Going into the forest felt like a big step in this life. It was so different from the life I had before I got reincarnated here. Back in the city, I spent most of my time writing stories and studying, hardly ever getting out to explore the world. The idea of walking through a forest like this—feeling the ground beneath my feet and the trees around me—was something completely new. It was kind of scary but also exciting. This wasn't just reading or writing about adventures; this was actually living it.We walked through the forest for what felt like forever, but it was strangely quiet. No animals, no rustling in the trees—nothing. I started to feel frustrated and couldn't help but look back at my brother, Calvin, who was right behind me, suspiciously."I didn't do anything!" he exclaimed.I had no choice but to believe my brother, since I don't actually have proof of him doing something, so I kept going deeper into the forest, my footsteps soft on the ground. Suddenly, I saw something move in the distance—just a shadow at first. My heart started racing, and I quietly moved closer, hiding behind the trees to stay out of sight.As I got closer, the deer noticed me and lifted its head. In the soft light, I could see it clearly against the trees. I stayed still, watching as it looked around before going back to eating.I decided to move closer, reaching for my sword. But when I lifted it, the sunlight caught the blade and reflected, startling the deer. It jumped and ran off into the trees.I cursed under my breath and lowered my sword, feeling frustrated. But I knew this was just a small setback. I took a deep breath and pushed forward, determined to keep going. As I grumbled to myself, feeling frustrated, I suddenly heard laughter behind me. It was Brother Calvin's voice, way too cheerful for the situation. I spun around, scowling, but his laughter just got louder, echoing through the trees like some kind of forest concert.I rolled my eyes and sighed, giving up trying to look serious. I turned back around and walked off, muttering under my breath. If he thought this was funny, he could keep laughing. As I trudged on, time seemed to blur, but I didn't let it stop me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted another movement—something in the shadows. This time, I was cautious. No way I was messing up again.Slowly, I crept forward, trying to be sneaky. And there it was: a black rabbit. It looked pretty harmless, but of course, it had the silliest name ever—Rabbimon. Who thought of that? It sounded cute, but also kind of dumb. I mean, couldn't they have called it something cooler?The Rabbimon is devouring a deer, I think this is the deer that got away from me earlier?I swung my sword down at the Rabbimon, and it went down like a hot knife through butter. Seriously, the thing didn't even put up a fight. It was sliced clean in two with barely a sound. I stared at the result, surprised at how sharp my blade was.I quickly wiped the sword off to get rid of the blood."Wow, nice. Looks like the blacksmith did a good job," Brother Cal said, peering at the now-dead rabbimon."Don't you dare go near that blacksmith's shop again," he added with a warning tone, clearly still concerned about the sword's deadly sharpness.I just rolled my eyes, grabbed the dead Rabbimon, and shoved it into my space bag. Dad had given it to me as a birthday gift, joking that a whole castle could fit inside. "Whoa, my sister's a born savage! Not even phased by blood!" Brother Cal said as he stared at my bloodied hand.Without missing a beat, I walked up to him and wiped my hand on his royal blue cape."Ah!" He jumped back, looking horrified.I couldn't help but laugh. His face was a mix of surprise, anger, and disgust, and he was clutching his cape like it was a rare treasure.For the record, Brother Calvin's cape was important to him—it was attached to his armor and made him feel like a hero. He always talked about how legendary heroes in stories and paintings wore capes, so I guess it made him feel special. Guess the cape wasn't so heroic now, though, huh?The hunt went smoothly and I now have 4 bodies of different creatures, a Rabbimon, A Deer, a Bird, and a bear. The bear attacked me first so I killed it.this seems so easy and no fun at all, so I tried to find something more aggressive like lion or a tiger or something!I took a closer look around and noticed fairies flying around, but they didn't approach me; instead, they just spoke among themselves.I was focused about the fairies and didn't notice the small hole in front me. I was already plummeting before I knew it.I looked above and saw Brother Cal's panic stricken face"ANYA!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the cavernous space, but I was already far below the small opening. As I looked at my surroundings, it dawned on me that I had stumbled upon a Cenote, Yet, before I could fully grasp the gravity of my situation, I plunged into the icy water below, my senses alert despite the sudden immersion.Not so far from me is a shadow underwater, I could hardly see its silhouette with the only source of brightness coming from the hole I fell from. It was hard to see clearly, but enough light filtered through to make out shapes in the water. It moved through the water with smooth, fluid motions, almost like it was swimming without effort. But there was something unsettling about the way it moved. Its body twisted and turned with purpose, reminding me of a predator hunting its prey.I could see its teeth, sharp and gleaming, and its eyes were locked on me, filled with focus and intent. The figure came closer, moving with a quiet, dangerous grace, as if it was planning every step, like a hunter stalking its next meal. My heart raced as I realized how vulnerable I was in this strange world, unsure of what would happen next.Its