“A dragon?”

I blinked.

Had this been my original life, I would have presumed this man had lost his mind from being caged up too long.

Dragons did not exist. They existed. Past tense. Their skeletal bodies were found across the continent; many were used as decorative pieces in royal palaces. However, breathing dragons did not exist.

DRUHH DRUHH DRUHHHHHHH

Another rumble shook the space. I gazed into the dark opening at the end of the hallway.

“Yes, a dragon! Please get me out of here!” The man cried out.

In my original life, the shaking could have been summed up as a naturally occurring phenomenon in the Town of Askot. It was merely another earthquake.

However, this wasn’t my original life. And on this timeline, I had a cake-loving phoenix napping upstairs in the library that could burn a body to ash if she so pleased. If phoenixes could exist, it was far from preposterous to think that dragons, a once-extinct species, could also still exist.

I walked cautiously towards the opening.

“Young man! Why are you going there!”

I ignored the man’s cries and continued forward.

If it was dangerous, what stopped the dragon from coming into this hall and scorching everyone and everything in it?

As far as my eyes could tell, the gray stone floors and walls of the large hallways didn’t have an inkling of having been torched. I doubted my grandmother would have allowed a dragon to roam freely through the hallways. And if she did, it couldn't have been that dangerous.

I arrived at the end of the hallway and gazed at the enormous cave before me, which must have been at least four stories in height. Glowing crystals and naturally occurring light stones protruded from the walls and ceiling, giving the giant cave a blue, green, and yellow tint.

It looked natural, except for the carefully carved steps leading down to the bottom, which was empty except for an enormous chair that faced the three sides of the never-ending caves. My steps echoed as I walked down. The only other sounds were water dripping from the ceiling and a rustling somewhere in the depths of the caves.

While there was plenty of light, there were numerous large columns of natural stone connecting the ceiling and ground beyond the center square. These columns extended far into the distance, so I could not gauge the underground cave's actual size.

A loud inhale sounded somewhere beyond, among the enormous columns. It was as if a giant had inhaled.

I licked my lips. My knees felt stiff as I continued my descent.

Is that the dragon?

A loud rustle sounded, and more rumbling overtook the area.

I saw what I initially thought to be a rock, move between the columns. No, it slithered across the floor.

“HAAAAAAA…” A deep voice sounded in the darkness. “I recognize… that scent.”

I felt the hairs on my arms and neck stand up.

Recognize? What does it mean?

DRUHH DRUHH

A pounding movement sounded, and the creature made its entrance. Large extended claws appeared, attached to scaled paws as thick as ten oaks of the cursed Humton Forest.

My feet continued taking me down the steps while my eyes trailed up toward the rest of the creature that appeared from beyond the columns.

Two huge glowing red eyes with black vertical pupils stared down at me.

I completed my descent and sat down on the enormous chair in the middle of the otherwise empty space. I had thought it was an odd bit of furniture, but I was immensely grateful for its existence.

My legs felt weak, not just because of the strenuous hike down but also due to a strange sort of terror that seemed to have seized them.

The dragon’s dark lips curled up and revealed a set of enormous white teeth.

“You… have phoenix eyes.”

The dragon moved towards me faster than I expected for a creature of its size.

Its red glowing eyes and sharp jaws towered over me. I felt like an ant before a giant.

I felt my back push back against the back of the chair reflexively, but the dragon stopped just beyond where the columns began. Nor did it emit a flame and torch me as I might have expected.

Its lips curled up, and a roaring laughter escaped its mouth.

“HAR HAR HAR!!”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The cave shook, and my fingers dug into the chair’s arms.

“You have phoenix eyes…. But this is our first time meeting, is it not?” The dragon asked.

I nodded my head.

“How fortunate… and yet most unfortunate,” the dragon said. “What is your name, human?”

“Luca Frey,” I replied.

“Hmmm… Frey…” The dragon’s lips moved down, covering its teeth. “You have that scent as well… but the other one is stronger and more curious….”

The dragon took in another deep inhale.

“HAAAA… Yes,” the dragon sighed, and its lips curled back up. “That scent. I remember it. You must be Yelena’s kid.”

I felt the hairs on my arms stand up again.

“H-how do you know my mother?” I asked.

“Ah, your mother came down quite frequently,” the dragon said. “She was an intriguing character. I was rather… fond of her visits and our talks.”

“And who are you, exactly?” I asked

Few knew of my birth mother. And it was rather shocking to learn that a dragon, of all creatures, knew her.

“My name is Azgralos,” the dragon said. “This might come as a surprise, but I am a dragon.”

Azgralos’ lips curled up, and he laughed to himself.

“I could obviously tell you were a dragon,” I said.

My Intelligence stat wasn’t that poor.

Azgralos’ red eyes rolled.

“There are so few dragons in existence; there will likely come a time when someone doesn't know what I am.”

“There are other dragons?” I asked.

Just where were all these dragons hidden?

I took in the vast size of Azgralos. His scales alone were each about the length of a fully grown man. I couldn’t even see the entirety of his body.

Were they in underground caves like Azgralos?

The blue, yellow, and green lights from the crystals and light stones growing in the cave reflected against his dark scale. The light managed to blend his enormous body into his surroundings. When I had first entered the cave, Azgralos blended in so well that I had thought his tail was just a rock formation.

