Chapter 2

The moon ascended, threading its light through the cave's mouth to unveil a figure curled within its depths. Abruptly, the shadow stirred, a testament to life amidst the stillness.

Chilled to the bone, Evelyn shivered under the cave's icy embrace. Her vision, clouded by the encompassing darkness, gradually adapted. Her cloak, a victim of the harsh elements, had its runes of protection and warmth obliterated, rendering her fingers painfully numb in the night's embrace.

With effort, she rose, coaxing life back into her stiff limbs. The cave, she observed, was no mere shelter but a vast, natural chamber, rivaling the size of her own royal quarters. A monolithic wall, bathed partially in moonlight some twenty meters away, seemed to delineate the cave's boundary, its top lost to the shadows above.

The absence of any human touch in this secluded expanse hinted at a space hewn by nature or whim rather than purpose.

Evelyn's attempts to stave off the cold proved futile. Examining her bruises and the state of her attire, she noted the resilience of her dress despite the cloak's wear. The realization that her magical safeguards had been compromised, likely during her ordeal, underscored the gravity of her predicament. She pondered the bandits' harsh treatment, given their intent to capture her alive.

Venturing closer to the cave's entrance, a peculiar sight caught her eye. The wall, unlike the rest of the cave's interior, bore a darkness that seemed to swallow the light. Intrigued by sections of the surface that mirrored the moon's glow with a polished sheen, Evelyn reached out, her touch dislodging dust to reveal more of the mysterious, black glaze beneath.

Was this some mineral? Or perhaps a gemstone?

Before she could dwell further, the wall moved. It wasn't an illusion. The entire structure rolled towards her, shedding its dusty veneer in the process.

Retreating in haste, Evelyn felt the cave darken ominously, a predatory air enveloping her. As her gaze fell upon the shadows at her feet, an instinctual urge forced her eyes upward—

There, towering above, was a form darker than the abyss itself, its jagged silhouette and slit eyes oozing impatience and menace. The moonlight, casting its pale glow upon the creature's bared teeth, only accentuated its fearsomeness.

Its sheer size was overwhelming, compelling Evelyn to tilt her head back just to meet its gaze, even as it remained prone.

A dragon. What she had mistaken for a wall was, in truth, the dragon's spine.

Fear rooted Evelyn to the spot, her legs giving way beneath her.

The dragon's utterances, foreign and vibrating with power, filled the air, its tail beating the ground in a display of impatience that sent pebbles skittering towards her.

Frozen, Evelyn could only watch, her heart thundering in her chest, as the creature before her dismantled any illusion of safety.

The dragon repeated its message in Common Tongue, albeit with a pronunciation so peculiar and humorous it would have been laughable had anyone else spoken in such a manner. Yet, Evelyn found no humor in the situation, especially when the dragon's words were a stark warning: "Touch me again, and I'll eat you."

Evelyn clenched her thighs to prevent herself from screaming out loud. The dragon seemed to dismiss her with a warning before laying back down to resume its sleep. However, disturbed from its rest, the dragon shifted, causing its tail to sweep through the air, coming dangerously close to Evelyn, barely missing her by less than a foot and stirring up a cloud of dust in the moonlight.

The slight vibration at her toes made Evelyn's legs even weaker. She dared not breathe too loudly, pinching her thigh hard enough to bruise.

As the dragon adjusted its position to face her, a scar above its left eyebrow, nearly reaching its eye, became more visible and somehow even more intimidating under the moonlight.

Trembling uncontrollably, Evelyn remained frozen in place until the dragon showed no further interest in moving. She then began to inch backward as quietly and carefully as possible, realizing why the bandits hadn't bothered searching her thoroughly. Against such a formidable creature, escape seemed impossible regardless of what she had on her.

Fourteen years ago, it was a tradition in Bloomland that only princesses who had been captured were deemed worthy. The more powerful the creature that captured the princess, the more esteemed the princess was considered. This practice was meant to showcase the princesses, turning their "abductions" into a bizarre form of competition among nations.

One day a princess would be "taken" by a "demon" for her exquisite piano playing, the next a princess would be "stolen" by a "dragon" for her beautiful dancing, and so on. These "demons," "dragons," and "elves" were, without a doubt, elaborate performances by the nations themselves since Bloomland had a ban on magic, lacking any real magical creatures or other races.

