Beasts fled throughout the whole forest.

  The tremors alerted every living creature throughout the entire territory where the roots of the enormous trees touched. Birds ceased their flight and those on the ground stopped their movements, only to turn their eyes toward the cave to the south. Each new rumble seemed to sync with the beating of their hearts and, when all fell silent, so did they. The eruption of the cave’s top into the sky left them paralyzed.

  There was no more time to escape, let alone a chance. Standing still and keeping silent was the only way they might try to stay alive, hoping they wouldn't be chosen.

  Slowly, an enormous, serpentine body rose up, exuding might, from a place Noah thought could never contain it. In silence, all waited. Out of fear? Not just that. It was subservience born out of instinct, a bow before a superior being to stay alive: nothing but balance. With heavy disdain, crimson red eyes, as if dyed in blood, scanned the surroundings. Its scales were so dark they seemed to reject the sunlight; only the red stripes shining along its body stood out.

  Throughout the forest, except for the Demon Lion King, nothing else moved.

  Even though he couldn't feel his heartbeat or breathe, Noah wasn't affected. He thought it was just another attribute of his strange new body, and quickly put it aside. It didn't seem important, not when even the wind had abandoned them and he faced something that could kill him with its mere presence. Escape was impossible and his mind couldn't reach any clarity. But when the beast moved, he was sure.

  Is it... looking at me...?!

  What should he do? Where could he run? Or rather, was it possible? Could he even try? No, his mind said. Even if he tried, his legs wouldn't even tremble, much less walk. Running was out of the question.

  Ignoring him, the creature turned away, leaving Noah confused. So, it wasn't going to kill him? Was he too insignificant to even be considered a target?

  No...

  Even though their gaze turned toward him, something felt strange about those eyes.

  It's as if... it can't see me...?

  The beast suddenly lunged from the cave, revealing that what was visible before was nothing more than a small part of its body.

  From the force generated, Noah was thrown down the hill, and when he got up feeling less pain than expected, he found himself under an enormous shadow. He looked up in a panic, thinking he was about to be crushed. However, the creature glided majestically in the air without needing any support at all.

  It really was a dragon..!

  [A half-dragon, actually.]

  ...Did that happen because of you? It seemed like it couldn't see me, why?

  Watching the tip of the creature's tail finally disappear, Noah noticed a strange delay in the system's response. Did it not have the answer? Did it need to look it up? Was that how the interface worked? He didn't know, but it was all too strange to be just a programmed machine. However, he would need more time to be sure of anything.

  [No.]

  There was no explanation.

  Noah returned to the top of the hill, deep in thought, but nothing was said. Why the delay? Another stupid rule, maybe? But how could he find out? He didn't have time to waste waiting there.

  He turned only to feel the pressure and heat increase and to see the tear that opened across part of the forest and beyond, destroying trees and anything else in its path, for the blow was so quick he couldn't even see it.

  Is there really a way to get out of this place alive...?

  The hit ground boiled, and the heat reached him even from a distance. The half-dragon circled the Demon Lion King in the distance, allowing the other beasts to try to survive. Many hadn't managed, so the rest would try even harder to fight.

  [Yes, there is a tunnel that leads directly to an isolated part of the forest around here.]

  Around here...? He looked back, already guessing what was coming. Let me guess, the tunnel is inside the cave?

  [...]

  Of course...

  The progress of the fight between the beasts seemed slow, but the winner was already decided in his mind.

  How long will this fight last? Would I be able to make it through the tunnel before the dragon returned?

  [It won't return.]

  The certainty of those words surprised him.

  ...Can you really predict the future?

  [I don't need to. Not in this case.]

  So?

  [In theory, these creatures should be somewhat evenly matched right now. However, there are factors that prevent that from happening.]

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  [The half-dragon is at a considerable disadvantage in this fight.]

  Every new phrase left Noah even more confused and, on some level, suspicious. After all, why would a creature at a disadvantage initiate an unnecessary fight? Why would it leave the cave for a mere small stone, with no apparent reason? Something felt wrong, but he couldn't say what. The system's lack of explanation about the information only made him believe that more.

  Upon entering the cave, he understood why such a large creature had left such a tiny place. The hole in the roof lit the wreckage along the way and, most of all, the enormous hole at the center of everything.

  ...You don’t have a ladder, do you?

  There was no response.

  Of course not... Circling the edge of the drop, where no light could reach the bottom, Noah tried to see how deep the hole was. This is impossible, there’s no way I can go down—!

  The cave shook along with its surroundings, making him fall. Another large-scale attack? He only hoped not to end up like the landscape to the side.

  [...Apparently, there is one.]

  Haha, very funny.

  Holding tightly to the edge to avoid falling, Noah noticed that the interior of the hole was softer than it should be. It couldn't be rock like in the cave's rocky environment. Maybe... He reconsidered. Skin? It seemed possible, although he doubted whether dragons needed to shed skin. And if they did, what were the odds that those monstrous scales would be so delicate inside? The image of the creature in his mind made him doubt it.

