I Only Tame Dragons

Seraphina looked up at Horizon. "What did you find out?"

Horizon folded his arms, his gaze sweeping over the tense faces. "The corpses? They weren't just lost—they were trapped in some kind of looping barrier. That's why they couldn't find the monolith. It's like a maze with no exit, warping anyone's sense of direction. If we keep wandering aimlessly, we'll end up just like them."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Dawnfire's expression darkened. "A barrier? So, someone set this up intentionally?"

"Most likely," Horizon replied. "Whether it's a trap laid by another guild or some ancient magic protecting this region, we don't know yet. But one thing's clear—finding the monolith won't be as simple as we thought. We're not just dealing with obstacles; we're dealing with something that wants us lost."

The group exchanged uneasy glances. Velvet clenched her fists, trying to hide her growing fear behind a mask of frustration. "Great. Just what we needed—a cursed maze with no way out."

Horizon chuckled, the sound low. "If it were easy, everyone would have made it to the exit by now."

Velvet crossed her arms, glaring at Horizon. "So, in short, you found nothing useful from raising those corpses?" she asked, her tone sharp and unimpressed.

Horizon smirked, his expression cool and unbothered. "Who said we found nothing?" he replied nonchalantly. "Because of them, we confirmed what I suspected—we're trapped in a timeless loop here. A force is keeping us bound, cycling us through this desert without progress. So, what's it going to be? Are you ready to play this game, or would you rather sit around and wait for whatever's lurking in this place to find us first?"

The challenge in his voice was clear. Despite their earlier distrust, they couldn't deny his point. The time for second-guessing had passed; they needed to act before they were overwhelmed by the unknown dangers of this cursed desert and ended up like corpses.

With a collective nod, the group moved closer, forming a small circle to discuss their next steps.

"But something doesn't add up," Dawnfire muttered, her brows furrowed in thought. "We just arrived in this dimension yesterday, yet we've already encountered corpses? How is that even possible? A regular player should be able to survive without food or water here for days."

Horizon nodded, his expression serious. "Good observation. It's because time here moves differently. We're caught in a loop—a temporal trap. The moment we stepped into this dimension, we were already ensnared. Time is resetting itself, cycling over and over, and it's dragging us along with it."

Aria's eyes widened. "So, we've been stuck in this loop without even realizing it? Is there any way to break free?"

"There should be," Horizon replied. "Otherwise, no one would make it out of here. It's designed to trap us, but not without a purpose." He paused, his voice dropping. "Unless . . ."

"Unless what?" Seraphina pressed, sensing the shift in his tone.

Horizon's gaze darkened as he considered the possibility. "Unless this loop was set by another guild—a trap deliberately laid to eliminate their competition in the contest."

Silence fell over the group like a heavy shroud. The idea of being targeted by a rival guild added a new layer of danger to their situation.

It wasn't just the timeless loop they had to worry about; it was the cunning of an unseen enemy pulling the strings from the shadows.

Seraphina was the first to break the silence, and turned to Fiora. "Can you find anything around here, Fiora? Some trace of the anomaly that's keeping us trapped?"

Fiora hesitated, scanning the desolate landscape. The usual shimmer of magic she relied on to sense disturbances was absent.

She shook her head, frustration evident on her face. "I don't feel anything. But . . . there might be a way," she added slowly, her voice filled with uncertainty.

The others looked at her with curiosity and a glimmer of hope. "What do you mean?" Seraphina asked, leaning in.

Fiora, a Tier-2 Spirit Druid, was still considered a newcomer in her craft. Yet, when it came to detecting anomalies in the environment, few could match her sharp instincts and refined skills.

Fiora bit her lip, clearly weighing her options. She took a deep breath, then began to explain. "I have a ritual skill—[Echo of the Veil]. It's an advanced form of divination. It can reveal hidden disturbances, even those obscured by powerful magic. If there's an anomaly anchoring us here, this skill will expose it."