mouth is as big and elongated as a crocodile, its teeth were as sharp as those I saw in shark movies, it has two hands with three webbed fingers with enlarged claws at the first digit. It also had a sail like projection on its back.As its vast open mouth approached.I looked around and spotted a patch of land by the edge of the lake inside the cenote. I swam as fast as I could, my arms and legs pushing me toward it. I made it just in time, but I didn't exactly feel safe yet. What if that thing could walk on land too? I didn't have time to worry about that for long. I sprinted to the farthest rock wall of the cave and turned around, only to see the creature dragging itself out of the water on its hind legs like some kind of mutant kangaroo. Oh, great. This just keeps getting better.I grabbed my sword and held it out like I actually knew what I was doing. I mean, I didn't have much of a choice, did I? It was either fight or let the giant underwater monster turn me into lunch. " ANYA! Where are you?" I heard Brother Cal's voice from the hole but the hole is too far from here"Brother! I'm..." I stopped and thought if I should say I'm fine, since I know that I'm not!"Brother! there's reptilian monster in front of me!!" I shouted with all my might and thank goodness the Cenote cooperated by amplifying my voice."WHAT?! I'm getting down!" He shouted" NO! Find mom and Dad! if we are both stuck here, they wont find us!" I shouted back" URGH why do I have fire aptitude? why can't I have air?! or at least water" Brother murmured above" BROTHER HURRY! I don't know how long I can fight it" I shouted and heard him walk awayHonestly, at this point, I'm pretty sure my body is just holding on by sheer stubbornness. I mean, I've walked for hours, chased after monsters, got into a brawl with a bear (because, why not?), and somehow ended up swimming through what felt like a never-ending pool of murky swamp water. My body's not even mad at me anymore, it's just exhausted.Every step feels like I'm dragging an elephant behind me, my wounds from the bear are basically throwing a party on my skin, and my lungs? Oh, they're about to start filing complaints any minute now. But hey, at least I'm still alive, right? Barely. Let's just hope I don't collapse right here because if I do, I'm pretty sure the next monster that sees me is going to think I'm just a snack.despite all that, I still plan to fight this Crocodile dinosaur.As the creature lunged toward me, its gaping maw a menacing sight, I knew I had to act swiftly. With a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins, I instinctively reached for the small button embedded in the hilt of my sword. The thought of engaging in close combat with such a creature sent a shiver down my spine – I couldn't afford to risk more injury, not when my life depended on it.With a deft motion, I activated the mechanism concealed within the hilt of my sword, and in an instant, the once rigid blade of my sword transformed before my eyes. Like a coiled serpent ready to strike, it unfurled into a sleek and deadly whip adorned with gleaming blades. This was no ordinary weapon; it was my prized possession – the Whip Sword, christened by its creator as Valentina.Valentina wasn't just a weapon; it was like an extension of me—sleek, sharp, and deadly. Years of practice had made us a team, and every time I picked it up, I felt this rush of confidence like, "Yeah, I got this." With Valentina in hand, I knew I could take down anything that came my way without even breaking a sweat. Well, maybe a little sweat, but still—pretty badass, right?With quick reflexes, I dodged to the side, barely avoiding the snapping jaws of the monster. I heard a sickening crunch as it slammed into the wall of the cenote, leaving a huge hole in the stone. My heart was racing, and I was gasping for air, but I couldn't take my eyes off it.Even after all that, the creature just shook it off, glaring at me like I was its next meal. The crack in the wall reminded me just how strong it was—and how much trouble I was in. This wasn't a friendly game of tag. This was life or death, and it was clear who was in charge.I took a step back, my legs shaking, but I wasn't about to let it get the better of me. I swung my whip sword, wrapping it around the creature with all the strength I could muster. For a second, I felt like I'd done something right, but that was short-lived. With one mighty jerk, the beast ripped itself free, snapping my whip in half like it was nothing. The blades that had been wrapped around it were now stuck to its skin, but weirdly, there wasn't a drop of blood. It just stood there, unbothered.I took another step back, and the monster took another step forward. The distance between us was closing fast. I glanced around desperately, hoping to find something to use as a weapon, but nope, nothing. Great.Then, just as I was about to lose hope, I spotted a tiny cave opening to my right. It was my only chance. Without thinking, I bolted toward it, my body protesting every step from all the injuries I had, but I pushed through. Behind me, I could hear the monster's heavy steps getting closer, like a countdown to my doom.I squeezed through the little tunnel and found a hole above me. Without wasting a second, I scrambled up, my skin scraping against the sharp rocks. Every inch of my body screamed in pain, but I wasn't stopping now. I shoved myself higher, ignoring the blood, just praying I could hide before that thing caught up.I climbed up more using the narrow hole and reached a pitch black space. I stayed there and looked down the hole I came from and saw the snout of the monster.Good, I managed to escape from the monster, now I just need to wait for rescue to come.I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around me. I can't see anything!I tried to