*Drip... drip...*
The sound of a water droplet dripping was softly heard across the dark, gloomy place. It was both calm and gentle, making the impression of the place being a dank, and humid one.
As soon as a droplet touches the ground, another droplet followed. After that droplet touches the ground, another one follows shortly after, thus creating an infinite loop of droplets dripping and falling to the ground.
It was as if it was neverending.
"Kri~! Kri~!"
Something made a critter-like sound across the dark place. Unlike the droplet from earlier, the critter-like sound was much louder.
It was so loud that it created an echo across the dark and gloomy place.
"Kri~! Kri~!"
The critter-like creature's voice rang once again across the place. The critter was like an energetic creature, creating noise whenever it wants to.
*Flap flap!*
Another mysterious sound was heard once again across the dark place. This time, it was a sound of someone flying, with its wings being flapped hard.
The flapping sound was continuously heard by all of the creatures across the dark place. The creature, who is responsible for the noise, did not mind the gazes of the other creatures looking at it but instead, it focused on one direction: The place where the light gathers.
Indeed. Across the seemingly abyss-like place was a place where light passes through the rocks above, bringing shine to everything in its vicinity.
Everything, from the white rocks to critters playing with each other, can be seen within that shining light of hope.
To normal creatures who see the light, as usual, do not mind such things.
However.
It was different from the critters and creatures living in the dark.
The light to them was both unknown and a symbol of hope to them, being feared yet, contested by the creatures that live in the dark.
"Kri~! Kri~!"
The critter from earlier once again made a loud sound. It was playing with the other critters as they run to the light of hope.
While they were running to the light, an unknown flying creature immediately picks them up with its claws as the flying creature lends the critters a hand to help them go towards the light faster.
The critters, in turn, made a squeaking sound as they talk to each other with their foreign language. They were energetic, constantly letting out squeaks that are heard by every creature across this dark place.
As they go near the light, their bodies can be seen, with the creatures having a rat, yet have a snake-like tail appearance and the flying creature having a body similar to a dragon, yet smaller and weaker than the dragons themselves.
To simplify, they the critters were a group of rats with snake-like tails and the flying creature is a small dragon itself.
Together, the group of critters and the dragon fly off to the light as they look for a spot to sit on. They were like a group of friends together, with the dragon just listening to its critter friends while the critters themselves discuss something.
"Kri!"
A critter made a squeak. After squeaking, it raises its claw as it tries to do something.
It was pointing its small claw to someplace inside the light's radius. It was pointing to where they will sit at.
The dragon, who have heard and seen the critter, immediately flaps his wings harder as it flies faster to the spot the critter pointed earlier on.
After flapping its wings harder, it finally reaches the spot where the critter from earlier pointed at. There, it gently drops the group of critters from its claws as it lies down on the soft, warm ground to feel the warmth of the light of hope.
*Thump.*
The dragon's body made a thumping sound as soon as it touches the ground. Although it was heard by the other creatures near the dragon, they did not mind as they also lie down to the warm ground while feeling the sunlight's heat.
For a while, they just stayed there, lying on the ground as they feel the heat of the light. They weren't feeling uncomfortable but rather, they were pleased by the fact that the light is warm enough to heat their cold bodies.
The light for them was a symbol of everything.
"Ruuu...."
The dragon, who was staring at the critters playing to one another, made a soft rumble as it stretches its body. It was feeling uncomfortable from its position and thus, it stretches its body to find the perfect spot.
However.
*Gruuuunggg.....*
Just as the dragon stretches its body, the ground below it moved, causing every creature to be alarmed. They were looking at the dragon with such gazes.
Indeed. They were angry because of the fact that the dragon disturbs their peaceful state.
The dragon, in turn, tilts its head in wonder as it did not know why the ground below him moved. Also, under the gazes of the creatures before it, the dragon could only lie down its head in apology.
"Ruuu—"
Just as the dragon makes a rumbling sound, another sound interferes with the dragon.
*GRUUUUNG....*
The ground made another sound. This time, it was louder than before, causing the creatures to gaze at the ground.
*GRUUUNG!*
The ground before them made an alarming sound. It was so loud that the creatures around the ground below the dragon move away from it as soon as possible. They were scared at the ground.
