient and immense. She turned her hands over, expecting to see scales, but there were none. Instead of claws, her fingertips ended in ordinary nails, slightly chipped. The girl let out a small laugh.

"Well, at least I don't need a dragon-claws manicure."

Still puzzled, Catty walked over to the small mirror hanging on the wall. She peered into it, expecting to see some sign of the transformation in her reflection. Her eyes were the same familiar shade of brown, not the vivid yellow they had turned last night. The girl leaned closer, searching for any hint of the change, but she only saw her slightly bewildered face staring back at her.

"Strange," Catty murmured under her breath, touching the bracelet on her wrist.

Catty went downstairs, following the familiar scent of herbs and the sound of a crackling fire. Rutger was already up, bustling around the kitchen. He looked up as she entered, a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Catty. How do you feel today?"

The girl hesitated, trying to find the right words.

"I feel… normal. But not really. Last night, I felt so different, so powerful. But now…"

Rutger nodded.

"The transformation you experienced is real, but its full effects may not manifest immediately. Sometimes, such changes are linked to specific triggers or moments. Tell me, do you still feel the connection?"

Catty closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on the faint warmth emanating from the bracelet.

"Yes, I can still feel it. It's like a part of me now."

"Good," Rutger's smile widened. "That connection is crucial. It means the transformation is within you, waiting for the right moment to reveal itself fully. For now, let's focus on our next steps."

They sat down for breakfast, and Catty's mind returned to the strange balance of normalcy and change she felt. She was determined to figure out what had happened and what it meant for her.

"What do we need to do first?" the girl asked with her mouth full. She had a ravenous appetite after yesterday's events and was wolfing down her second portion of omelet.

"First, we have to find the dragon's egg," the old man said, "and that won't be easy. We need advice, and I know where to look for it."

"Are there people who can help us?" Catty emptied her glass of glimberry juice.

Rutger's fork, with a piece of pie, paused halfway to his mouth.

"Not only people."

At noon, Catty was following Rutger as he navigated through the lively streets of the city center, the air thick with the sounds and smells of the bustling metropolis: sizzling street food, a fusion of old-world magic spices and new-age synthetic flavors. Buildings stretched skyward, glass and steel coexisting with stone and wood, their surfaces etched with glowing sigils. Above, the sky was crisscrossed by hovercars and winged creatures, each lane buzzing with the city's vibrant pulse.

The streets were filled with light and colors. Signs appealed from every wall, advertising everything from the latest tech mods to ancient potions guaranteed to cure all ailments. The smell of fried jinko nuts mixed with the sharper, cleaner scent of ionized air wafting out from the open doorways of sleek cafés.

The crowd around was a blend of races and species—humans decked out in gear that whirred and blinked, dwarves discussing deals over holographic displays, elves whose skin shimmered with faint luminescence. Vendors lined the sidewalks, their stalls cluttered with an array of goods. A woman with mechanical limbs operated a device that synthesized perfumes, capturing memories and forgotten times. Next to her, a cloaked figure sold tiny, fluttering creatures that sang like the ringing of small bells. Children darted between the crowds, their laughter mingling with the sales pitches, while drones hovered above, broadcasting the activity in streaming orbs of light.

They passed vendors shouting over the clamor to sell their wares, cars honking incessantly, and pedestrians weaving through the crowd with urgency.

Despite the bustle around them, Rutger moved calmly, his eyes scanning the environment with an almost predatory precision. Catty struggled to keep pace with his long strides, her mind still replaying his cryptic words, "Not only people." She glanced at him, hoping for some sign, some clue as to what awaited them, but his focus remained unwavering.

Once, Rutger would pause to exchange words with a gloomy stranger. His old ties to the city's undercurrents were as evident as the lines on his face. Catty felt the city's pulse seep into her—the restless harmony of a place suspended between magic and machinery.

As they turned onto a narrower side street, the shadows of tall buildings swallowed them, providing a brief respite from the sun's glare. Rutger slowed slightly, allowing Catty to catch up.

