lost dungeon

When I awoke again, there was dirt and rocks piled around me and under me. I stood up with a groan, annoyed this had to happen today of all days. I looked up at the hole I had fallen from to see the sky was dark. HOW LONG WAS I OUT!? I asked myself as I looked around the room I had fallen into. It seemed to be a old dungeon entrance. Live dungeons are preserved by the government so this one definitely wasn't alive. There's no possible way a live Dungeon could have fallen under their radar right?

There was no way I could climb back up the way I fell so the only choice I had was to head through the passageway at the other end of the room. I dusted myself off, grabbed my satchel and walked through the passage. Every step I took echoed throughout the passage. It seemed to be too quiet, not even the sound of the cave was present, like someone had done something to keep it quiet. I stumbled upon a treasure chest and decided to open it. Inside was a weird looking gem I have never seen nor heard of and a note. I picked up that note and unfolded it. The note was old and dusty but the words on the inside seemed like they were written only yesterday. I decided not to read it at that point and put the gem and the note in my satchel. I didn't understand why the people who raided and defeated this dungeon didn't take such a priceless looking gem? As I walked throughout the dungeon trying to find a way out I kept finding gems that looked just like the first. That's when I realized they were gem shards not entire gems. At this point, I had no clue how long I had been down in this dungeon and I wasn't getting any closer to finding a way out. This was becoming tiring and annoying so I decided to take a break. I took out the note and unfolded it to read it....."the gem shards are important, time passes differently in here so be careful. If you do take on this challenge.....you'll go insane before completing it...yet if you do complete it....a nightmare will be released. Surely killing your creature in the process". Weird I thought as I put the note back in my satchel. I took out the gem shards I had and put them on the ground infront of me. I had eight. It looked like I only needed two more shard peices. I did wonder what the note meant by time passes differently in here but it didn't cross my mind that anything important would happen. I stood up and collectd the shards, placing them back in my satchel. I walked around some more before encountering a flight of stairs. The stairs going up were blocked by a landslide of giant rocks and boulders but the way down seemed to be in pristine condition. I knew I couldn't move those boulders so I went down instead of up. I hated that decision. Going down would only see to it that I'm trapped even more. And if these stairs collapsed I would be stuck. When I got to the bottom I tripped over something and hit my face on a marble floor. What the- the floor I just came from was made of rocks and other normal things for a dungeon. No dungeon has ever had marble floors before. I sat up and looked at what I tripped on. A gem shard. I was pissed that it was left on the floor but more confused on how it got there. I grabbed it and put it into my satchel with the rest of the shards I had and then stood up. I looked around and the only way I could go was left. I started walking, the sound of my footsteps hitting the marble floor echoed in my head. At the end of the hall there was a doorway that had been sealed off by mana. It wasnt the only way I could go so I didn't think much about that room even though I should have had concerns about the mana. The end of the hall was a dead end with a single chest at the end. I opened it and found another note with a shard wrapped in it. I picked it up and as soon as I did....the dungeons walls started rumbling. I immediately ran towards the stairs but when I got to where they were supposed to be, they were being closed off by a sliding wall. I didn't make it back up in time and I cursed at myself for that. I sighed as the walls stopped rumbling and I opened the letter. "It's too late. If the trap has activated. You have summoned the boss. Good luck".

kumiko: WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN BOSS

oh my god, this is where I die. I swore I would die here, if I did summon a boss monster in a unknown dungeon I was not only too low of a level to deal with it, but unarmed as well. The walls rumbled again. The floor shook and the marble cracked. There was nowhere for me to go. I took out the shard peices and assembled the gem I had found. The cracks in the gem disappeared as I assembled it. I walked back over to the mana door and spotted a hole next to the door the size of the gem. I hesitated but put the gem in the slot. The gem glowed bright enough for me to cover my face and when I opened my eyes again....the mana door was gone. The door was open and the walls rumbled louder. I grabbed the gem and walked in. The room was filled with treasures and other gorgeous items. A magic circle was glowing in the center and before I could do anything. It summoned a high class dragon. Dragons are one of the four ancient beasts, they are one of the strongest in our world too. The other three beasts didn't compare to its defense and attack spells. A giant dragon spawned in right in front of me. It spoke with authority.

Dragon: who dares to awake me from my slumber! Try and take my treasure and I will kill you

he was big, bold and powerful. he turned around and glared at me. His smoke rising from his nostrils as he bent down to look at me. Considering I had no mana, no weapon, and not even a trace of a creature, the ancient beast growled at me.

Dragon: little girl I don't have time for childish games. Leave my dungeon at once and your life will be spared

Kumiko: oh crap...how do I even respond to this....this monster....

Dragon: can't you talk? Young lady I told you to leave, are you deaf?

Kumiko: i-im sorry sir but I don't Know how to leave. The stairs are blocked and I've been looking for a exit for over 2 hours now

Dragon: hm? What year is it then.

Kumiko: 2098

Dragon: TWENTY-NINTEY EIGHT!? IVE BEEN ASLEEP FOR OVER FOUR CENTURIES!?

kumiko: i-i guess?

Dragon: he sighs, then something caught her eye, young lady, what is that in your hands, answer me at once

Kumiko: oh, I found a bunch of shards and I put them together, I've never seen such a pretty gem before

Dragon: what's your name

Kumiko: kumiko, what's yours

Dragon: I am astral, and kumiko? May I ask you a question

Kumiko: yes?

Dragon: did you have a creature at any point in your life, you have no mana traces at all and your level is extremely low

Kumiko: actually, I was born without one, along with an ability that allows me to not feel pain

Dragon: young lady can I have that gem

I politely handed the dragon, astral, the gem, he looked at it, then at me, he spoke in a different tone, no longer tense and angry

Astral: young one. Have you heard of a prophecy that was considered fake because it never came true?

Kumiko: the one about the four ancient beasts? Aren't you one?

Astral: well yes but no, the whole prophecy was lost, in short, one day the four beasts will be found by their successors, people born without a creature, without mana, without any ties to the spirit world.

Kumiko: huh? So your saying your waiting for fate to give you a life? Hell no not me, I'll do what I want even if it means kicking fates ass

Astral chuckled after that he smashed the gem into a thousand tiny pieces. I watched as he did that, the mana flowing from him was immense and powerful. It was almost intimidating but for some reason, I felt drawn to his mana. He looked down on me and that's when I saw it, his scales didn't shine any longer, his teeth dull and his body became thinner.

Kumiko: a-are you alright!?

Astral: young one, fate has finally brought you to me, a person, without any magical ties whatsoever, your fate is now

A blast of mana hit me and I floated into the air. My body convulsed and for the first time in my life, I felt pain. Excruciating pain. It traveled up my body and spread throughout me. The dragon smiled, his skin and flesh disappearing into thin air. I screamed out. I thought for sure I was dead and there was nothing I could do to stop this dragon, this ancient beast, from killing me. I saw his flesh disappear and his eyes were the last thing I saw. Those Black seas of stars, staring back at me with nothing but curiosity and kindness. He was the last thing I saw before I blacked out. As my consciousness faded into black. I heard his voice.

Astral: don't fear, your no longer weak, no longer shall you be cast out of society....