Celm's eyes snapped open to pitch darkness. The damp chill of the ground seeped into his skin, its uneven surface pressing uncomfortably against him. A faint, pale light filtered from somewhere above, barely enough to reveal the immediate surroundings. His chest heaved with shallow, rapid breaths, each one laced with an inexplicable dread.

His palms were slick with something wet. He raised a trembling hand to his face, squinting in the dim light. A dark smear stretched across his palm, the deep red unmistakable. Blood.

His stomach churned violently, but he swallowed hard, forcing the nausea down. "What… what is this place?" he whispered, his voice raw and unfamiliar, as though it hadn't been used in days. The metallic tang of blood lingered on his tongue, a bitter companion to his parched throat.

Muscles aching, Celm pushed himself upright. The effort left him breathless, and the cold air gnawed at his damp skin, raising a shiver that coursed through him. Around him, the forest stretched endlessly, thick gnarled trees towering like silent sentinels. Their bark was rough and peeling, their roots tangled in a treacherous snarl across the damp forest floor. Above, the canopy was dense, the leaves shifting slightly with the breeze, casting flickering shadows that seemed almost alive.

The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth, mingled with the sharp, coppery tang of blood. Each sound, a distant drip of water, the faint snap of a twig, echoed unnervingly in the oppressive silence. The noises set Celm on edge, his gaze darting toward every imagined movement in the gloom.

He rubbed his arms for warmth, his fingers brushing against the torn fabric of his shirt. The sensation of cold, damp clothing clinging to his skin made him shiver again. His boots squelched slightly as he shifted his weight, the sticky soil resisting his movements.

"Why does this place feel so... wrong?" His voice broke the silence, barely louder than a breath. He glanced down at his hands, stained and trembling. "What happened to me?"

His mind was a fragmented haze. Stray images flitted across his thoughts: shouts, claws raking through flesh, an overwhelming heat. Each memory was like a shard of broken glass, sharp, disconnected, and painful to grasp.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. "Standing here won't help," he muttered to himself. "I need to move. Figure out where I am… and what's going on."

With deliberate care, he stood, his boots sinking slightly into the wet soil. His movements were slow, cautious, each step testing the treacherous ground. He leaned against a tree, the rough bark biting into his hand as he steadied himself. Above, swirling gray clouds obscured the sky, casting the forest in a dull, lifeless light.

Then he heard it, a faint sound in the distance.

Leaves crunching. Branches shifting. Something was moving.

Celm froze, straining to hear. His breath caught in his throat, and his heart thudded loudly in his chest, threatening to drown out the noise. Slowly, he turned toward the sound.

At first, he saw nothing. Just shadows and shifting leaves. But then his gaze caught on something in the sky. A shape, drifting against the wind.

No… not drifting. Moving.

The shape grew larger, more defined as it approached. A massive creature emerged from the gloom, its enormous wings spread wide, blotting out the faint light.

A dragon.

Its dark, scaly body rippled as it moved, its wings beating with a soundless grace. Two faintly glowing eyes pierced through the shadows, locking onto him with a predatory focus.

Celm stumbled back, gripping the tree behind him for support. His fingers dug into the bark as his knees threatened to give out. "This… this can't be real," he murmured, barely audible. "A dragon? Here?"

The creature hovered above the forest, its presence oppressive and all-encompassing. The air seemed to vibrate with its power, each beat of its wings sending faint tremors through the ground.

Celm's mind raced. "Think," he muttered, his voice trembling. "What do you remember? Did this… thing do this to you?" The questions felt hollow, their answers maddeningly out of reach.

The dragon's gaze remained fixed on him, unblinking and unrelenting. Each breath grew harder to take as the weight of its presence pressed down on him.

"I can't fight that," he whispered, forcing himself to move. "If it killed me once, it'll do it again. I need to run."

His eyes darted around the forest, searching for an escape. The trees were dense, their twisted roots and thick underbrush blocking most paths. But to his left, he spotted a faint opening.

He moved toward it, each step deliberate and measured. As he walked, his hand brushed against something cold in his pocket. He froze, pulling it out.

A pendant.

Intricately carved and adorned with faintly glowing symbols, it radiated a gentle warmth that contrasted with the chill around him.

"What is this?" he muttered, holding it up. The warmth spread through his palm, soothing and almost alive.

A loud rustling snapped his attention back to the dragon. It was descending, weaving through the canopy with alarming grace. Celm's grip on the pendant tightened. His legs trembled, but he forced himself forward.

The dragon's shadow loomed larger with every passing second, its glowing eyes burning brighter.

"This isn't fair," Celm muttered through clenched teeth. "I don't even know what's happening."

Branches clawed at him as he pushed through the underbrush, his breathing ragged. The pendant pulsed in his hand, its rhythm steady and insistent.

The dragon roared, a sound that shook the forest to its core. Leaves and debris rained down, and Celm stumbled, barely catching himself on a tree trunk.

His pulse raced as he looked down at the pendant. "What are you? Why do you feel… alive?"

The dragon's roar came again, closer this time. Celm turned to face it, his body trembling but his grip firm.

"I don't know what you are," he said to the pendant, his voice steady despite the fear, "but if you've got any tricks, now's the time."

The dragon lunged.

Celm raised the pendant instinctively. Its light flared, consuming everything in its glow. For a fleeting moment, the world around him vanished, leaving only the warmth of the pendant and the promise of something unknown.