From The Depths, We Rise

There weren't always dragons in the Valley.

In fact, I can't quite remember anything being in the valley.

I just remember waking up one day in complete darkness. There was nothing at first. I couldn't feel, couldn't see, couldn't hear. Eventually, that complete numbness was replaced with the rough texture of rocks and distant rumblings of the earth.

It was sheer luck that I found that shaft of light.

I was able to maneuver out of the cave and onto the lichen-covered ground. My senses had begun to adjust, and I could feel the cool moist fog wrapping around me as I disturbed the stillness.

For being so exposed, I felt utterly alone. There was flora everywhere, but no sight of any moving, sentient life. Eventually, I get enough control of my body to rest beneath a rocky overhang.

A loud crack catches my attention, the shadows within the cave seem to shift and move as if disturbed by some unseen entity. I drop my musings and slowly sidle along the edge of the cave until I'm just a few steps away from the opening.

Some symphony of scratches, creaks, and moans freeze me into place as I can now clearly hear something moving about from within. A rhythmic clicking picks up in pace before a small creature is born from the darkness. It has four, tree-trunk legs. Its scaly body is slate in color, nearly identical to the rocks around it. Twisted horns curve back around its head, covered in lacey greenery that swings with each shift of its weight. The moss that covered the ground blankets its back, patches of it adorned with vibrant bell-shaped flowers. A tail stretches back behind, long and thin, adorned in a plethora of different leaves. The creature eyes me with its green, reptilian eyes, almost as if it's sizing me up. I am petrified in fear, unable to move as it takes one gangly step toward me. It opens its maw, and a set of spiky, milky teeth glimmer in the sun.

A large cry then erupts from above me. It's enough to send me to my knees, my hands desperately trying to cover my ears. The thing before me buckles, retreating a few steps backward before fleeing into the treeline. When the rumbling stops I open my eyes and peer up above me.

Another creature has arrived. This one is much larger, and much more grand in appearance. Unlike the scaly, tree-like texture of the last, this one seems smooth, and unbothered by texture. It looked... unreal. It was split down the middle, one side a bright, painful white, and the other a light-consuming black. It was reminiscent of the darkness of the cave. I couldn't tell what it was standing on, or what was around it, I was just drawn to the eyes that felt as if they were boring into my soul. We judged each other for a moment before the creature called out again.

This time, I flinched. My eyes shut and I tried to ease the blistering pain of the call. I could feel my nails digging into the side of my head, trying to assuage the call. After a moment, silence had returned.

I opened my eyes and was met with darkness again. This time, a small circle similar to the sun was the only light to guide my way. I could make out the silhouettes of the trees as I tried desperately to look for either of the creatures I had just seen. All hope was lost as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and there was once again nothingness.

Something was wrong. Something was not right.

This was not the valley. This felt different, wrong. I don't know what is happening.

The stillness, the quiet, the serenity. Something about it felt insidious.

It felt like something was watching me.