When the pile began to glow intensely, Leo hesitated, inching closer. His pulse quickened, and he felt a strange pull as if the light beckoned him. Taking a cautious step forward, Leo then froze when the soft rustling of leaves caught his attention. He strained to hear the sound again, heart thudding in his chest.

Was someone watching him? Or worse, following him?

Leo stood perfectly still, the world around him eerily quiet. His eyes darted to the shadows cast by the trees. The sun had dipped lower in the sky, casting the forest in golden light and making the darkening corners seem more sinister.

Could it be one of the King's sentries? he thought, instinctively crouching low. Where am I?

The rustling sound didn't return. The forest seemed to hold its breath. He waited for another moment, muscles tense, before breathing a sigh of relief. There was nothing—only the strange glow from the pile ahead. But the sensation of being watched remained, prickling the back of his neck.

"I should definitely run," he muttered, his voice low, his dimple twitching as nervous energy surged through him. Yet, despite his words, something urged him forward. His curiosity was far stronger than his sense of self-preservation.

The light was still glowing and shimmering brighter now as though calling out to him. He inhaled deeply and inched closer, driven by a need he didn't fully understand.

The glow brightened, flickered, and then dimmed before returning, pulsing like a heartbeat. Leo's curiosity heightened. "Foolish as a ship setting sail without a compass, Stronghart," he murmured to himself. Yet he could not resist the urge to see what lay before him.

He edged closer, squinting as the light took shape. It was an egg, no bigger than a melon, covered in gold and royal blue specks. It sparkled under the dimming light of the late afternoon like a rare jewel unearthed from the depths of a forgotten world.

"What in the seven realms is this?" Leo whispered, scratching his head, unsure of what he had stumbled upon.

The egg rolled slightly, startling Leo. He stepped back, but then it rolled again, faster this time, as if trying to escape. Leo blinked in surprise, watching the egg zigzag and dart across the forest floor. It was unlike anything he had ever seen, and his heart pounded with the thrill of discovery. What sort of creature lay inside such an egg? Was this some kind of magical beast? Or worse, a trick?

The egg rolled in one final frantic motion before stopping abruptly. A soft crack echoed through the still air, and Leo's breath paused. The glow surrounding the egg flared one last time before the surface split, and the light inside exploded outward, forcing Leo to shield his eyes.

"What is happening?" he muttered, blinking rapidly against the blinding brightness. Slowly, the light faded, and when Leo could finally look again, his mouth gaped in awe.

Standing before him was a creature no bigger than the palm of his hand. It was covered in soft, velvety charcoal-black fur, except for the silver scales that gleamed across its chest. Two tiny wings sprouted from its back, far too small for its body, and its large, expressive eyes glowed with a soft, lunar light. Its tail, tipped with a bulb that emitted a faint glow, twitched and flickered.

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"What are you?" Leo asked softly, leaning forward. The creature looked back at him, its eyes filled with curiosity and innocence.

The tiny creature wobbled uncertainly on its four small paws, claws scratching lightly at the dirt beneath it. It took a tentative step toward Leo but stumbled, landing on his boot with a soft squeak.

"Blorp! Blorp! Blorp!" it chirped, its tiny nose twitching as it sniffed the air around Leo.

Leo chuckled, the tension leaving his body. "Well, aren't you a fierce little thing?" He crouched down, extending his hand cautiously. "Where's your mother, little one? Is she as terribly fierce as you?"

The creature tilted its head, gazing up at him with wide, glowing eyes before wobbling and flapping its too-small wings. It let out another squeaky noise, which Leo couldn't help but laugh at.

The creature jumped, trying to take flight, but only managed to glide a few feet before tumbling headfirst into the dirt. Leo watched in amusement as its tail left a faint glowing trail in the air.

"You're quite the curious thing," he said with a grin, moving closer to scoop it up. As he bent down, the creature squealed and backed away, but its clumsy movements sent it tumbling into a large hollow in the ground.

"Whoa!" Leo gasped, leaping after it. He slid down the hollow and landed hard on his backside with a loud thud. "Ouch!" he groaned, rubbing his sore back.

He looked around, finding himself in near-complete darkness. "Little one? Where are you?" he called out, his voice echoing in the cavernous space.

No answer came. Leo pushed himself up and promptly banged his head on something solid. "Ow!" he muttered, bringing his hand to his head and feeling the warmth of blood. Wiping it away, Leo spotted a faint glow nearby.

He moved carefully toward the light, finding the small creature buried under a pile of dirt. "There you are." He gently picked it up, inspecting it for any injuries. "I think I'll call you Soot," he said, smiling down at the creature.

Soot shook vigorously, sending dirt flying in all directions. The bulb on the tip of her tail glowed brighter, casting enough light for Leo to see their surroundings.

"Good job, Soot," Leo whispered, taking stock of the cavern they had fallen into. The walls around them were a strange mixture of stone and earth, but the striations of brown and cream were unnatural, almost too smooth to be formed by nature.

And then Leo saw it—a shimmering pool of water just beyond the stones. It glowed with an ethereal light, casting ripples of blue and green across the cavern walls.

"First, an underground cavern, now an underground lake?" Leo said in awe. "This day keeps getting stranger."

He moved carefully toward the lake, every step accompanied by the feeling that the air itself was buzzing with energy. When he reached the edge of the water, Leo noticed something remarkable. Beneath the surface, thousands of glowing jewels seemed to float, shimmering like stars in the night sky.

Leo sat down, sitting Soot gently on the stone beside him. He picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water. The ripples spread out in perfect circles, growing larger as they moved toward the center of the pool.

Suddenly, the water stirred. The ripples became waves, and a bright lavender light began to glow from the center of the lake. The glow intensified, and Leo had to shield his eyes once again as the water churned and bubbled.

When the light finally dimmed, Leo opened his eyes and gasped. Rising from the water was a woman, her skin iridescent and her eyes the color of the glowing pool. Her hair, long and coal-black, floated around her in the water, and her gown—though she had just risen from the lake—was completely dry.

The woman smiled, her eyes locking onto Leo. "Well, young Leo," she said in a voice that echoed through the cavern. "You have finally made it. I am Nerina, Lady of the Lake."