An Offering to a Dragon

Crystal had just woken up from a deep sleep. She was alarmed and began to panic as her memories slowly returned. As she was being dragged in chains by the group of Spellbound Swordsmen. Her arms and legs were tied, her mouth gagged, and many spells were placed upon her shackles that left her unmoving.

She struggled to move but realized that a paralyzing and numbing sensation kept her from being able to lift a finger.

"...That's right! I was… taken! I gave myself up… to be a sacrifice!" The horror of her choice resurfaced.

Was this to be her last day?

She was beautiful and fair.

But in this cruel life, beauty without backing is death.

She thought her life would be moving to a better trajectory.

A powerful and handsome bachelor saw her beauty and wanted to marry her. This arrangement would have been advantageous to her and her family.

She was suddenly kidnapped on her way to the academy. All of her guards had died, and she had to step up to save her little sister from the evil ones who wanted to capture her.

Her captors rode a magnificent Flying Carriage that flew so fast that it left the mages and wizards of her family unable to keep up. The last thing she remembered was being forced to swallow a strange pill.

She tried to glance around and noticed that they were inside a dark, abandoned temple. Only the light of the magical flames that these five swordsmen had kept the room lit.

She was born into a privileged family and was taught many things at a young age. She even studied at the most prestigious school in the region. Still, she never knew such a grand temple would be hidden beneath the earth.

The men were very powerful. Far more powerful than what the best of their city had to offer. If her father, the mayor, had mobilized the entire army of the town, these men would have easily defeated them!

She was being chained up in the center of a giant room and bound with chains that were nailed to the floor.

Her senses were slowly returning as she could now hear the words of the men who took her.

"Let's go. This seems to be the sacrifice chamber. We have quite a task ahead. Unlike the other dragons, this one has been fully sealed. Let's break the seal and leave the temple. If that Brenin senses other humans, it might target us first! If this dragon has a human form, it will surely take delight in this woman."

"Alright… Jeez. This dragon is quite a picky one! And how dare he have fun before me!" One of the masked swordsmen cursed as they made their exit.

"Take this mission seriously! We face a dragon! A strong one! Even I am not sure how strong this dragon will be! If everything works as planned, the dragon will fall to great slumber after eating the woman."

"Are you sure this will work? What if the dragon is strong enough to resist it?"

"You've seen what she can do. An Ice Soul Maiden is a thing of legend. We've hit the jackpot, guys! Just focus on unsealing the dragon. Our task is to ensure that the dragon eats her!"

The sounds of their voices and the footsteps slowly vanished.

And then, there was darkness.

The chains bound on Crystal were heavy, and her paralyzed body still refused to move.

Without the torches the men carried, no light found its way to the temple's depths.

Seconds turned to minutes, and the eerie darkness and the endless silence were causing Crystal to suffer great pain in her heart.

She could not cry, shout, or move. Tears continually flowed, and she lost track of time.

Her quiet cries could not even make sounds. Her tears kept flowing as she accepted her fate.

After what seemed to be an eternity, a great trembling occurred.

Lights of blue and red began to flash around the entire temple.

As Crystal was bound and forced to sit and had spells that petrified her body, she could only gaze forward to see a majestic light flash from the depths of the Temple.

ROAR!

A strong, terrifying roar was heard, and Crystal was visibly trembling. The spell that petrified her could not contain the great fear and shaking her body had.

DUNNNNN….

DUNNNNN….

A ground-trembling sound was heard as a humongous figure appeared from the darkness.

It was horrifying but, at the same time, dazzling.

It was not the giant reptilian horror creature that she had imagined.

While it did stand on two legs and had two giant wings, large claws, and a long, magnificent tail, the dragon had a giant but somewhat attractive form.

It was as if he was made of beautiful gems and precious stones. Topaz, Diamond, Jasper, Carbuncle, Emerald, Sardius, Onyx, and Gold. It was like a magnificent work of art and was breathtakingly captivating.

Crystal watched the beautiful and terrifying creature approach as it stood ten meters from her.

A flashing light shot out of the dragon, and the gigantic form shrunk.

Out of the bright light, the dragon's steps turned into a man's.

There was power in his stride. His legs were the first to appear as they stepped forward from the light.

It was like bright brass legs quickly cooling down from high temperature.

The skin color was close to gold and even made him radiate brightly.

His body was muscular and lean. Like a brass statue chiseled to pristine perfection. His step moved forward, and a green flash began to surround him and formed into what appeared to be royal armor.

His fists were clenched as they reformed and showed muscular indention.

Power. Indescribable power followed. Power that seemed to surpass anything that Crystal had ever seen. Even the swordsmen who made a mockery of her father's guards couldn't compare to the great power of this man!

His face was finally revealed as the features of a young man appeared.

The dragon showed no signs of its ancient age but revealed a face barely in his twenties.

There was magic. Incredible magic, for the Perfect Morning, walked the Earth once more.

It was as if Crystal had seen the light for the very first time.

The dazzling glow and perfect features of the man were causing all of creation to praise its features.

Crystal lost all fear as he saw the man's face.

Perhaps it was the golden glow around him, perhaps it was the weight of his steps and the power that he bore, or perhaps it was simply because of attraction that Crystal could not deny in seeing the face.

The face showed no anger or rage. But it instilled intimidation.

He was handsome beyond what mortal fantasies could reach.

His eyes were dark and deep but shone with numerous specks of light. It was as if there were galaxies of stars scattered in his eyes.

His hair was long, very long, far longer than what most women wore. It cascaded down beautifully and had the initial appearance of fire but then turned to silver.

His jaw was prominent, marking his real form as a dragon.

Crystal's heart raced as he saw the man, not in fear, but in attraction. She was trained to seal and control her emotions as one who walked the Wizardry of Ice. But even her frozen heart was thawed by the appearance of this man.

He gazed towards Crystal, and his blank expression turned to a curious smile.

He extended his hands as he began to float up in the heavens.

The chains bound Crystal were suddenly thrown away as her body levitated and drew near.

"Not bad…Though I despise your kind, I will not reject such a marvelous offering."

He drew close and leaned so close that his nose barely touched her neck.

"Ice affinity... My favorite!" His lips gave a light peck and caused Crystal to shiver in great pleasure.