Azgralos appeared amused by my question, with his lips curling up to reveal his enormous teeth.

“I wouldn’t know,” he replied. “I’ve been stuck down here for over four millennia now.”

My eyes narrowed at this.

Leona, a phoenix, was the first of her kind in over two thousand years. However, this dragon has been down here for four millennia? That was longer than even dragons have been considered extinct.

“Why?” I asked. “Why have you been down here for so long?”

Azgralos continued to appear amused by my questions. I didn’t specialize in reading the faces of creatures beyond humans, but based on his features, what I was asking was somehow entertaining for him.

“HAAAAAA…” He let out a long sigh and rested his giant head in one of his paws, propped up by his elbow. “Where to begin? I suppose I can start by saying that fortunately, or perhaps, unfortunately, I was not awake for the entirety of the time that has passed.”

“You were sleeping?” I asked.

“You could say that.” His red eyes twinkled. “It wasn’t until a couple of centuries ago that the Arankagul family had awakened me from my long slumber.”

“My grandmother’s family? Why did they awaken you?” I asked.

“You really don’t know anything about me?” Azgralos smiled.

I realized that through this conversation, it was made apparent to him that I knew not what the actual situation of his being down here was. I had about as much knowledge about him as I did regarding the caged people in the hallway behind me.

I blinked.

Perhaps..? No. It can’t be.

“What do you eat?” I asked.

Even if this dragon swallowed every caged human behind me, it couldn’t have been enough to sustain its enormous size.

“I could eat you,” Azgralos’ smile widened. “You certainly smell tasty.”

I frowned.

Was it teasing me? I couldn't tell.

“I’m too small. I wouldn't even make for a good snack,” I replied.

Azgralos roared with laughter, causing another rumble through the cave.

“HAR HAR HAR!” His red eyes gazed down at me. “Don’t think so little of yourself, Luca. You would make for a very delicious meal.”

“Why do you stay down here?” I asked. “Why not go out?”

I changed the topic away from me and back to the question that had bothered me for a while.

“Why would I leave?” Azgralos circled the rocky floor in front of him with one of his claws. “What is there for me to see or do above? As you can tell, there isn’t all that much of my kind remaining.”

“But you’ve been down here for so long,” I stated. “You don’t even know what the world above looks like.”

I didn’t understand why a dragon, a creature meant for the skies, would be content with staying cooped up underground.

Azgralos’ red eyes twinkled.

“Are you saying it is that much more beautiful above? From what I hear, the world is polluted and growing darker evermore. Tell me, Luca, what is above ground that I should see?”

I rubbed my palms together.

The world was less beautiful than it had been thousands of years ago when dragons roamed the skies. And I was a poor guide, not having seen much of it myself. I had stayed cooped up within the capital practically all of my life.

“Then are you going to continue to stay down here?” I asked.

Azgralos rolled his large red eyes. “I don’t see why not. I’m quite content as is down here.”

I gazed around the caves surrounding my chair from three sides. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make out where the end was.

“How far does the cave extend out?” I asked. A yawn fell out right after. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up to me.

Azgralos lifted his head.

“Do you care for a tour?” He asked. “I haven't given one in quite a long time.”

I needed a way out anyhow, and perhaps a route existed through one of the caves? There certainly wasn’t any way to get out by going back unless I had a key or obtained help from one of the villa’s servants.

But I don’t want to call for help and end my exploratory adventure quite yet.

I propped myself out of my seat.

“Sure, why n—”

A red glow from my right hand made me pause.

Ah. Someone had finally discovered that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.

Unfortunately, this likely meant only one thing.

I tapped the red mana stone on the ring and brought it toward myself. It was a communication ring that Ben had provided me with earlier.

“Young master Luca, where are you?” Ben’s voice sounded on the other end. His voice vibrated from the stone and sounded as close as if he were near me; however, I was the only one who could hear him.

I glanced at Azgralos.

“I’m down below the library,” I replied honestly. “I found the hidden door to go down. But I’m stuck down here. One of the doors locked behind me.”

The jig was up, and there was no point in lying, especially if I needed to come up urgently.

“...” Ben was silent for a moment on the other end. “Very well, I will come down and bring you out. Where are you exactly?”

“I’m below in the caves with Azgralos, the dragon,” I replied.

Again, there was no point in lying.

“Young master, where are you in the caves? You haven't stepped past the protective circle, have you?” Ben’s voice gained a slight edge.

I looked around and noticed a faint red etching around the perimeter, separating the area I was in from where the rock columns began. I had to squint. It was so old and faded that I had trouble making it out, even after being told of its existence.

“No,” I replied and sat back in the chair in the cave's center. “I’m sitting in the chair.”

“Good,” Ben replied. His voice sounded rushed like he was moving very quickly. “Whatever you do, do not cross the protective circle. Do not go near the dragon.”

I looked up towards Azgralos. His red eyes twinkled.

“HAAAAA… What a shame,” Azgralos sighed. “I was rather looking forward… to giving you a tour.”

I felt a shiver run up my spine, making every strand of hair stand up.

What would have happened if I had crossed the protective circle? What would the dragon have done?