The sun had not yet risen, but the sky was already ablaze with light. The early morning mist still clung to the ground in a thin veil of dampness that glittered and sparkled in the first rays of the rising sun.

Lucian looked around, his heart in his throat, hands fumbling for purchase on the slick, damp earth. He stared at the sky, at the sun just now peeking over the horizon, and the black, churning shape of the dragon loomed behind it, a shadow against the burning backdrop.

He had never been so frightened in all his life. He could barely breathe as he watched the dragon's approach, its massive wings beating the air, its tail whipping back and forth like a cat pouncing on a mouse. It was terrifyingly fast, too fast, far faster than any creature he'd ever seen before. And then it struck.

He felt the wind of its passing, heard the thunderous roar of its mighty body slamming into him. Pain exploded through his chest and shoulder, and he went flying backward, tumbling across the ground until he hit something hard and unforgiving. He lay there for several minutes, gasping for breath, staring up at the sky, watching the dragon circle overhead, slowly making its descent.

It took several more seconds before Lucian managed to push himself to his feet. His head throbbed, and his stomach heaved from the force of the impact. For a moment he stood there, swaying unsteadily, looking down at the thick pool of blood spreading out from beneath his feet. He glanced up again, but it was too late ; he felt the harsh claws of the dragon grip him mercilessly.

He screamed as the beast pulled him upward, tearing away the front of his shirt, exposing his skin to the cool morning breeze. His arms were stretched above his head, held tight by the powerful talons digging deep into his flesh. He tried to pull away, but the beast held him tightly, effortlessly. Its claws were razor-sharp, digging deep into his flesh. Blood ran freely down his arms and dripped off his fingers. His face was pressed against the scales of the dragon's belly, and he could feel the heat radiating from the reptile's hide.

His legs dangled uselessly below him, kicking helplessly, as the dragon soared high into the sky. He was being carried toward the mountains, where he knew there would be caves or holes dug into the rocky walls.

He was soon going to become the beast's feast. The thought ate away at him. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of it. He found that he couldn't think straight. He hardly remembered how it all started. He remembered the fight with the dragon, the way it had come after him when he was having his meal by the river . He remembered running, escaping, and hiding. But everything else was a blur. He didn't know what happened next. All he knew was that he was trapped in the clutches of the beast, and he was about to be eaten alive.

Lucian struggled, his mind filled with dread. He fought the dragon's hold, his body jerking and twitching, but it was no use.

The dragon suddenly banked sharply, and Lucian's body was jerked sideways. The pain in his chest and shoulder was excruciating, and he could feel his blood running down his arm. His legs swung wildly, and his heels scraped along the ground. A second later, the dragon dove straight down, its wings flapping furiously, propelling them through the air.

Lucian closed his eyes, unable to bear the terror, unable to watch the ground rushing up at him. He shut his eyes tighter, holding on for dear life, praying that they wouldn't smash into the ground.

They skimmed the top of a tall pine tree, and Lucian let out an involuntary cry of pain. The sharp thud of branches slapping together resounded through the forest, and he realized they must have hit the tree trunk. He opened his eyes, peering over the side of the dragon's neck, seeing the trees flash past below him. They were still moving rapidly through the air, but the motion was smoother, more controlled.

His thoughts again moved. Dragons were rare in the area. That's why he had chosen this route to travel. He had left his town a month ago. He had been traveling for days, searching for the Silveroad - the road which led to the Whalemorr City - The Capital. But he hadn't expected to run into a dragon.

The dragon continued to soar through the air, flying steadily toward the mountain range. Lucian glanced down, his stomach lurching sickeningly. He tried to look away, but he couldn't tear his gaze from the ground. He had never flown before, and he was terrified.

The dragon leveled off, circling around a mountain peak, heading toward the narrow valley between two peaks. As they neared the end of the pass, the dragon began to descend, spiraling lower and lower. He could see the entrance to the cave now, and he could hear the rushing sound of water. He saw the entrance pass by and smelled the stench of death.

Few shafts of light made its way through some crevices but otherwise the cave was grim and dark.

Lucian's captor released him, dropping him onto the hard moss-covered ground. He lay there for several moments, breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. He sat up slowly, feeling dizzy and weak. His chest hurt terribly, and his shoulder burned. He reached up, touching his skin, feeling the sticky wetness of his own blood.

Is this how my life ends? he wondered. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live.He was an apprentice apothecary in his town. He had recently formed his mana core. He had wanted to explore the world, to find adventure. But now he has failed. He had come here to learn magic, and instead he was captured by a dragon. He had not even had the chance to defend himself. He had never imagined such a thing could happen to him.

But what now? Is this the price of dreaming too big? But strangely he didn't feel any regret. He did all he could have done. How could he have defended? He didn't have enough strength. He was just a Rank 1 Mage.

He thought about his parents; what they looked like? Growing up, he was told that he was an orphan. He never knew his parents. He never knew how it felt to be wanted. He always wanted to be different, and to make his own choices.

"Why?" he whispered . "Why me?"

He was powerless and he hated it. He felt angry. His life can't possibly end so abruptly. He was young, only sixteen years old. He wanted to do so much. He promised himself that if he would ever get the chance to live again, he would get stronger so that he could protect himself.

His wish seemed to have been heard because the seconds passed grimly by and nothing happened. Lucian remained silent, afraid to move, afraid to speak. Finally he mustered enough courage and strength. He craned his neck and saw that the dragon was lying still on the ground.

He pushed himself to his feet, staggering a few steps forward. He stumbled over a loose rock, falling to his knees, and crawled to the dragon's body. It was not moving at all. And now that he closely saw it, he realized the dragon had a deep wound on its jet-black scales.

