Chapter 1
Darkness.
Warm, thick, and endless. Then—a crack. A sound, like stone splitting under pressure. And cold air, thick with earth and moss, rushed into Aurora's lungs as her eyes fluttered open.
She gasped.
Above her, jagged stone walls glittered with faint glowing vines. Below, a cracked eggshell cradled her trembling body. Her skin was pale, too pale, and her long white hair shimmered faintly like moonlight. Her eyes reflected violet hues she had never seen on herself before.
"This must be a dream," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "A weird dream…"
She pinched her arm.
It hurt.
"This isn't real. I must've hit my head… I was just… crossing the street—"
Screech.
A distant sound echoed through the cavern, jerking her thoughts into silence. She stood shakily, still trying to understand her own limbs. Her feet were bare, skin marked with tiny, iridescent scales around her ankles. A strange weight pressed at her forehead—when she touched it, her fingers brushed a small, hard protrusion. A horn.
"No. No, no, no. This is just some coma hallucination. I'm not a monster."
A silver glint caught her eye.
Half-buried in the moss beside the shattered egg was a ring. Simple, silver, and humming with a faint warmth. She slid it onto her finger without much thought—dreams didn't come with jewelry, but what did it matter? None of this was real anyway.
She found a way out of the cave and stepped into a forest like nothing she'd seen before—sky of lavender, leaves glowing with silver veins, flowers humming softly like bees.
Days passed.
She learned to drink from waterfalls, eat glowing fruits, and avoid the sound of growling at night. She wrapped herself in moss and bark, built a small lean-to, and studied the strange markings on her arms. She wasn't just in a dream anymore. She was something else.
And the more she moved, the more she felt it—magic. In the trees. In the ground. Even in her body. But every time she tried to touch it, something pushed back, like two rivers flowing against each other.
Her powers were… wrong. Too unstable.
Then one day, she saw the smoke. Far away, beyond the trees—maybe a town. A city. Civilization.
She smiled for the first time.
"I'm going to find people. Answers. A way to wake up."
But the forest wasn't done with her.
Just before reaching the edge, a shadow flew overhead, blotting out the light. Aurora barely looked up in time to see it—a beast of wings and fire, shaped like a tiger but larger than a horse, with a mane of flames and burning golden eyes.
A flying fire tiger.
It dove.
She screamed, sprinted, but it was too fast. One paw caught her side and ripped. Pain tore through her body as she tumbled. Her blood splashed across the forest floor—and onto the ring.
It pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Light.
Blinding, pure, and endless. It swallowed her, dragged her out of the forest, and when it faded—
She was standing in space.
No ground. No trees. Just a floating marble pathway under her feet and, far above her, a massive palace suspended in the void. It glowed gold and white, as if built by angels.
She shivered.
"This... isn't the forest. This isn't anything."
A whisper tickled her mind.
"Caos."
The name filled her like a wave. Her feet moved on their own, carrying her into the glowing palace. The moment she stepped through the golden arch of the first floor, it hit her—
Knowledge.
Flooding in like a tidal wave. The truth of this place—Caos. A sanctuary hidden in the ring. Created by an ancient being. A self-contained world where plants could grow, creatures could be raised, and magic could be studied in safety.
But only those weaker than her could enter.
A drawer opened on its own. Inside: a single crystal vial, filled with silver liquid. A note shimmered into view:
"To hide what you are, drink this."
Aurora stared at it for a long time. Then she drank.
Pain, then warmth. Her horn vanished. Her hair turned dark. Her eyes dulled to a soft brown. She looked… human again.
But the magic in her still churned, wild and unstable.
And Caos whispered the truth:
To fix it for good, she needed the blood of a phoenix.
Chapter 2: The World Within the Ring
The white light faded, leaving Aurora collapsed on cold, polished stone.
Her breath came in shallow gasps, her skin clammy with fear and blood. But when she looked up, the forest and the fire tiger were gone. Instead, she found herself inside a vast, glowing space—silent, sacred, and impossible. Above her floated a golden palace suspended in midair, radiating a holy light that didn't burn, only warmed. The sky here shimmered in hues of blue and silver, like a painting that never dried.
Was she dead again?
No. Her wound still stung. Her limbs ached. Whatever this place was, it was real.
She stood shakily, her blood now dry, and stared at the stairs spiraling up toward the palace. With nowhere else to go, she climbed.
The moment her foot touched the first step, her mind was flooded with light.
Painless—but overwhelming.
Information poured into her brain like whispered voices, like memories that weren't hers. She dropped to her knees, gripping her head, her dragon horn glowing faintly.
> "Welcome to Caos."
"A sanctuary created by an ancient one."
"A seed realm, where time bends, life thrives, and only a chosen bearer may enter."
The knowledge formed as if she'd always known it: Caos was a living world hidden within the ring. It could grow plants at twice the speed of the outside world. It could house magical beasts—but only ones weaker than the bearer. It could protect her… and hide her.
And right now, she needed both.
Still trembling, Aurora rose and entered the floating palace. The inside was more humble than she expected. White marble floors, crystalline walls, and a soft breeze that smelled of stars and rain. On a pedestal in the center of the room sat a small bottle, glowing with golden light.
She didn't know how she knew—but this was medicine, and it was meant for her.
Her hand reached out. The moment her fingers brushed the bottle, the liquid inside pulsed. A new set of words filled her mind.
> "Disguise Elixir: Conceals hybrid traits. Duration: 1 month."
Her throat tightened. Was it really that easy?
She drank.
Warmth spread through her body like sunlight in winter. She collapsed to the ground again, but this time not from fear—her skin shimmered, her hair darkened, and the glow in her eyes dimmed.
When she sat up, her reflection in the marble floor showed a girl with brown eyes, dark hair, and no visible horn. Her chest tightened. She looked... normal.
Human.
Tears filled her eyes, but she wiped them away. This wasn't a cure. It was a mask. A lie. But for now—it was safety.
Outside, the real world waited. The city she had seen from the cliffs. The people. The danger. And maybe… the answers.
She turned to the palace once more, whispering a silent thank you. Then, with trembling strength and a heavy heart, Aurora walked back toward the exit of Caos.
She would blend in. She would survive.
And one day, she'd find the phoenix.