ROAAARRR!

The sound wasn't just loud, it felt like a force slammed into him, rattling his entire body, a shockwave. The ground shuddered, air vibrated, and Axel's ears screamed in pain.

He dropped to his knees, clutching his head, teeth clenched as if the sound was drilling through his skull. Wind tore at him, a violent current like a hurricane trying to peel him off the earth.

Then as sudden as it came, the sound went, thick silence reigned, the one before a storm.

Axel dared to look back. And immediately regretted it.

"...Oh, crap."

The creature wasn't just big, it was biblical. A dragon, or something worse. Its massive black wings spread wide, as if announcing its presence.

Black scales, no, obsidian plates caught the faint blue light from the lava streams, shards of clear crystal rising along its spine like a crown of knives.

At least that's what he could tell from the vast distance between them.

As it lowered onto all fours, a deep tremor ran through the ground.

Then the crystals along its jawline flared blue, humming, alive.

As if searching for something, a prey perhaps.

I am prey, Axel thought, his heart skipped a beat.The dragon's head tilted towards his direction. The glow dimmed. Then its enormous frame shifted, turning toward him.

"Oh come on!" Axel hissed. He turned and tried to sprint, but instead started limping, pain tearing through his body.

Every step felt like fire in his muscles. Using Gishiki as a crutch, he half-limped, half-leapt toward the nearest cave.

The air behind him boomed as something approached.

Just as a massive shadow enveloped him, he threw all caution to the wind and dove headfirst into the darkness. Massive jaws snapped shut a breath away — he felt the rush of wind as teeths slammed together where he was a few seconds ago.

He hit the stone floor hard, rolling and scrambling backward until his back met cold rock.

His chest heaved. Outside, the dragon prowled, the earth shaking with each step. Its horns pulsed blue, waves of energy rippling outward.

Axel looked on with a stifled expression, his hand tightly gripped around the Gishiki, as the creature continued prowling around, looking closer he noticed it didn't have eyes. Two deep pits where eyes should've been.

So how does it know where I am, most likely those crystals, Axel observed as they thrummed, vibrating, a pulse spreading from them, disappearing as it hit the caves entrance.

But why can't it sense me, he held his breath as the creature's huge leg stopped at the entrance of the cave, then it moved on.

Even when I am this close, it's this cave isn't it, that's why there were no creatures outside, Axel finally pieced it together.

Then his stomach dropped. "Which means… I might not be alone in here."

He turned slowly.

The cave behind him was deep and dark.The air was damp, the smell sour and metallic. He considered his flashlight, then shook his head.

"I can't be certain it can't see."

He took a cautious step forward,

Squish.

Something soft and wet pressed under his boot. He froze.

A faint shimmer caught his attention. He hesitated, then flicked his flashlight down for half a second.

The beam landed on something that looked like… scales. Black. Stretching. Breathing.

His stomach flipped.

From the darkness ahead, two large eyes opened — vertical slits as big as his entire body glowing bright blue, locking onto him.

"Oh… fantastic," Axel breathed, voice trembling.

The eyes began to move closer. Slow. Deliberate. Something huge shifting in the dark.

Axel backed up, heart rate spiking. Behind him, the dragon's claws scraped against stone, looming outside, still searching for him no doubt and in front of him, whatever this was slithered closer, its breath humid and foul.

He was cornered.

The creature finally came close enough for him to see it, a massive serpent head emerging, scales black with purplish hue, its forked tongue flicking out like a carpet.

Axel swallowed hard, one more step and he'll be out of the cave.

Yet the snake didn't strike. It stopped, just watching him, waiting. He could almost feel its mind calculating.

It's waiting for him to leave, Axel realized, Then take it's time with me.

And it's obvious I won't survive a second with you. Axel took a deep breath, chuckled and looked at the Gishiki, then he glanced out at the dragon which had finally given up, its wings unfurled, ready to take off.

Looking to the left side of the cave, Axel took a deep breath and decided to take a gamble.

"Alright then," Axel whispered, a tired grin tugging at his mouth. "If I'm dying anyway… might as well go out petty."

He raised Gishiki and slammed it against the floor — CLANG!

The sound echoed through the cave like a bell of doom, Axel already rolling towards the left side of the cave, away from the entrance.

"Since you'll obviously kill me after he leaves, I'll just call him to kill you first, I call it operation 'we die together'," Axel explained seemingly to the snake with a grin.

He had gambled that since the dragon was sensitive to sound, creating sound so close to the entrance would expose the cave's location, overriding whatever was preventing the dragon from finding them—that was the first part.

And almost as if on cue, The creature's massive face appeared in the entrance, crystals flaring bright blue. It opened its jaws — and roared.

Axel screamed in pain, hands flying to his ears. The world became nothing but noise and agony. Hot liquid ran between his fingers. "Ah—dammit—my eardrums!" he gasped, curling up.

The snake reared back, hissing violently, its hood flaring. It lunged — wrapping its coils around the dragon's muzzle, fangs sinking in, completing the second part of his gamble.

The snake will defend its cave.

The dragon pulled back it's head, pulling the snake out along with it, out into the open.

Axel lay sprawled on the floor, gasping, his vision pulsing. His ears rang endlessly, blood trailing from them. Then he started laughing — a broken, exhausted sound.

"I can't believe that worked," he wheezed. "Operation We Die Together… success."

He leaned on Gishiki, trying to stand. "Okay… time to find somewhere deeper."

He turned toward the back of the cave, I have to ensure the dragon doesn't find me if it isn't still satisfied, I'm sure that snake is done for.

But he froze as he felt something around his leg.

Something wet and slimy coiled around his ankle.

He barely had time to look down before it yanked.

Axel's scream was swallowed by the dark as he was dragged out into the chaos.

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