  What are my chances of survival if I were to slide down this place?

  [I'd say about... 1%?]

  Is it really that high?

  [...It would be higher than if you tried escaping through the forest, I guarantee it.]

  [All you have to do is use something to slow your fall.]

  Slow down... easy for you to say— A new tremor hit the area, making the edge collapse. Damn...!

  In those first moments, Noah cursed himself for wasting time instead of getting up and moving away from the hole. Now there was no turning back.

  Slow down...

  Looking around, he searched for something to use. Nothing. That’s what he found and, after some time, it was all he could see. With no more light, the darkness enveloped him.

  This is taking too long... How big is this tunnel, anyway?

  [I estimate it's about 5 kilometers deep and 500 meters wide.]

  So, if I don't find a way to slow my fall, I'll be really dead. And even if I do, should I just say goodbye to my legs? Can I survive in this world without being able to walk?

  [Some exceptional people can, whether through status or power.]

  [But...]

  How would I get out of the tunnel if I can't walk, right...?

  Turning around, Noah sighed. He could already feel pain spreading throughout his body, even if he hadn't moved yet. He closed his eyes, though he wouldn't be able to see even if they were open. He clenched his teeth hard and, without hesitation, thrust his arms into the soft layer that protected him from possible rocks on the other side.

  His arms broke.

  The scream of pain echoed through the tunnel, but soon was stifled. He couldn't attract attention to himself there, he knew it. Whatever reason the half-dragon had acted so strangely, it could still decide to abandon the fight and return if it noticed its home had been invaded, if it was even conscious enough for that. But Noah was not sure that was true.

  Damn it—! Is this working?! Shit! How much longer?!!

  [Yes, yes, it's working!]

  Really?!

  Surrounded by darkness, Noah couldn't tell whether the darkness he saw was natural or if it was his consciousness slipping away. The pain no longer hit him, and time seemed to stretch on.

  [Ah, no... just a mistake... One more kilometer left.]

  With no strength to waste, he didn't even scold the joke. He fought to stay awake, but was he really in first place? He didn't know. Maybe everything, just like the system, was a product of his mind; he couldn't tell. One proof was that the end never came and, when it finally did, he was no longer aware to feel his body spin and crash into a pile of hard objects ahead before stopping against a wall.

  [Noah!]

  [Are you okay, Noah?]

  If he were still awake, he would have heard the concern in the voice without a face. The caring that would soon disappear when he opened his eyes.

  [...You did it, Noah...]

  How much time had passed? He didn't know. Was he still alive? Something told him yes. The pain? No, the crimson eyes.

  Didn't you say it wouldn't return, system?!

  He froze at the blink of the still, monstrous being.

  — Finally awake, human... — said a weak, yet oppressive and heavy voice. Noah felt his bones crumble just from hearing it — Then, be grateful, and make a pact with me.

  A pact...?!

  His mouth wouldn't move, no matter how much he tried. As for gratitude, why would it be necessary? For not killing him while he was unconscious? Noah wanted to ask.

  — Who do you think kept you alive... even though you were so weak and did something so ridiculous?

  Kept me alive...? Did the dragon save me?

  — Yes..., — The direct answer made him wonder if the creature was reading his mind. If it was true, he'd have to be even more careful. — Now, come closer and accept the pact.

  Suddenly, Noah saw his body move without his will. Many questions crossed his mind with each step, chief among them: Can I run? It weighed on him the most. After all, he knew even those dying eyes could kill him with a thought. And if the half-dragon had not yet done it, there must be some reason. Maybe he could still survive.

  He knelt before the fearsome creature, which made his own insignificance even more obvious. Even his thoughts ceased before those blood-red eyes. It seemed not to be completely awake yet, for only upon touching the hard ground with his knees did Noah notice the strong smell in the air and the sticky liquid he knelt in. That was...

  Blood...? Is it... dying?

  —You just noticed...? You are far too slow for your kind...

  Is that... a compliment?

  —...Touch me with your palm, human.

  That... I don't know if you noticed, but...

  His arms were still useless.

  — Then use your forehead... Do it, quickly...!

  A-Alright...!

  When he tried to rise, Noah saw his legs didn't work either. However, he had just walked, could that have been just the beast's power? Its impatience faded as it closed its eyes, but if in debt, he needed to continue. What would it mean? There was no time to think. As long as he didn't die, he'd accept anything.

  Leaning in, he felt the cold, scaly, and hard touch, harder than anything else. But something warm then touched his forehead, running over the beast’s scales with a strange viscosity. It was the same liquid that was everywhere. Something entered his mind, and somehow, Noah felt marked.

  — Take good care of it...

  The creature’s last words plunged him into a macabre silence. With his face dirty with blood and legs submerged in the same, he collapsed when he could no longer keep his balance.

  There’s an egg... He managed to understand some parts of the information passed on. But what does "do the same with her" mean...? Is there some other creature here?

  The possibility made him shiver.