Silas couldn't use magic. His damaged mana core was something he planned to fix as soon as possible. But even without magic, he could still feel the dangerous aura radiating from that girl.
Her gaze alone made his body freeze. For a moment, Silas genuinely thought he was going to die. But… she didn't do anything.
The chains wrapped around her were the only reason she couldn't move an inch. They weren't normal chains—these were magical, special ones designed to restrain anything. Or… almost anything, at least.
When he realized he was safe—for now—Silas let out a long sigh of relief. Even so, he still didn't know if he should turn around and pretend this never happened or keep going and explore whatever this place was.
The tunnel had led somewhere he definitely wasn't expecting. And for someone like her to be imprisoned down here… yeah, she had to be powerful. And dangerous.
Still, even though logic screamed at him to walk away, his curiosity was louder.
Silas took cautious steps toward the girl, scanning the room for traps or, worse, guards. If anyone else was down here, he definitely didn't want them seeing him.
When he was close enough, he asked, "Who are you? What are you doing down here?"
It was the first question that popped into his head.
The girl stared at him, silent, not answering.
Now that Silas was this close, he noticed something strange—how flawless she looked. Perfect, almost unreal. And the scales scattered across her body… they were strange. Strange, and beautiful.
For a moment, neither of them said anything. They just stared at each other.
Then, the girl finally spoke. "How did you get here? Are you one of them? Did they send you to ask me questions?"
Silas shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I found a secret tunnel in my shop. It led me here."
"Really? Because I don't know where you came from. Far as I'm concerned, you're just another wizard trying to trick me."
Confused, Silas glanced behind him to check the door he had come through. It was still there.
"Aren't you seeing that door?" he asked.
"What door?"
His eyes narrowed. That… was weird.
The first thing that came to mind was his key—the artifact that disabled the defense systems in his basement. Maybe there was a magical formation here too, something that made the door invisible unless you held the key.
It was just a guess, but honestly, it sounded pretty accurate.
"There's a door right there. Probably hidden by magic… Anyway, who are you? And why are you locked down here?"
Silas braced himself for an answer. He expected her to say something like "I'm a dark wizard captured by the rulers of New Castle, imprisoned here for my crimes," or something along those lines.
But what he heard was…
"I'm a dragon," she said. "Crazy, right? How can a mighty dragon like me end up chained in a place like this? If I wasn't injured..."
Her voice was filled with rage, her eyes burning with frustration.
Silas blinked. "A… what? A dragon? You've gotta be kidding."
He couldn't believe it. Sure, this world was filled with magic and strange creatures… but dragons? No way. The old stories said dragons had been wiped out long ago—hunted down and exterminated by human wizards.
"Why would I joke about something like this?" she shot back.
Silas hesitated. "How did they even capture you? What do they want from you?"
The girl's expression shifted. This was her chance to finally vent.
"I was wounded. That's how they got me," she said. "And what do they want? Two things. First, they want to know where the other dragons are hiding. Second…" Her fists clenched. "They want to learn how to create the healing elixir using our blood."
Silas blinked. "Healing elixir?"
She nodded. "An elixir that can heal any wound… and extend a person's lifespan. That's why humans hunted us in the past. Not because we were monsters… but because they wanted this."
Silas felt his stomach twist. That… was definitely not the version of history written in the textbooks.
According to the official story, dragons were savage beasts that attacked humans without provocation. The war was painted as a necessary retaliation.
But hearing it from her… things were way different.
Silas wanted to talk more with her, but she said, "Someone will show up in ten minutes. I can hear them talking about it. You have to leave."
She could hear everything they were saying from down there. It was pretty impressive, but considering she was a dragon, that was probably one of the least incredible things she could do.
"And what can I do to help you?" Silas asked.
"Nothing. You're too weak. Your core is broken, and you can't use magic."
The dragon could craft the elixir to heal his mana core, but for that, she needed to be free. Basically, Silas had to find another way to heal his core first.
That was why she believed he couldn't help her. Healing a mana core was considered impossible.
Well, what she didn't know was that Silas had a system with the elixir available for purchase. All he needed was money...
"I'll heal my mana core and get you out of here," Silas said. "I mean, assuming you aren't some kind of evil maniac."
"I'm not," she replied. "But… can you really heal your mana core? Is that true?"
"Yep. Why?"
The girl went silent for a moment, then said, "Next time you come down here, bring a knife and a bucket. I'll give you my blood."
Silas blinked. "Why would I need your blood?"
"To get a dragon bloodline. At least that way you'll grow stronger faster. Strong enough to get me out of here."
Silas felt a wave of excitement. Based on everything he had read and seen back on Earth, getting a dragon bloodline had to mean gaining powers he never even dreamed of.
"If I can get a bloodline, then why aren't they stealing your blood for that too?" he asked.
"Only people with broken mana cores can absorb a dragon bloodline," she explained. "Dragons are the same. Our bloodline heals our broken cores when we're infants. It won't heal yours, but you said you can heal it somehow, so… it's up to you."
"Now go. Someone's coming."
Silas didn't argue. He left through the same door he came in, locked it behind him, and hurried back through the tunnel toward his shop.
His mind was racing, filled with everything he had just uncovered from that one small trip underground.