Chapter Twenty

As darkness enveloped my surroundings, I found myself in an unexplainable dilemma, devoid of any recollection of how I arrived there. The disorienting atmosphere felt eerily surreal, accompanied by a tantalizing medley of scents - a subtle fusion of oil, earthy wood, verdant grass, aromatic herbs, and damp moss. Suddenly, a gentle touch laid upon my back, jolting me with a surge of shock, causing me to hastily assume a defensive stance. To my astonishment, it was the older woman, whose presence had appeared before me on the day I left Cessi in Alexander's care. She held a flambeau to her countenance, casting striking illumination upon the obscure space we now occupied.

It was then that I realized our location - a basement that transcended all ordinary basements, for it was the mythical dragon dungeon. One I only heard about.

"The Devil himself dwells among us and you are well acquainted with his presence!" The woman uttered in a deep voice, fixing her cloudy, cataract-filled gaze up