BLOOD OF REDEMPTION

Into the abyss: Dragon's lair

Calantha's point of view:

I slowly open my eyes, groggily, trying to discern my surroundings. My back is against a cold, damp, hard floor. I try to sit up but a wave of dizziness washes over me, forcing me back down.

I inhale a few deep breaths in an attempt to clear my head. I don't know how long I've been out for. As my vision clears, I realize I am in a cave, a dark cave. I squint my eyes, trying to see through the darkness. The walls are rough and rocky with no light.

I try to remember how I got here, but my memories are hazy. The last thing I remembered was riding with Arin. Then… then, something happened.

He pushed me off the cliff…

I slowly sit up, placing my hand on the back of my wet hair before bringing it to my face.

“Blood…”

I whisper. I must have hit my head on something.

I try to stand up using my hand for support but a searing pain welcome me. I grit my teeth and stand up. I look down and see a purple cloth beneath me.

“Arin's cloak.” I mutter, picking it up and crumpling it in anger but a wave of pain from my palms stopped me.

My legs feel jelly. My hands are not only covered in the blood from my head but my palm also. It's scraped. My palm, once a gentle curve of skin and tender lines is now a canvas of crimson hues.

I take a few steps forward, trying to look for a source of light or a wall, my hands outstretched in front of me like a blind person. My vampiric eyes are weak, but I can make out the faintest glow of the cave walls.

I take a deep breath and start moving forward, my hands trailing the walls for guidance. The darkness is somehow absolute, and I can only rely on my sense of touch and overstraining my eyes to navigate the cave. My fingers brush against the cave walls as I follow the contour of the unfamiliar rock, taking a few deep breaths at regular intervals so that I can know if there is an opening behind the walls.

The ground seems to slope upwards, straining my muscles. I continue to climb. Mild pain tears through my body as I unfortunately hit my toe on what I think is a small rock. Tears threatened to escape my eyes - from uncertainty and fear of the unknown - but I inhaled to compose myself, My heart racing with every step.

As I round a corner, I see a faint light in the distance making my heart skip a beat.

“Escape…”

I whisper, quickening my pace.

It is a soft, gentle glow that seems to emanate from the next corner, my heart beating in fear and curiosity. The light grows brighter as I move forward, illuminating the rough contours of the cave walls.

As I turn the corner, I am met with an unexpected sight.

A skull, gleaming in the dim light of the cave. It seems to belong to a human or a vampire but it definitely didn't belong to a beast. I feel a shiver run down my spine amidst the biting cold, but I keep moving, tiptoeing around the skull while clutching Arin's cloak closer to my body.

What really catches my attention is what lies beyond the skull. A forest, dense and lush. The cave seems to have two openings leading to a forest. I bring the cloak closer to cover my body once again before I move closer to the edge of the cave, I reach the threshold.

Inhaling deeply, I place one foot on the forest ground, my boots dip into the soft earth, while the other remains on the cave floor. It is as if I am bridging two worlds. The cave with its dark, damp air, and the forest, with its vibrant life, and color.

I take a deep breath before finally placing my two feet on the forest floor. The forest floor yields softly beneath my weight and I feel some amount of tension of walking on hard ground leave my shoulders. The floor is covered in a thick layer of leaves and underbrush. There are several half - broken trees that seem to have been forcefully yanked away over time here and there.

I take a deep breath again before slowly walking forward, my heart racing with every step as I feel what I think is uncertainty and a sense of the unknown settle deep within me. Nevertheless, I keep walking.

Suddenly, I come to an abrupt stop, my feet halting on their own as I struggle to make sense of what is in front of me. I bend down, placing my hand which appears like a small dot on it.

‘A footprint…’

It's so enormous and I can feel the heat emanating from it which made me bring my hand back to myself. The earth seems to have been scorched and charred leaving behind a trail of blackened soil.

I slowly take some of the soil in my hands.

“It is hot…”

The edges of the footprint are jagged and rough and its depth is impressive. It is as if the creature who this footprint belongs to has a heavy weight. The ground around the print is cracked and fissured.

A shaky breath escaped my lips as I stood up hastily and backed away.

“What kind of creature could leave behind such an imposing mark?” I whispered questioningly to no one in particular.

As if on point, the ground quakes and shakes loudly, making me lose control of my body and causing my fall. The air around me seems to vibrate with an otherworldly suffocating energy, even greater than those I feel from the burning gaze of the first generation pure blooded vampires. I can't breathe.

I hurriedly stand up, my instincts screaming at me to run back to the cave's entrance and away from the shaking ground as soon as possible. But my curiosity and determination to get to the source made me take a tentative step forward.

Arin pushing me into this cave only meant two things.

This is his main goal or it is a mistake.

So, I will either die here or survive and end up dying when I get out but I'm sure of the crazy glint I saw in his eyes before I fell so this was probably orchestrated.

The ground shudders in response as I continue to walk, struggling to balance myself on the shaky ground. As I move forward, the air grows thicker, and a palpable force I have never felt before presses against my skin. Then I saw it.

A golden-bronze wing.

The creature slowly turns to me, making me fall on my butt.

A magnificent gold dragon with a wide wing span.

“Dragon?...” I whisper.

I initially believed that dragons had gone extinct according to what I've read and none exists so what is a dragon doing here?!