A gigantic, circular rock was placed against the mountain wall. Vines and moss surrounded the area, and the place looked inhabited by any human being.
But then, the ground shook, and the rock slowly rolled to the side; a vast tunnel was seen. The surrounding animals went closer with curiosity itched into their mind, wondering what had happened.
Then, a pair of feet appeared from the darkness, followed by the whole body. A woman stood and looked at the bright sun gazing at her.
The woman was coated in blood, and her clothes were tattered and barely covered her skin. In her hand was a dragon's head, a centuries-old creature no one would believe existed.
"Ah, finally," the woman spoke in relief as she dropped to her knees. Tears streamed down her eyes with an overwhelming feeling of having the freedom she always wanted her whole life.
The animals around her sniffed her scent and immediately fled, fearing for their lives, but the woman didn't care. She turned around and looked at the tunnel with rage.
The woman stood up and used her remaining strength to roll the rock to cover the tunnel again. She didn't want anyone to discover what was hidden below, her prison for many years.
After the woman was done, she looked around the place full of trees and thick bushes.
"Water," the woman whispered and touched her dried throat. She had been fighting with the dragon, the guard of her place, for seven days without a break. All she wanted was to quench her thirst and fill her hungry stomach.
With her remaining strength, the woman began to take a couple of steps in search of a nearby stream. Her senses detected one close to her and decided to go there.
Fear crept inside the woman's system, seeing the unknown world that she once only saw in books, but she was excited about what her new life would become.
After several minutes of walking, the woman reached a river with clear water. Her body collapsed at the edge as she crawled her way to scope the water in her palm and drank it.
"Ah!" the woman exclaimed in delight. She submerged her head into the river and drank until she was satisfied.
"This is refreshing," she whispered with a smile on her face. Her energy was restored a little bit, and she looked at herself. "I look disgusting, ugh," she added with a cringe.
The woman was about to soak in the river when her feet stumbled on the dragon's head. Her eyes turned cold upon seeing the dead creature. She picked it up and decided to bathe later.
The woman submerged the dragon's head in the river and cleaned it. After she was done, she hung the head on the branch to let it dry while she gathered sticks and dried leaves and put them at the center to create a bonfire.
It took the woman a while to finish the tasks, and she was currently rotating the dragon's head around to fire to toast it.
"Huh? What is this?" the woman muttered upon seeing a glowing orb on the dragon's forehead. Upon her curiosity, she plucked the orb using her hand. She stared at the object and decided it needed to be cleaned.
"I'll cleanse you after I eat," the woman stated before taking a bite of the roasted dragon head. She sighed in bliss upon tasting the meat, although it was a bit chewy.
After the woman was full, she decided to take a break at the river. She removed her clothes, wash and hung them on the branch to dry.
"Ah, I can finally scrub myself," the woman whispered in delight before dipping her body in the river. The cold water didn't bother her as she enjoyed the chilly feeling.
The woman held the ore in her hand and cleaned it, only to reveal a shiny crystal with kaleidoscope colors.
"Woah, so pretty," the woman exclaimed in amazement as it was the most beautiful thing she had seen, and she wanted to keep it for herself.
As the woman admired the ore, a snap of twigs was heard nearby, followed by murmurs and gallops. She flinched and immediately went into a defensive phase and went to the deeper parts of the river.
The woman looked at her ore, which became valuable to her. She examined around to possibly hide the item from being taken but found nothing.
The voices got closer, and the woman became anxious. She immediately put the ore in her mouth before dunking herself into the river.
At the same time, a group of men arrived at the river and immediately saw the bonfire she created. That made them know that someone was there before them.
The men proceeded to investigate for possible beneficial stuff to steal, but they only found tattered, useless clothes.
"Ah! Come on! At least there's something we can sell!" a rough, booming voice spoke in annoyance.
The woman heard those words and thought about the ore. 'No! This is mine!' she thought while aggressively shaking her head. To her desperation, she did the unthinkable thing.
'No one can have you but me!' the woman thought before building her courage. When she was ready, she swallowed the ore in one go. She swallowed several gulps of water to push the ore down her system, which only made her spot known to the men.
The woman successfully did it, but her oxygen ran out. Her response was to get to the surface for air, but she felt an intense pain in her right leg and couldn't move.
"Ahhh!" the woman tried to yell for help, but her words were swallowed by the river. Her eyesight became blurry, making her question if consuming the ore was worth her life.
When the woman was about to drown, a hand appeared in the darkness and pulled her up in one swift movement. The last thing the woman saw was a man with a scar on his left eye before she lost consciousness.