The vegetation, however, didn't allow her to open the door. She slipped her machete into the gap between the doors and slashed through all the growth. She had completely cut through the densest section, but the top two and a half meters of the door were out of her reach. Here, a few tendrils still crawled from one door to the other. Severa pushed against the door again with all her strength, but her arms were weakened after the previous day's exertion.

She rested her forearms and head against the door for a moment to catch her breath. Then she took a few steps back and threw her full weight against the door. It opened a few centimeters, snapping some vines loose, which fell to the ground. After repeating the process about five times, the gap was just wide enough for Severa to slip inside.

In the light of the opening, she saw that the door had left a trail in the muddy ground, revealing a stone floor underneath. Beyond that, it was completely dark inside. It smelled of death—a musty scent with a faint undertone of rotting flesh. It was disgusting but not nauseating, and after a while, Severa got used to the smell.

Shrouded in darkness, in the immense building almost indistinguishable from the mountain peak, Severa felt surprisingly safe. If the soldiers had indeed headed to Monterra, she could rest here undisturbed until she regained her courage and strength, ready to take revenge on Brimsjá's army and its fire dragon.

With her back against the right door, head tilted back, and eyes closed, she rested in the light filtering through the gap. Slowly, she drifted off, sinking into the calm of ordinary dreams. Dreams that made perfect sense, no matter how little they actually did. Where everything was different, yet it felt like it had always been that way.

She dreamed of the coast, where she shot her bow into the water at fish meant for dinner. She hit one easily, something she rarely managed on the first try. But she felt no pride; it seemed as if it had always been this easy.

She waded into the water with big strides, which didn't feel cold, and even her wet trousers didn't itch, as they always did. She bent down and grabbed a Falsciurus from the water, pierced by her arrow. The water around it remained a clear blue, and the creature was still dry. She dragged it home by its tail, descending the mountain path to the village square, and within seconds, she was beside her mother in the kitchen. Her father also walked in and proudly patted her shoulder.

Severa felt a tingle in her head, and the image of her mother and father faded into a dark blur. Isn't father dead? she asked herself. She tried to slip back into her dream, leaving behind her questions and reality, and return to that peaceful vision. But she couldn't. She was fully in control of her thoughts again and couldn't return to a dream she still believed in.

Each attempt only woke her further. The sounds around her grew clearer, and her stomach rumbled with hunger. Sighing, she opened her eyes again, frustrated that there was no escape from reality.

Obeying her hunger, she slipped through the door outside. It was already late afternoon, and the dragon had left the mountain peak. It trudged through the forest as if it were tall grass, catching flying birds in its mouth. Severa entered the surrounding forest and drew her bow. With each step she took, rustling sounds erupted, and birds flew off, cawing, before she could shoot them down.

Suddenly, the cracking of thick branches echoed nearby; a sound slowly approached. Severa hid behind a tree and aimed her arrow at the bushes. A large, broad creature with grass-like fur pushed trees aside with its enormous hands as it stomped through the undergrowth. When it was about four meters from Severa, she released her arrow.

At first, it whimpered in a low tone, patting its body to find the arrow lodged in its belly. Then, as it pulled the arrow out, it roared furiously, baring its sharp teeth. With ground-shaking strides, it charged at Severa.

Nimbly, she climbed the tree she had been hiding behind, confident its clumsy body couldn't follow. She drew her bow again as the beast clung to the tree trunk. Before she could aim, she felt the tree move.

The beast had pulled the entire tree, roots and all, from the ground. It threw the tree aside, and Severa leaped onto a branch of another tree. Sharp twigs scratched her face, and she squeezed her eyes shut for protection.

The creature looked confused at the fallen tree where Severa had been. Only a small, reptilian creature scurried away. Before it realized where Severa had gone, she shot an arrow straight through its head from the new tree. With a dull thud, the beast fell forward and lay lifeless on the ground.