The dragon, who was below the ground, was also alarmed after hearing the sound. It stretches its wings as it flies above the ground in order to both escapes and sees the ground below it.
"Kri! Kri!"
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The critter below the dragon cried out as it tries to get the attention of the dragon. The critter was indirectly telling the dragon to help it out.
"Ruuu..."
The dragon, who notices the critter's cry, quickly flaps its wings as it dives to the air to pick up the small critter in need of help.
*GRRUU!*
The ground below the critter immediately splits into half, causing the critter to fall down from the ground.
"Krriiiii!"
The critter cried out as it falls down from the ground.
"RUU!"
The dragon, who sees the critter falls down to the bottom pit, quickly dives down as it tries to catch the falling critter. Its face was filled with unease expression, both feeling regret and yearn to save the falling critter.
However.
It was too late.
The critter already fell down from the bottom. The dragon, instead of catching the critter, caught the air instead. It was slower than the critter's falling speed.
The dragon sighs as its eyes close down while flapping its wings in order to stay afloat. Indeed, there was no way the dragon could catch up with the critter.
It was an unavoidable scenario.
"Kri!"
The critter made a sound, even when it was at the bottom. It was alive.
"Ru..?"
The dragon, who thought that the critter was dead, immediately looks down as it looks for the critter's body. It was determined to save the critter no matter what.
With the help of the light, the dragon immediately founds the critter on the top of a silver ground. The critter was patting its poor belly as it faced the silver ground with its belly first instead of its back.
Quickly, the dragon lands on the silver ground as it looks at the critter with unease in its eyes. It could not tell whether the critter was an illusion or not.
Indeed. The dragon was still doubting the fact that the critter is alive after that fall. It was unsure whether this critter before it is real or not.
"Kri. Kri." The critter squeaks to the dragon as it points the silver, rough ground. It was telling the dragon about how it fell.
The dragon, who was listening to the critter calmly, softly laughs as it continues to listen to the critter's squeak. It was amused by the critter's squeaks.
Although they were of a different race, the dragon could understand the creature due to the fact that they lived in this dark, gloomy place together. Therefore, they understood each other after a long time.
As it listens to the critter, the dragon touches the silver surface with its claws. It was testing how rough the silver surface is.
*Kringg......*
The dragon's claws scratch the silver surface, thus creating a sound of something cringing.
After scratching the surface, the dragon stops and looks at the part where it scratches the surface with its claws. There was no mark of something scratching to the surface but instead, nothing happened to it.
It was as if the surface was indestructible.
The dragon, who found the surface as a point of interest, immediately thinks of a plan to bring the silver up above before playing with it. It was genuinely interested in long the silver can last before having a scratch on its surface.
While thinking, it subconsciously looks at the rock of walls around it. Immediately, the dragon flaps its wings once again as it digs the entire wall.
It was thinking about digging the entire wall to expand the crack between the two walls.
As it was focused on digging up the entire wall, the critter looks at the dragon before wondering what's the dragon's plan is. It was interested in the dragon's weird activity.
The dragon, meanwhile, picks up the rocks that he dug before flying above. After flying above the surface, it immediately throws the rock that he dug up to some random place. After throwing the rocks, the dragon once again returns below to dig up rocks.
It was repeated over and over again. The dragon, once interested in something, will never stop until it reaches its goal.
As time passes across this dark place, the creatures who were initially interested at the dragon began losing interest as they return to their usual activities. Although the dragon's sudden activity was strange to them, they did not mind as they were already used to it.
After a couple of hours, the dragon finally artificially extended the gap between each wall. It was so large that it amazed the critter sitting leisurely on the silver surface.
However, instead of picking up the silver surface above the ground, the dragon instead loses its powers as it dives down on the silver surface.
The dragon was tired after working for a couple of hours. It was so tired that it can't move its wings anymore.
"Haa..."
The dragon sighs loudly as it tries to inhale a huge amount of air. It was so dead tired that it felt like he wants to call this for a day before sleeping.
*Cruungg....*
The silver surface moved. The dragon, who was on the top of the surface, did not mind as it was too tired to flap its wings nor do anything outside of sighing.
*Cruuuuuunggg...*
The silver surface once again made a sound as it moves. This time, it was longer than before.
As it moves to the left side, the silver surface slowly reveals something underneath it.