concentrate on my other senses to know if there's another monster around but heard nothing, so I used my sense of touch and found a wall covered with bumps as hard as rocks. I then remembered how small the cavern below was, maybe this space is just a tad larger than the cavern below?I leaned my back on the wall and calmed my heart.But then the wall I was leaning on shifted. When I gazed at what I thought was a wall, I was shocked to death but frozen in my position. It is now staring at me with large yellow reptilian eyes."What doth a mortal do in mine lair?" a booming voice inside my head suddenly saidI flinched from shock, and saw red light coming from the body of the huge monster. The light from inside its body illuminated the cavern and I now see his true formwhite reptilian skin, folded bat wings, Huge Tail wagging slowly, I gulped a huge lump of saliva when I realized what the being in front of me is.It's a dragon!!"Thou darest to trespass upon my dominion!" the red light inside its body illuminated further and crept up to its mouth, and smoke came out from its nose.If that is what I think it is, I will die here without a trace! so I started to think of something."I-I just hid, to ran away from the crocodile monster in the Cenote, I didn't know it was your lair, I don't even have a weapon, look!" I shouted out of panic and raised both of my hands in the air.the red light slowly dimmed"Hmm, art thou telling me that thou hast stumbled upon my lair by mere happenstance?" the dragon asked"Yes Sir" I said without thinking"Oh, wow, a dragon now? After a crocodile monster, really? What a life I've got going on," I muttered to myself, trying to keep it together.So, here's the deal. I've been in this world for 16 years, and I know dragons are supposed to be long gone. There's barely any info about them—just old rumors and stories. They were once the big shots, ruling everything, but then poof, they disappeared. Some people say they just vanished to another world, others claim they died out as punishment for who-knows-what.But, one thing's certain, they were Humanity's big enemy, just like in all the stories I read back on Earth. Can't really blame this dragon for being cautious around me, right?"Hmm, Thou knowest that I shall not permit thee to depart now that thou knowest where I reside, dost thou not?"That's also what I feared"I promise I wont tell anybody!" I said out of panic"Empty vows, that is all thy kind doth excel in."The Red light illuminated strongly once again."I promise with my blood, bones and soul that nobody will know about your lair's location" I said."Swear upon the Covenant's Vow, and I shall believe thee," the Dragon said.I bit my lip at that. The Covenant's Vow? Oh boy, that's the kind of promise where breaking it doesn't just make you a liar—it literally gets you wiped out by the universe. I had read about it in one of the palace's "useless" research papers (which, by the way, I totally read because I was bored). It's a magical vow that binds your soul to the natural laws of the world, and if you go back on your word, the universe just decides, "Nah, you're not fitting in here," and poof—goodbye. The tricky part? Only magic users can use it, and honestly, most people don't even know how it works. But I knew all this because—surprise—I had it in my novel too. So yeah, not the kind of vow you'd want to mess around with.Honestly, after living for 16 years in this world, some part of me is convinced that I am inside the novel that I wrote but then nothing really validates my hypothesis making it sound ridiculous.It all started after I heard about the auction house the nobles were so fond of, anyway nothing is really certain so I just shrugged the idea off.So, I decided to test out the Covenant's Vow after reading that paper. I made this super dramatic vow to never eat cake again for the rest of my life. You know, just to see if it worked. Fast forward to me eating a slice of cake (because come on, who can resist?) and... nothing happened. Not even a cosmic lightning bolt. Why? Because, surprise! I'm a magic-less princess. Apparently, the vow only works if you actually have magic in your blood.Now, let's just pray dragons can't read minds or tell when we're lying. That would be a huge problem."Then I shall just slay thee!" The Dragon opened its mouth in my direction so I panicked"Under the law of this world, I vow never to tell anyone about this place!" I blurted out with way more confidence than I felt.The dragon stared at me like it was waiting for me to slip up or something. I swear its eyes narrowed like it was trying to figure out if I was lying through my teeth. But then, after what felt like forever, it nodded."Verily, 'tis good." it grumbled, and then, like a dragon-sized toddler, closed its eyes again. Great. I guess I was done? Maybe?So, there I stood, in the dark, thinking about life choices that led me here. Seriously, how did I go from chilling in my room reading novels to standing in a creepy dragon cave? Honestly, if I survive this, I'll never complain about boring royal meetings again.But anyway, after the world's most awkward pause, I decided to make my move. I slowly crawled down the narrow hole I used earlier, thinking this was it—freedom at last. Then, of course, just as I thought I was in the clear, a booming voice blasted inside my head."Did I grant thee leave to depart?"I froze, my entire life flashing before my eyes. But there was no way out. I crawled back up like a defeated cat who just got caught knocking something off the table.When I finally reached the top, I was met with a blinding light, like I'd just crawled out of a cave into a whole new world. And I couldn't help but think: "Great, I get a light show after being yelled at by a dragon. What's next? A stage production of 'The Princess and the Dragon'?"