He sat there for several minutes, looking at the lifeless body of the dragon. Was it ... Was it dead? He was saved? Just like that?

He sat there, listening intently, waiting for the dragon to stir.

But there was no movement. It was not even breathing; the smell of sweet and pungent meat.

Lucian looked down at the ground, studying the wound. He noticed that the scales were torn and broken, and he could see the blood flowing freely from the gash.

It was dead. It must have been dying when it had captured him.The beast was gone, and in its place was a corpse laying on the ground. Its blood had soaked the ground, leaving a scarlet pool.

He was totally surprised by the turn of events and the enormity of the situation. Is this some kind of dream? Then why does it feel so real?

He stood up slowly, wiping the blood from his mouth. He leaned against the wall of the cave, leaning his head back, closing his eyes. He felt tired, drained. He wasn't sure if he could go on.

He had no idea what to do. He was alone in the mountains, and he didn't know how long he would have to stay there. He didn't even know if anyone would ever find him. He might be lost forever.

He looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift lazily through the air. He was alone. He was free. He had survived. He felt unbelievable and a breathy chuckle left his mouth.

A sudden gust of wind blew through the cave, carrying with it the scent of death. Lucian shuddered.

He saw some movement in the shadows of the cave and felt a tinge of alarm.

He turned, looking around him. And then he saw it; a black mass lying in the corner of the cave. He took a step toward it, but then he stopped. He felt his heart begin to race.

He could not understand what was happening. What was that?

He took another step closer, and then another. He had never seen anything like it before.

It was a heart. Or at least it was supposed to be one.

He walked toward it, his eyes fixed on the thing. He approached it cautiously, taking slow, careful steps. When he was close enough, he saw a black lump which looked like a human heart. The thing was alive. And beating. He could hear it faintly, a steady rhythm.

He felt drawn to it. And suddenly he knew what he had to do.

He stepped forward and touched the object. He felt the soft pulsing beneath his fingers. He placed his hand on the surface of the heart. It was warm and almost gelatinous.

Lucian stared at the heart, transfixed by it. He felt the warmth of it, the pulsing of its heartbeat.

He moved his hand slightly, feeling the soft texture of the skin. He felt a strange sensation. He didn't know what to make of it.

He stared at it, trying to figure out what it was. Why was it here?

And the next thing he knew, the thing had covered his hand. He could feel it seeping through his flesh. Through his bones. He could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

He could feel the power surging through his body. His body was changing. He could feel the energy coursing through him.

Only a few moments had passed when he realized that there were no wounds left on his body. All scars and marks had healed intensely.

He felt new. Alive.

He felt the warmth of the thing inside him. It was a strange sensation. He didn't know what to make of it.

He concentrated and closed his eyes. He gazed inside his body using his mana sense. First he checked his core. It was perfectly fine. Its surface is covered with a violet hue, the same as last time. And then his gaze fell on his heart. Cold sweat trickled down his spine. It was .. was completely black.

He clutched his chest. What had happened to him?

He felt despondent. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. He would think something out. But first thing first, he needed to get out of here.

He searched the cave for some openings but found nothing. There was only one entrance which opened to the wide sky. He walked towards the edge gazing down. The mountain dropped steeply, smoothly. No chance of climbing down here.

Inside was the same. The dragon corpse lay to one side, and carcasses of animals - some small, some large - were scattered there. The core. The thought crossed his mind. Humans had to form a core to use magic. But beasts were different. Their core develops naturally as they grow. Naturally, this made them a target. Humans hunted them for their cores, so that they could absorb the rich concentrated mana from it. As an apothecary, he was not new to this knowledge. And only a fool would ignore a dragon's beast core.

But the dragon was ghastly to look at. Although it had been alive just some moments ago, it looked like it had been dead for years. He wondered what was wrong with it. Even if he somehow managed to extract the core from its enormous body, it wouldn't be worth it.

A huge boulder, some twenty strides away from him caught his attention. Curiosity won over him and he approached the boulder. Twigs and bones cracked under his feet as he walked towards it.

It was gray, smooth and polished. When he further probed, his suspicions proved right. It was blocking an entry to a tunnel. There was not enough space which the boulder had left open. But it was just enough for him to slip through.

As he walked further in the tunnel, darkness engulfed him. It led downwards. It was after several minutes when he saw light. He heard the sound of water, and he smelled the scent of fresh air.

The tunnel widened into a cavern, and Lucian emerged into the sunlight. A massive waterfall cascaded down the cliff, crashing into the lake below.

The sight of the waterfall mesmerized him. He watched it, transfixed by the beauty of the scene.

He saw the lake. It was crystal clear, reflecting the sky and the mountains. The surface of the water rippled gently, and Lucian felt a slight breeze.

There was no doubt about it. He was outside.

He stood there, drinking in the beautiful view of nature around him.

The sun was high in the sky, and he felt the warmth of it on his face. He could see the green of the grassy field stretching far in front of him.

He turned to the left, and he saw the mountain rising up behind him. It was breathtakingly tall and majestic. He stood there, staring at it, marveling at the sheer size of it.

It was almost noon. The sun was directly overhead, casting a golden glow on the landscape.

Many things had happened today. The heart-shaped thing which had entered his body had not hurt him yet. But who knew what might happen in the future? He couldn't shake the thought that it was something extraordinary. No spell could have healed his body in such a short amount of time.

He felt a tingle in his body. It was a strange feeling. He felt a sense of calmness. Of confidence.

He felt... powerful.

Had he just gotten some fortune or he had gotten into something worse?

He had to find out.