The facade was maintained until fourteen years ago when Bloomland emerged into this world, merging with it and revealing the existence of real dragons, demons, and elves. Nations quickly realized their shared pretense, but this revelation only slightly adjusted the tradition.

"Being captured" became a ceremonial announcement of a princess's coming of age and talents. Evelyn had also gone through such a "capturing" by a "dragon" arranged by her parents three years prior, never imagining she'd actually encounter a real dragon.

Now, faced with the reality of a live dragon, the costume-wearing "dragons" from ceremonies seemed laughably inadequate.

Evelyn sat huddled in the furthest corner from the dragon, wrapping herself in a blanket taken from her storage ring, from moonrise till dawn.

She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but the slightest rustle of the dragon's scales on the ground woke her. She watched quietly as the dragon lazily rolled over before lazily opening its eyes.

The well-rested dragon seemed less fierce than the night before, sparing Evelyn a glance without any threats of consumption.

Standing to greet the morning light, the dragon shook its wings, instantly shadowing the sunlight that had just begun to fill the cave. Dust and debris fell from its body, scattering around and glistening like gems on its dark scales.

This was a formidable, fierce black dragon in the flesh.

Fortunately, the dragon didn't linger long. With a powerful flap of its wings, stirring up more dust, it took off into the sky.

Evelyn watched silently, her hand over her nose to block the dust.

Before the dust even settled, she saw the dragon returning with a boulder nearly half the size of the cave entrance, which it casually dropped in place before flying off again, its departure kicking up a cloud of dust so thick she could barely see if it had glanced her way.

Staring at the boulder now blocking her escape, Evelyn couldn't help but think, "What a beast. Such strength."

And with that, her thoughts turned to the daunting question of how she could possibly escape.

The dragon articulated its warning in the Common Tongue again, this time with a pronunciation so unusual and amusing it would have elicited laughter under any other circumstance. However, for Evelyn, humor was far from reach, especially when faced with the dragon's grim caution: "Touch me again, and I'll eat you."

Tensing her legs, Evelyn fought the urge to scream. The dragon, having issued its warning, nonchalantly resumed its rest. Yet, its sleep was brief; a restless shift sent its tail sweeping dangerously close, stirring a cloud of dust and narrowly missing Evelyn.

The tremor that brushed her toes left her legs feeling even weaker. Evelyn held her breath, afraid even the slightest sound might provoke the beast.

In the moonlight, a scar marking the dragon's left brow, perilously close to its eye, caught her attention. Its visage became more daunting, amplifying Evelyn's fear.

Frozen with terror, she waited until the dragon seemed to settle before carefully inching backward, understanding now why the bandits had spared her possessions. In the presence of such a formidable being, escape appeared futile.

Fourteen years prior, Bloomland held a peculiar tradition: a princess was considered worthy only if she had been captured. The greater the creature's power, the higher the princess's esteem. This practice turned princess "abductions" into a bizarre competition among the nations.

One day, a princess might be "taken" for her exquisite piano skills by a "demon," another day, another for her dancing by a "dragon." These were elaborate theatrics, as Bloomland, a land without magic, hosted no real creatures of legend.

The charade lasted until Bloomland emerged into this world, merging realms and unveiling the existence of actual dragons, demons, and elves. The nations recognized their mutual pretense, leading to a slight adjustment in tradition.

"Being captured" became a ceremonial rite to signal a princess's coming of age. Evelyn, under her parents' arrangement, had her ceremonial "capture" by a "dragon" three years ago, never imagining a real encounter with such a creature.

Confronted with the reality of a living dragon, the costumed "dragons" from past ceremonies seemed comically inadequate.

Evelyn spent the night huddled in the corner, cloaked in a blanket from her storage ring, from moonrise to dawn's first light.

Awakened by the subtle sound of shifting scales, she watched as the dragon lazily stretched and yawned, its demeanor less menacing than the night before.

As it stood, stretching its wings and casting the cave into shadow once more, Evelyn marveled at the sheer size and might of the creature. This was indeed a fearsome, formidable black dragon.

It didn't linger, taking to the skies with a powerful beat of its wings and returning shortly with a boulder to block the cave entrance, leaving Evelyn in awe of its strength.

Staring at the boulder, her mind raced with thoughts of escape, pondering how she might overcome the daunting obstacle set by such a powerful beast.