Author Becomes Character (Revised version)

Chapter 10: Awkward Dragon Conversations

"That's the last memory I have," I continued. "I was just writing... and then, bam, I woke up here. In your world. As the only princess of an empire I don't even remember asking to be part of. And honestly, I don't know what happened or why I ended up here. But ever since I got here, I've been asking myself one question: Why? Why me? What's my purpose?"

There was a long silence after I finished. The kind of silence where I almost regretted saying anything, thinking maybe I was oversharing. But then I felt his eyes on me, and I didn't want to take it back.

"So... you were just... writing your story when you fell asleep and ended up here?" he asked, breaking the silence with a somewhat baffled look.

I nodded. "Yep. That's pretty much it. I was just some random, ordinary person with an ordinary life... and now here I am, surrounded by dragons, royalty, and magic. Like, what happened? Did I die? Was it fate? I don't know..."

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "That's a lot to take in," he said, sounding surprisingly serious. Then, he smirked. "I don't know about you, but this world is a whole lot more interesting than writing novels. Maybe you should consider sticking around and seeing what happens next specially after we get out of here"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, maybe I should. But right now, it feels like I'm just trying to survive, not live."

"You'll get there," he said with a shrug. "We all just have to figure out what we're supposed to do with our lives, right? Even dragons don't know everything. Some of us just wing it. You'll find your purpose, eventually."

I stared at him for a second, feeling something like gratitude creeping up. Even the grumpy old dragon had a point.

-

"Let's spar" I said with a grin

With a determined smirk, I raised my hand, focus into shaping my mana into something that I have imagined. "Flame Sword, let's go!" I shouted, summoning a blade of intense fire that flickered in my grip, its heat radiating like a mini sun. The flames crackled, dancing around the sword in a way that made me feel like a total badass.

The dragon gave me a sidelong glance, clearly impressed—though he'd never admit it. "Well, look at you. Making a sword out of fire now. Think you can actually use it?"

"Watch and learn," I said confidently, gripping the fiery blade with both hands.

Then, I snapped my fingers, sending a surge of mana into the earth. "Golem, you're up!" I shouted. The ground rumbled beneath me as my stone buddy—who, to my surprise, was about three feet tall now—crawled out of the earth, ready for battle.

The dragon chuckled, clearly amused by the tiny golem standing next to me. "You seriously think that thing is gonna be of any use against me?"

"Don't underestimate us!" I yelled, charging at him with my flame sword raised high. The golem followed closely behind, swinging its stone fists and lumbering toward the dragon. It was a team effort.

As I swung the flame sword at the dragon, it effortlessly dodged, but the golem made an unexpected move—charging straight at the dragon's tail. The dragon flicked his tail and sent the golem tumbling like a toy. "Nice try, rock buddy," he smirked.

"Don't you dare laugh at my golem!" I shouted, spinning around to avoid the dragon's fiery breath, which scorched the ground beneath me. "Hey, my golem has potential!"

The dragon's eyes glinted with mischief as he let out a huge roar. "Alright, alright. If you want to fight, I'll give you a proper challenge."

Before I could react, his massive form shimmered and began to shrink, shifting before my eyes into his human shape. Standing in front of me now was a tall, imposing figure with black hair hair, wearing a look of casual confidence that made my heart skip a beat. His fiery eyes were still sharp, but there was a spark of amusement in them now, as if he was fully embracing the challenge I had unwittingly invited.