Chapter 3

Chapter three : The dragon-girl tribulation (2) 

–—–

Hundreds of years passed, and throughout this period these horrific experiences continued, and every day was repeated with the same ugliness and brutality. 

The air inside the cell was stifling, mixed with the smell of sweat and iron. The floor was stained with dried blood. The girl listened to the chatter of the researchers who were aging and being replaced with the passage of time, their talk always marked by mockery and pride. 

The trials would begin early in the morning without interruption, as her frail body would be dragged from the cell and chained to a solid stone platform. 

Every day she suffered unbearable physical and psychological torture, as researchers used brutal methods to discover the secret of the dragon's blood that ran through her veins. 

The repeated screams of pain expressed her ongoing suffering, the echo of pain reverberating in the gloomy cell. 

Her metal shackles pressed on her wrists and feet, preventing any movement, as she endured exhausting experiences. 

These experiments ranged from feeding her strange substances that would burn her body from the inside, to cutting her skin with sharp instruments to examine her deep tissues. Because the technology was not advanced, the girl had to endure the process over and over again, as they slowly cut her skin again to reach the desired depth. Each time, she felt her soul slowly being torn apart. 

The sounds of metal testing instruments and the harsh laughter of the researchers echoed in her ears like an endless echo.

These experiences were not limited to the body only, but extended to psychological torture. 

Despite her human side being weak, the dragon blood granted her superhuman physical strength and stamina and forced her body to slowly heal, only to be subjected to a new round of torture the next day. 

"What did I do to deserve this?!" 

This question accompanied her, as she tried to understand her suffering. 

As the years passed, she began to lose track of time. 

Pain and despair became part of her daily life, as if they were constant companions, inescapable. 

But in the midst of this hell, an old memory would flash through her mind every now and then, the memory of her childhood when she used to play freely on the vast lands. That memory was her only refuge, as if it were a small window into a life far from this hell. She continued to carve these memories on the walls of the cell with her weak fingers, trying to preserve those moments, so that the harshness of the days would not erase them.

Every time she remembered her childish smile, she tried to imagine herself running again through the green fields, but the harsh reality always brought her back to the pain of the present. There was no hope of escaping these torments. Everything seemed fixed and locked, as if the days would continue to repeat themselves without changing. 

And while she was doing her only hobby in this hell, she felt the ground and the walls shaking. She tried to escape, but the chains that bound her prevented her from doing so. 

Suddenly, things turned upside down. The laboratory that had surrounded her for years began to collapse, and the cave that had held her captive began to slowly disintegrate. Despite her deep wounds, the girl felt overwhelming happiness. She was witnessing with her own eyes the destruction of the place that had tormented her. Her chains were broken by the falling rubble, leaving her free for the first time in a long time. 

A violent earthquake shook the cell for the second time, and its dark walls collapsed, while the girl felt a tremendous rupture. From among the rubble, the sky was revealed to her for the first time in a long time. 

Instead of darkness, it was bathed in bright light, the sky was unusual, with unfamiliar colors ranging from purple to orange, as if it was pulsing with life. 

"What's happening?" the girl asked hoarsely. She felt dizzy, her vision blurred by the sudden brightness. Colors danced around her, filling her with a strange sense of freedom. She took a deep breath for the first time in a long time, and it was different, fresh and full of life.

Suddenly her eyes caught sight of a mysterious young man walking through the rubble. She couldn't see his features clearly, but he was different. 

There was a certain attraction that drew her towards him. 

It was obvious that he was the one who caused the breakdown. In that moment, she knew that he was the one who set her free, even though the words didn't come out of her mouth.

Regardless of her pain, she silently expressed her sincere gratitude to him. 

 The severe headache and throbbing pain in her head continued, while the scenes around her sped up, as if she were in a whirlpool of light and color.

Then, in a sudden moment, the colors began to fade, the light melting into darkness, as she headed into the dark space. 

The feeling of liberation slowly spread, as her pain gradually disappeared, leaving behind a sense of gratitude that was not communicated. 

But that didn't matter anymore. The little girl was dead and her light had gone out. 

Finally, her long suffering was over.

–—–

After the life drained from the girl's eyes, her consciousness was transported to a mysterious place. 

As she walked and wandered around the place, she felt that it calmed her and made her feelings settle. 

She was deep in the sea of ​​consciousness, a place she had heard cultivators enter in a state of intense concentration. 

This makes her wonder, "Am I not already dead?" 

Suddenly, she was called repeatedly and heard strange voices, but they also seemed familiar. 

She started to feel dizzy again. She kept feeling faint and then regaining consciousness as if someone was shaking her left and right. Voices were circling around her, calling an unclear name, speaking incomprehensible words as if they were very far away. 

So how did you know it is a name ?! ... It's just a feeling, apparently. 

Every time she tried to focus, everything faded away, as if she had lost her footing. 

Finally she lost consciousness completely. 

As she slipped deeper into the darkness, she began to feel the beginning of another dream, she was preparing to enter a new nightmare, a dark world filled with pain and fear, as she sought deep within herself to stay alive. 

Completely unaware that the transition to this new reality has begun, she continues to be filled with the mystery and excitement of each new experience.