Velvet raised an eyebrow. "And why haven't you used it already?"

Fiora sighed. "Because it's not without cost. Using [Echo of the Veil] will drain all my mana in one go. I'll be left completely vulnerable—unable to cast spells or defend myself for an entire day. Mana potions are useless. If something attacks us afterward, I'd be nothing but dead weight."

The group exchanged glances. The risk was obvious. Sacrificing one of their healer could leave them exposed in this hostile environment, but without a clue on how to break the loop, they were running out of options.

Horizon observed the exchange, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "So, it's a gamble," he mused. "One that might be worth taking if it means we can find a way out of this place. But it's your call, Fiora. You're the one who'll have to bear the cost."

Fiora glanced at him, surprised by the unexpected respect in his voice. He wasn't pushing her, merely presenting the choice. She looked at the rest of the team, searching their faces for any sign of doubt.

Dawnfire's gaze softened. "We've got your back, Fiora. If you decide to do this, we'll protect you until your mana recovers."

Seraphina nodded in agreement. "We're in this together. If this is the only way to break the cycle, then we'll take the risk."

Velvet added with a teasing voice, "Just make sure whatever you find is worth it. We can't afford to waste time or resources."

Fiora took a deep breath, her resolve solidifying. "Alright then. Give me some space. This will take a few minutes, and I need to concentrate."

The group spread out, forming a protective circle around her. Horizon stood at the edge, his undead minions positioned strategically to guard against any sudden threats.

Fiora knelt on the ground, drawing a series of intricate runes in the sand with her finger. She murmured a soft incantation, her voice barely audible as she tapped into the deepest reserves of her magic. The runes began to glow faintly, pulsing with an eerie blue light that seemed to sink into the earth.

The air around them grew heavy, charged with a strange, oppressive energy. It felt like the entire desert was holding its breath, waiting for the ritual to unfold.

Fiora placed her hands over the glowing runes, closing her eyes. A faint, ghostly light enveloped her, flickering like a dying flame. She whispered the final words of her incantation, and the blue light from the runes surged upward, forming a translucent dome around the group.

The dome shimmered, rippling like the surface of disturbed water. Through it, faint echoes of past events played out, ghostly images of people walking in circles, their expressions blank and hollow. It was as if they were reliving the same moment over and over again, trapped in a loop with no end.

Suddenly, the dome flickered, revealing a dark, jagged tear in the fabric of the air—a rift pulsing with chaotic energy. It was the source of the loop, the anchor keeping them bound to this cursed place.

"There," Fiora gasped, her voice strained. "That's it. The anomaly. It's like a scar in the magic of this realm, twisting time and space around it."

Seraphina's eyes widened. "How do we get rid of it?"

Fiora's face paled as the last of her mana drained away. The dome of light flickered, then shattered, sending a shockwave of energy rippling outwards.

She collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. "It's a seal," she managed to say. "A powerful one. It's not just a natural rift; someone created it—intentionally. We'd need to disrupt the flow of magic feeding into it to break the loop."

Horizon's eyes narrowed as he studied the dark rift. "So someone trapped us here deliberately. This wasn't just a random anomaly."

Velvet cursed under her breath. "Of course, it couldn't be that simple. Who the hell would go through all this trouble to trap us here?"

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Dawnfire's expression hardened. "Whoever it is, they're watching us. They want us stuck here, running in circles until we exhaust ourselves or die."

Aria knelt beside Fiora, offering her a sip of water. "Rest now. You've done more than enough."

Fiora took the water gratefully, her hands trembling from the exertion. "Be careful," she whispered. "If whoever set this trap is watching, they might retaliate now that we've discovered their trick."

Horizon glanced back at his undead, his expression darkening. "Let them try, then."

He turned to the rest of the group, his voice filled with cold determination. "We break the seal, disrupt the flow of magic, and shatter this loop. Then we find out who's behind this and make them pay."