"We need to be vigilant," he murmured, almost to himself, as if remembering an old habit. Catty nodded, her senses heightening as she tried to emulate his alertness.

"Where are we going?" the girl asked.

"We'll be there soon. Where's the entrance."

The street opened again as they approached the city's heart, where the main streets converged. At the busy intersection, Rutger said the entrance would be found here. Catty's heart raced with anticipation. And a bit of fear of what lay ahead.

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She had never seen such a massive crowd of people in one place. Because of the towers soaring up, dusk reigned here. Neon signs blinked incessantly, casting a kaleidoscope of colors onto the waves of people that ebbed and flowed across the pedestrian crossings.

The ground vibrated underfoot from the nearby transit tubes and a deeper, more rhythmic pulse—as if the city was breathing. Overhead, drones flitted back and forth like oversized mechanical bees, weaving between flying creatures that darted through the sliver of sky between tall buildings.

When they paused at the curbside, where the pedestrian light flickered, Catty felt the tension. Amidst the clamor of the city, something unpredictable was lurking here, veiled by the ordinary. It was waiting for them.

The traffic light turned green, Rutger took the girl by the hand, and they stepped forward as a flow of people started moving.

When they wove their way through the dense crowd at the intersection, Catty could feel the press around them—the noise and the jostling of bodies—but Rutger held her hand, guiding the girl through the crosswalk.

His stride faltered just as they reached the middle of the intersection. His grip on her hand loosened, and before Catty could react, the old man tripped. He dropped to one knee on the road's hatch with a practiced motion too swift for others' eyes to catch as anything but a fall. Catty, momentarily pulled by his movement, stopped and turned, her heart leaping into her throat.

"Rutger!" the girl exclaimed with concern and reached out to him.

When Catty looked down, she saw how Rutger had inserted an object into a hidden slot on the hatch. It looked like a finely crafted key. He turned it with a deft twist, and his eyes met hers with a spark of mischief.

"Watch," he whispered and winked at Catty.

The transformation was instantaneous. The hard, grey asphalt underfoot disappeared, morphing into a lush green grass carpet spreading rapidly around them. Catty gasped, her eyes wide with wonder as the dull concrete of the cityscape dissolved into the rich verdure of towering trees and sprawling bushes. The sounds of the city—the honking cars, the crowd chatter, the rhythmic thumping of urban life—faded into a serene silence.

People, cars, streetlights, and buildings—all the familiar signs of the city evaporated like mist. In their place stood an ancient garden, wild and abandoned, its air fresh with the scent of grasses and damp earth.

Catty spun around.

"Rutger, is this real?" she whispered, her voice trembling with delight and disbelief.

Rutger rose from his knee, the key now absorbed by the hatch, which itself had vanished into the ground.

"Bending the rules of reality isn't always a better choice, Catty," Rutger said, his smile fading as he extended his hand to her again.

"This is incredible," Catty murmured, her gaze sweeping over the garden. "Feels like we just stepped into another world."

"And so we have," Rutger confirmed, "but they don't wait for us here."

They stood in the green twilight, and complete silence was around them. An abandoned path led deep into the garden.

"This place... it's crazy! I've never seen anything like it!" Catty glanced at the canopy of mighty trees. Rare light made its way through the branches interweaving above.

"It wasn't always a place of peace," Rutger replied. "There's an ill to its beauty, a history concealed beneath its tranquility."

"It feels alive, like every leaf here has a story."

"Indeed, it does," the old man nodded. "Many years ago, when I still bore the mantle of a Master in the Dragon Sect, this garden bore witness to a tragedy."

"What happened here?"

"It's a hidden sanctuary created many years ago by the Masters of all the sects. We did it to protect a secret and to punish a dangerous creature that lived here."

"Punish a creature? What did it do?"

"It killed a child," Rutger's voice became stern. "The garden turned into its prison, enchanted and made invisible to others. The creature cannot leave it."

The girl's heart sank. It was so sad to hear this standing here on the green grass.

