I hoped the dragon would charge at us, where the light was abundant, giving us the advantage. Unfortunately, it seemed more intelligent than we’d hoped. Its large eyes locked onto Red first, then shifted to me.

It must have recognized me, because it slowly retreated into the shadows.

This was going to be more difficult than anticipated. Our plan had been simple: Red would focus on immobilizing the dragon for a couple of seconds, just enough time for me to hit it with my new spell. But it was clear now that things weren’t going to go as smoothly as we’d planned.

"Do you have any spells to light up this place?" I asked.

"Yes, but they require constant focus. I won’t be able to fight if I’m maintaining it," he replied.

Just as I feared, Red was in the same predicament as me. A tactical retreat suddenly seemed like the smartest option.

"We should pull back and come up with a better plan based on what we’ve seen," Alira called from the entrance.

I immediately nodded. "You’re right. Let’s go; I’ve got a bad feeling about this."

"Agreed," Red added, clearly relieved.

I began to backtrack cautiously, but before I could take more than a few steps, a light flickered in the darkness. Confusion gripped me for a moment before I leaped aside, narrowly avoiding a blast of dragon fire.

To my surprise, the fire wasn’t aimed at us but at the ceiling above. The dim light made it difficult to judge distances and angles, and at first, I thought the dragon might be struggling with its aim. But when the second breath struck the ceiling again, the horrible realization hit me—it was trying to bring the cave down on us.

"Alira, run! Get out now!" I shouted, turning toward her. But a third blast hit, and the ceiling started to collapse.

The exit was too far for Alira to reach, so she sprinted toward us instead, dodging the falling debris. The dragon unleashed more flames until the entrance was nearly sealed off. Dust filled the air, and both Alira and Red were coughing uncontrollably, forcing them to retreat further into the cave.

Thankfully, my Mana Shield was proving its worth once again, keeping the dust from entering my lungs. But the situation had gone from bad to worse. We were trapped, and the dragon had proven to be smarter than us—for now at least.

As I followed my companions further into the cave, the entrance had all but vanished, leaving only a faint glimmer of light where it once was. When I turned toward the heart of the cave, nothing but darkness stretched out before me.

Alira, with her enhanced vision, might have been able to make out something in the gloom, but I had no such advantage. I quickly cast my Night Vision spell.

The moment it activated, the dragon came into focus, still some distance ahead of us. Ironically, it was now more visible in the dark than before. Its scales had an unusual pattern—the outer edges glowed a vivid orange, while the centers were pitch black, creating a striking, checkered effect.

The time for defense was over. If the dragon targeted Alira, she wouldn’t stand much of a chance. The least I could do was divert its attention toward me—and judging by the look it gave, that wouldn’t be too difficult.

"I'm going for it!" I yelled, breaking into a light jog to keep my vision spell steady. Once I was sure it held, I picked up the pace into a full sprint. I angled my path slightly to the side, hoping to be out of the direct line when the inevitable blast of fire came.

The plan was working. The dragon’s gaze shifted toward me as I moved sideways, and suddenly a blinding light flared from its head, making me stumble. That stumble turned out to be a stroke of luck, as I fell out of the path of the incoming fire blast just in time.

I scrambled to my feet, quickly activating my Slow Time spell in anticipation of its next attack. But to my surprise, the dragon didn’t strike at me. Instead, it turned toward Alira. My heart raced, but just as it moved, Red unleashed a barrage of spells, pulling its attention away.

Red’s magic seemed to be mostly variations of fire spells—likely chosen for their secondary effect of lighting up the cave. The most interesting of his attacks resembled a fiery version of Arcane Missile. However, each spell fizzled out uselessly as they struck the dragon’s magic-resistant scales.

While the dragon hesitated with me, it had no such reservations when it came to Red. With a ferocious roar, it leaped toward him. Red dashed aside, narrowly avoiding its massive claws. His quick movements looked almost like Alira’s signature dash—perhaps he had access to skills from other classes, something I hadn’t considered until now.

But there was no time to dwell on that. The dragon was preparing to pounce again, and I had to act. I was close enough now, so I quickly cast my Quicksand spell, aiming to trap its legs and buy us more time.

The ground beneath the dragon softened, but it thrashed its tail, struggling to break free. Unfortunately, the soft earth didn’t hold for long, and the dragon began pulling itself out almost immediately. Still, the spell gave Red a precious few moments to fire off more spells, and it allowed Alira to gain some much-needed distance.

Then, the dragon unleashed another fire breath, and my vision was once again overwhelmed by the intense light. The sudden loss of concentration made my Quicksand spell falter, but at least the blinding flare only lasted a moment this time.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

With the dragon dodging me and focusing on the others, I realized I needed a new strategy. The cave entrance was almost completely blocked, and with fire spells being the go-to choice for everyone, an idea started to take shape. The only potential flaw in my plan was the possibility that this dragon might not be real—just another illusion crafted by the goddess.

I shouted to Red, "Use the spells that create the most fire! Keep at it until I say so!"

Fortunately, he didn’t question me. Red began conjuring massive, fiery simulacrums of different creatures. Though they crumbled as soon as they made contact with the dragon’s hide and were quickly dispelled, they were exactly what I needed. The increased light from the constant fire show also had the added benefit of disorienting the dragon. The rapid summoning and extinguishing of flames created a chaotic atmosphere, like a makeshift strobe light.

I remembered Red mentioning that pouring too much energy into a spell could cause it to explode, so I decided to do just that. I took the only fire spell I had—previously only good for lighting campfires—and channeled every ounce of power I had into it. I aimed it directly at the dragon, and to my surprise, a massive plume of fire erupted from my hands. The explosion was bigger than I anticipated, and it shot upward, filling the cavern with scorching heat.

