Everyone was running as fast as they could through the trees, with the ear-piercing screams of the mermaids echoing behind them. Faiyra was still clutching the plant like her life depended on it. Alice, her face pale as a ghost, screamed:
"WHY do these things not look like the beautiful legendary creatures?! They're just wet, terrifying monsters!"
Luna, panting, yelled back: "I don't know who wrote those legends, but they were definitely a professional liar!"
The mermaids, with their grotesque faces and mouths full of razor-sharp teeth, leaped out of the water, their claws reaching out to snatch someone. One of them lunged at Ethan, but he barely dodged and shouted:
"For once in my life, I actually wish I was one of those knights in heavy armor who don't have to run for their lives!"
Selena, soaring above them with her dragon wings, shouted: "We're getting close to a cliff! We need another way—running straight ahead isn't an option!"
Faiyra, still sprinting, yelled: "I know another way, but it's just a LITTLE risky!"
Ethan, breathless, groaned: "If it's safer than getting eaten by a psycho mermaid, I'm in!"
"Then jump over that rock and go down!" Faiyra shouted, and without hesitation, she was the first to leap off the cliff.
Alice's eyes widened in horror. "ARE YOU SURE?!"
Luna, her face lit up with excitement, yelled: "Never missed the chance for a death-defying jump!" and dove right after Faiyra.
Ethan and Alice were the last ones. Alice screamed: "If I don't survive this, Faiyra, just know that I HATE YOU!" and then hurled herself off.
A second later, everyone crashed into a raging river.
"I'M DROWNING!!!" Alice screamed, flailing wildly.
Ethan tried to help, but he was already struggling to stay above water himself. Luna and Faiyra, who had smoothly surfaced with their dragon wings, smirked. "Wow, amazing swimmers, huh?"
Selena, still serious, looked at Faiyra. "Was that potion of yours worth it?"
Faiyra pulled the plant out of her pocket, looked at it proudly, and grinned. "Absolutely! This is a masterpiece of nature!"
Alice glared at her. "IT ALMOST COST US OUR LIVES!"
Ethan, still catching his breath from the unexpected dive, chuckled. "Well, at least we're still alive!"
And so, with soaked clothes, racing hearts, and yet another near-death experience, they made their way home
Giant Potion – When Everything Goes Horribly Wrong!
After a night full of running for their lives, nearly falling to their deaths, and an impromptu swimming lesson in a raging river, the group finally made it back home—soaking wet, exhausted, and completely done with life.
"I need a hot bath, a proper meal, and then a week of sleep," Ethan groaned as he collapsed onto the couch.
Faiyra, however, was way too hyped to care. She pulled out the rare plant from her pocket, her eyes practically sparkling. "But before that—we gotta make this potion!"
Alice grabbed her arm, shaking her furiously. "WE ALMOST DIED FOR THAT DAMN PLANT! Can't we at least rest for an hour?!"
Faiyra grinned mischievously. "Nope! Every minute we waste is a minute less of being a giant freaking dragon!"
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it's gonna work? 'Cause if you messed up, we might just explode."
"Of course it'll work! I mean… ninety percent sure… maybe eighty?" Faiyra muttered as she started throwing ingredients into the bubbling cauldron.
Ethan peeked over from the kitchen. "Okay, but how are we testing this? Who's gonna be the first guinea pig?"
Luna smirked. "Duh, Faiyra! Since it was her genius idea, she gets the honor."
Everyone turned to Faiyra with expectant stares. She blinked.
"…If I die, at least throw me a funeral or something," she grumbled before grabbing the potion and chugging it down.
Silence.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then—
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Faiyra's eyes glowed, her body started growing at an insane speed, and within seconds—BOOM. She was a massive dragon. The ceiling cracked, the walls trembled, and everyone scrambled backward in pure panic.
"…Oops," Faiyra rumbled, her voice now a deep, dragon-like growl.
Alice, now half-crushed under Faiyra's giant tail, screamed, "TAKE IT BACK! THIS IS A NIGHTMARE!"
Ethan, staring up at her in shock, whispered, "This is both the coolest and scariest thing I've ever seen."
Selena, struggling to free Faiyra's wings from the ceiling, sighed. "Well… at least we know the potion works."
Luna let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, but now we have a bigger problem… HOW DO WE TURN HER BACK?!"
Meanwhile, far away, hidden under the shade of a towering tree, an unknown figure silently watched the chaos unfold.
Their face remained hidden in the shadows, but their sharp eyes took in everything—the giant dragon, the panicking group, the potion that actually worked.
They murmured to themselves, "…Interesting. So they really did it."
Then, without another word, they disappeared into the darkness.
This information needed to reach the king—immediately.
The house was still trembling, the walls cracking under the pressure. In one corner of the room, Alice, who was almost completely buried under Faiyra's giant wing, used the last of her strength to yell, "DO SOMETHING! Before the whole house comes crashing down on us!"
Faiyra tried to move, but every time she shifted a wing or a claw, she just made things worse.
Ethan, looking more and more worried, said, "Okay, so we know it works… but now someone tell me how we're supposed to turn her back?!"
Selena sighed, crossing her arms. "The answer's simple—we wait for the effect to wear off. The real question is, how long will it take?"
Everyone turned to Faiyra.
"Well… I might have forgotten to write down how long it lasts…" her deep, dragon-like voice rumbled through the house.
"WHAT?!!" everyone screamed in unison.
Luna, who was desperately trying to escape from between Faiyra's massive claws, groaned, "So… you might be stuck like this forever?!"
Faiyra, sounding way too excited for someone in this situation, said, "Maybe… OR maybe it's just a few hours! Or a few days… or weeks… who knows? Who cares? I'M A GIANT DRAGON RIGHT NOW! THIS IS AMAZING!"
Ethan's eyes widened. "Yeah, amazing—until someone sees you, thinks you're an actual monster, and decides to attack you!"
Alice, still struggling under Faiyra's enormous body, panted, "For the love of—SOMEONE FIX THIS, I'M BEING CRUSHED."
At that moment, Selena, who had been flipping through Faiyra's magic notebook, suddenly gasped. "Good news! The effect should wear off on its own in an hour or two!"
Luna, squinting, asked cautiously, "…And the bad news?"
Selena raised an eyebrow. "There's no way to speed it up. We just have to wait."
A collective groan filled the room, but at least they knew Faiyra wouldn't stay a giant dragon forever.
The Mysterious Figure – A Report for the King
While the group was still trying to manage the disaster inside, the shadowy figure outside continued to watch. Now that they had gathered enough information, it was time to report.
Moving silently like a ghost, they slipped away into the darkness, heading toward a towering castle deep in the mountains. The massive gates, covered in glowing runes, opened before them, and they walked through the stone halls without making a sound until they reached a grand chamber.
A man in a black cloak sat on a golden throne. As soon as he heard the approaching footsteps, he spoke in a deep, commanding voice.
"Well? What's the news?"
The figure bowed slightly before speaking. "Just as you expected—their potion worked. One of the dragons can now grow far larger than normal."
The king's sharp gaze darkened as he murmured, "…Interesting. So they actually pulled it off."
He paused for a moment, then a slow, knowing smile spread across his face.
"It's time to pay them a visit… personally."