It was a golden hexagon with two of its lines longer than the other four lines.
To simplify, it was a coffin.
The dragon, who felt irritated as the silver surface slowly moves away from its original position, flaps out its wings as it tries to fly above the surface.
Quickly, it picks up the small critter near it as it flies above the surface. The critter, who also felt irritated from the moving surface, let itself be picked up by the dragon as they fly above the surface.
Although it was very tiring for the dragon, it was able to flap its wings without any worries.
As it flaps in the air, the dragon looks down on the coffin, looking at it as if it was an unknown entity.
Indeed, no one finds a coffin in some dark place like this.
Coffins should be placed in a graveyard instead of this dark place.
After looking at the coffin, the dragon looks at the critter before diving down as it lands itself on the coffin. It was dead tired that the dragon could no longer flap its wings.
As the dragon lands on the coffin, the coffin suddenly moves, causing the dragon to fall down along with the surface of the coffin.
Although it was annoyed at the moving surface, the dragon could not do anything as it was dead tired to move.
The critter, who was also annoyed, couldn't do anything as it was weak than every creature in this dark place.
Therefore, they can only mutter angrily as they gaze at the coffin.
*Thumps!*
The coffin's surface finally fell on the ground, causing the dust near the coffin to scatter like a wave. Indeed, the coffin was so heavy that it made the clouds of dust move around.
The dragon, who was dead tired from the beginning, accepted its fate as it drops down on the ground while inhaling the dust. As for the critter...
"Kri! Kri! Kri!" The critter squeaks loudly as it looks on the contents in the coffin. It was both alarmed and shocked.
Indeed, the small critter was so shocked that it returned to where the dragon is and explained everything to the dragon what the critter saw earlier.
The dragon, who was listening to the critter's squeaks, furrows its nonexistent brows as it doubts the critter's words.
"Ruuu." The dragon suddenly spoke while the critter was explaining something. The critter, who heard the dragon's rumble, stops as it tilts its head towards the dragon.
The dragon, in turn, works out its tired body as it weakly climbs on the coffin's surface to see what's inside the coffin. Although it was slow and painful, the dragon manages to reach the top of the coffin.
As it looks at the contents in the coffin, the dragon's mood immediately changes from doubt to shock to alarmed. Its mood was changing so fast that it couldn't tell whether it should laugh or cry.
Indeed, like usual coffins, the contents inside those coffins are bodies of a dead person.
However...
The person inside the coffin was not a dead person but instead, an alive one. It was a man with features similar to a young master of some rich family.
As the dragon looks at the man, it immediately uses its sense to tell whether the man is alive or not.
After a couple of seconds, the dragon finally nods silently as it sees the result.
The man is alive.
The man was breathing that the dragon can see the man's fair white chest expanding before returning back to its former size.
Although the man's chest was exposed to the world, the man was wearing rag-like clothes similar to a beggar.
"Kri." The critter squeaks to the dragon before it, telling that the critter was right all along.
The dragon, who personally sees the man in the coffin, slowly lies its head down as it asks for apologies for doubting the critter's words.
After apologizing to the critter, the dragon immediately pokes the man's head with its claws.
However.
There was no response.
The dragon once again pokes the head of the man after seeing that it did not wake the man at all. This time, it poked the man harder than the first one.
"Wha..." The man suddenly spoke, causing the dragons to immediately retract his claws in fear of angering the man.
Suddenly, the man opens his eyes, revealing a pair of brown eyes. He was not angry nor having a hatred for the dragon but rather, he was shocked.
It was as if he was shocked by something.
Immediately, the man rose up from his coffin, revealing his long, dark hair. It was so long that his hair was longer than his total height.
*Clak!*
Multiple bones crack within the man's body as he stands up from the ground. It was like a group of cherries being popped together.
As the man finally stands up from his coffin, he looks at the dragon and the critter with a pained expression in his eyes. He wasn't hurt physically but rather, he was pained at the fact that he can't recall anything at all.
Yes, the man, who just woken up from the coffin, couldn't recall anything from his memory. It was as if his memory was wiped out.
"Tell me..." The man said to the dragon with a pained expression in his eyes. He was deeply regretful for not knowing his own name.
"Who... am I?" The man continued, both asking the dragon and himself.