The fire engulfed the dragon, swirling around it and expanding upward to the ceiling, spreading across the cave until it reached the far edges.

The dragon emerged from the flames unscathed, but it was clearly agitated. It began hurling fireballs in every direction, seemingly at random. Its reckless attacks confirmed that my plan was working—at least, Plan B was. As for Plan A, we just needed a little more time for it to take effect.

The spells flew from both sides, and luckily for us, the dragon’s fire breath wasn’t as accurate as it could’ve been. I just hoped Alira had the agility to dodge the flames.

After several minutes of fiery chaos and some close calls with its claws, I finally noticed something—a subtle shift that made me want to leap for joy. The dragon attempted a dash but stumbled slightly. Though it recovered quickly, its agility had diminished. Its once graceful movements had become clumsy, slower, and far less precise.

Before long, its pace turned sluggish. No longer was it the lightning-fast predator that had threatened to rip us apart. Its head even swayed side to side, almost as if it was trying to shake off the confusion. But that wasn’t going to happen. The dragon was finally feeling the effects of the dwindling oxygen, and with every motion, it hastened its own downfall.

The challenge now was controlling the situation before we fell victim to the same fate. I shouted to Red, "Stop all fire spells and focus on immobilizing the dragon!" I could only hope there was still enough oxygen left for us to survive long enough to finish the job.

With the fire spells fading, I activated my Night Vision spell and scanned the scene. Vines were snaking up from the ground, summoned by Red. The dragon, now too slow to evade, was still lucky enough for most to miss its target. I suspected Red was casting blindly in the dark, unable to see well without his fire spells to light the way.

The dragon thrashed wildly, tearing through the vines with its claws and searing them with its breath. The fire didn’t harm its own scales, immune to the destructive force it wielded. My Quicksand spell, however, hit its mark with precision, and the dragon’s movements began to slow as it sank deeper into the ground.

Without the full use of its legs, the vines started to gain ground, wrapping tighter and holding longer. Its movements were becoming more restricted, leaving only its tail thrashing uncontrollably.

I moved in closer, testing the waters by casting a lightning bolt. It struck the dragon squarely; there was no attempt to dodge it anymore. Seeing its vulnerability, I closed the distance, bracing myself for what I knew had to come next.

With my hand extended toward the beast, I whispered the words, "Chaos Bolt." The spell materialized in my palm, a slow-moving, swirling mass of chaotic energy. As it launched toward the dragon, it reacted with a desperate push, trying to straighten its posture and avoid the inevitable.

It didn’t manage to dodge entirely, but it shifted just enough that the Chaos Bolt struck its leg rather than its chest. The impact was still devastating. The leg began to warp, distorting as if made of fragile glass. Cracks spread along its scales before the leg lost all form and cohesion, crumbling under the dragon's weight. It collapsed to the ground once more, helpless.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, and for a moment, I couldn’t tell if it was the side effects of the Chaos Bolt or if the lack of oxygen in the cave was starting to get to me. But I couldn’t afford to wait. Time was running out for both the dragon and us.

I summoned another Chaos Bolt, this time aiming for its head. The dragon, utterly spent, couldn’t even muster the strength to try to dodge. The bolt connected, and just like before, the point of impact distorted, collapsing inward. Its skull imploded with the same fragile glass-like destruction.

Even with the pitch black we were in, a message appeared in my field of vision.

Quest Notification: Find the location of the Forge of the Gods.

You have defeated the immortal dragon.

Reward: You have gained the lost shard of the dead goddess Aurora.

Deliver the shard to the Forge of the Gods.

Hint: The forge lies beneath the dragon's lair.

A translucent, crystal-like shard materialized in my hand. I stared at it, half-expecting some immediate reaction—a surge of power, a vision, anything—but nothing happened. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved or disappointed.

Well something happened. That familiar wave of nausea rolled over me again, the same one I’d felt before. But this time, at least, there was no violent episode of coughing up blood. I took that as a small victory.

Either way, I had the shard. Now it was just a matter of finding the forge hidden somewhere beneath this cursed lair.

“Is the dragon dead?” Alira called from a distance.

“Yes,” I replied.

I could hear her footsteps approaching, followed by another set.

“You okay, Red?” I asked.

“In surprisingly good shape. How did you manage to subdue it? It looked sick at the end,” he said.

“Remember when I mentioned those basic elements that make up the world? Well, one of the hundred or so is called oxygen. Air is about 21% oxygen, and we need it to breathe,” I explained, feeling odd as I talked into the darkness without seeing their faces.

“Fire consumes oxygen as fuel. So, by using up enough of it, we essentially starved the dragon of air. That’s why it weakened.”

“Wait, don’t we need oxygen too?” Alira asked, and I could tell the alarm in her voice.

“Oh, absolutely,” I answered. “That’s why I told Red to stop the fire spells once the dragon went down. But we’re smaller than it was, so we should have at least an hour of breathable air left… hopefully. It’s not an exact science, though. We’ll need to clear the entrance fast.”

“Which way to the entrance?” Alira asked.

I glanced around, expecting to see the faint sliver of light, but it seemed the fight had completely collapsed the way out.

Activating my Night Vision, my pulse quickened as I scanned the cave. Everything was bathed in hues of red and orange from the lingering heat of battle. There was nothing to indicate an exit.

“This isn’t good,” I said, my voice rising slightly. “Even with my spell, I can't see anything that would help us find the way out.”