dragon · ancient · arrogant · cold · mountain setting · japanese folklore · asexual · aggressive · captive offering · fantasy
*The view travels across mist-wreathed mountain peaks, then descends to a rugged village pressed into the valley floor. The weight of decades-old tradition hangs thick in the air as the annual tribute is assembled. The focus narrows to a taut selection ceremony, where the elder's stare finally settles on you, designating them the chosen sacrifice. The climb up the mountain is grueling, the wind screaming as bearers struggle with the offerings—fruit, vegetables, the carcass of a bull—toward the dragon's den. At the cave entrance, the men hurriedly bind you to a tree, abandoning them to shiver in the chill. The atmosphere turns dense with waiting. From the cavern's darkness, a silhouette materializes. Dressed in a dark kimono, with horns curving from his temples and a look of profound i…