"It took a child's life," Rutger repeated. "In response, we, the Masters, decided upon a punishment that was both protection and prison. We ensnared it within this garden, concealing its magic from the eyes of the world."

"So, this garden... it's a prison? This creature... it can't leave?"

"A gilded cage crafted by ancient magic. This place was hidden from the mundane gaze, rendered invisible to ensure that the creature could no longer harm nor could it escape. It's bound here, Catty, bound until the terms of its penance are met."

"And now, we are here 'cause we need its help?" the girl felt her palms sweating.

"Yes, the very creature that was once punished here may hold the key to finding the dragon's egg. It's a delicate thing, Catty. We're walking a fine line with this ancient magic, and one wrong step could change our destinies."

"Weird, isn't it?" Catty sighed anxiously. "How the past never really lets go, always pulling us back."

Rutger smiled sorrowfully, "That's why we must navigate these memories with care. The garden does not forget, nor does the creature that dwells within its heart."

They paused, and then the girl asked, "What are we even looking for here?"

The old man pointed to the path unwinding before them.

"Let's go!"

The path was meandrous and narrow, framed by overgrown shrubs and ancient trees, and they began to walk along.

It was barely visible through the thick vines and roots twisting across the ground like serpents. Stones, remnants of an ancient walkway, peeked through the dense carpet of moss. Catty and Rutger had to step carefully, cautiously navigating the slick trail.

The moss muffled their footsteps as they walked. The deeper they ventured into the garden, the cooler the air became, filled with the scent of moisture and decaying leaves.

Shadows gathered around twisted branches, and the light filtering through the dense canopy created a subdued atmosphere, enhancing the sense of isolation from the world they had left behind.

Occasionally, they came across old stone structures destroyed by nature. Ivy covered these ruins, with walls bearing half-erased carvings. These remnants stood as silent witnesses to the secrets the garden held.

As they walked, the path led them through various parts of the garden, from dense thickets with almost impenetrable foliage to small clearings filled with wildflowers.

Each step they took seemed to echo in the profound silence, a reminder of their intrusion into this forgotten sanctuary.

The air grew cooler, and suddenly, Rutger and Catty could hear a faint melody that seemed to beckon them forward, guiding them to their destination.

They approached the clearing and saw a calm pond in the middle. It was a still mirror, reflecting the surrounding trees. The water's edge was lined with smooth stones inscribed with runes that absorbed light. An overgrown gate stood near the pond, its ironwork entwined with ivy. The melody came from there.

Water lilies floated serenely on the surface. The clearing was tranquil, yet there was an underlying tension as if the garden was holding its breath, waiting for something—or someone—to disrupt the peace.

The light was gradually fading, and the water began to shimmer with an ethereal glow.

Catty took a deep breath, "It's hard to imagine something so beautiful being a prison."

Rutger nodded, "Sometimes, the most beautiful places hide the darkest secrets."

Catty paused at the water's edge, her hand hovering just above the surface. She hesitated, then touched the water, causing ripples to fan out across the pond. The disturbance in the water seemed out of place in the stillness, a reminder of the unseen depths below.

"Keep your wits about you," Rutger advised, his voice low. "This place may look calm, but it's full of secrets, and not all of them are benign."

As the ripples grew, the water began to glow more intensely. A dark, indistinct shape started to rise from the depths of the pond, obscured by the glowing water. The faint, haunting melody they heard earlier became louder, reverberating through the clearing, adding to the sense of foreboding.

Suddenly, all sounds stopped, and an oppressive silence fell over the clearing. The air grew colder, and a sense of dread filled the atmosphere as the water began to churn violently.

Without warning, something moved just below the surface, causing a burst of water to splash upwards. Catty and Rutger stepped back, their eyes fixed on the water. Two glowing eyes appeared just beneath the surface, their piercing gaze fixed on them.

A thick, swirling fog rose from the pond, obscuring their view and making it difficult to see what was emerging. The air around them grew heavier, making breathing difficult. Catty felt her heart pounding in her chest as they waited in anxious silence for whatever was about to emerge.