“We’re still technically underground, but at least we can see the sky now,” I say, glancing around at the steep walls surrounding us. “How long were we down there?”

  "Close to a day now." Bailey says, looking up at the moons.

  We cautiously approach the edge of the sinkhole. “That’s quite a drop,” Bailey observes, peering upwards, his eyes widening.

  “Yeah, not exactly a gentle stroll back to the surface,” I comment. “Any idea how far we are from where we started?”

  Studying the readings on his device, Bailey shakes his head slightly. “Whoa… that’s a good stretch. We must be under a mountain. We’ve come a long way today.”

  “Okay, you should get some rest. We’re not climbing out of this thing tonight,” I tell Bailey.

  We set up a makeshift tent for him—basically a large sheet of waterproof material propped up with some conveniently placed rocks.

  He promptly collapses inside, snoring softly within minutes. I settle in for cultivation and watch for the night.

  The gold core phase is much longer than the previous two, which I practically skipped.

  Taking my time, I channel the Qi, directing it to cycle through my entire body.

  The process is much more tedious than you think. However, when you don’t have many internal organs, the Qi flows much more smoothly and quickly around the body.

  Each time my Qi completes a cycle, I feel my body get a tiny bit stronger, and my senses reach a bit further. I continue until I deplete all my Qi, then I start absorbing the Qi around me.

  This process continues until dawn arrives. Each time I deplete and recharge my Qi, the amount I can store increases as well, making the gold core within me larger and sturdier.

  As dawn breaks, casting a soft, ethereal glow over the sinkhole, the once-still air begins to stir with life. A gentle breeze, carrying the sweet scent of morning dew, sweeps through the air.

  Bailey slowly emerges from the tent, blinking in the sudden light. "Slept like a log last night. Thanks for keepin' an eye out."

  “Alright, now for the real fun,” I say, tilting my head back to survey the daunting cliff face. It looks even steeper in the daylight.

  "There's a funny smell about..." Bailey comments, wrinkling his nose and sniffing delicately.

  “Don’t tell me…” I instantly expand my senses to cover half of the sinkhole. An absolutely atrocious stench assaults my sense of smell. “Okay, new plan. We need to move. Immediately.”

  Before we can even contemplate which toehold to grab first, the ground beneath us shudders violently.

  A massive, pale white head, vaguely resembling a dinosaur crossed with a Komodo dragon, erupts from the earth.

  Then, with a series of earth-shaking shudders, the rest of the colossal lizard-dinosaur hauls itself fully out of the ground, showering us with dirt and pebbles.

  "That's what's been eatin' the Umbrynus?!" Bailey whispers, his eyes wide as he tilts his head to look up at the colossal giant.

  “Yes, I believe so,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. “Recognize it?”

  "No idea. Doesn't look like anythin' I've ever come across," Bailey shivers slightly.

  The dinosaur-lizard slowly moves toward us, its surprisingly intelligent eyes fixed on me.

  I instinctively push Bailey behind me, backing us against the sinkhole wall. Channeling my Qi, I brace myself for a fight.

  The creature continues its slow advance, but instead of charging or roaring, it simply… inches closer.

  Then, it slowly opens its massive jaws. A long, pink tongue unfurls, gently wrapping around me, as if… taking a sample.

  It quickly retracts its tongue, then tilts its head back, lets out a bizarre gargling sound, and proceeds to spit two gleaming golden nuggets onto the ground in front of us.

  “Concentrated Adamantine ore?!” Bailey exclaims, his jaw dropping. “Is it...is it givin' it to us?!”

  “Stay back,” I whisper to Bailey, cautiously approaching the… gift. As I get closer, my hair flares with that familiar iridescent light.

  The sudden light show startles the creature, causing it to stumble back a couple of steps, its dinosaur eyes blinking in confusion.

  Strands of glowing hair snake out and envelop the ores. As they do, I feel a denser aura of energy thrumming around me,and that familiar tingling sensation returns to my scalp.

  Once again, I feel that strange sense of control over the millions of iridescent strands.

  Driven by an irresistible curiosity—and maybe a touch of madness—I slowly reach out to touch its head.

  It tilts its head down toward me in response, as if anticipating my touch, or maybe just trying to get a better look at my colorful glowing hair. I wonder what the creature wants with us.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  The moment my fingers brush its rough hide, strands of my glowing hair touch the creature as well. “Why are you here?” I whisper to it.

  My hair makes contact with the creature, and I sense the creature’s essence, a speck of light within it. As if answering my question, the speck brightens in a couple of tiny spots.

  Memories contained within the speck of light, once taken, are robbed from the owner’s mind. They will no longer have them. Thus, instead of large chunks, I decide to get only snapshots—fleeting images of its past.

  Focusing my attention on the couple of tiny brightened spots, fragmented memories flash through my mind like a bizarre slideshow.

  * * *

  Looking through a glass window, a younger, less stressed-looking Dr. Keyser works tirelessly in his lab.

  A glass contrivance in the lab holds a swirling blue liquid—and something that resembles an embryo.

  Dr. Keyser and I travel underground, searching for orangey-gold ores.

  Digging and carrying massive machine parts to a magma chamber.

  The glass contrivance of blue liquid now contains a fully formed body.

  Carefully opening the cage and fleeing the lab.

  Seeing the machine within the magma chamber again, deep underground. It looks…different. It’s…bigger. No, bigger isn’t the right word. It’s…bloating. Like a giant metal balloon about to pop.

  Fear…a bone-deep, primal fear…fills me.

  * * *

  “Have we… met before?” I murmur to the creature, as I withdraw my hair. Piecing together the fragmented memories feels strangely like reconnecting with a very strange old friend.

  The creature nudges its head against my hand.

  “So… we’re not on the menu?” Bailey whispers from behind me.

  “Probably not,” I whisper back. “We wouldn’t be very appetizing anyway. Besides, I think this creature escaped from Dr. Keyser’s lab.”

  “It got out of Master Keyser’s lab…?!” Bailey murmurs, a puzzled frown creasing his brow. “If it ain’t lookin’ for a meal, then what’s it want with us?”

  “I think it needs my help,” I mumble, gesturing vaguely at myself.

  “This place isn’t just a sinkhole. It’s the mouth of a dormant volcano! There’s still magma deep down. Dr. Keyser’s been using a machine to siphon power from it.”

  The massive, dinosaur-like creature bumps my shoulder with its head, nearly sending me tumbling. “Garaaaha,” it rumbles, the sound almost like a grumbling “uh-huh.”

  After processing the fragmented images I’ve glimpsed, I explain to Bailey, “That machine’s malfunctioning. It’s going to blow if we don’t do something. And that could reawaken this entire volcano.”

  “What?! Well, come on then, let’s move it!” Bailey exclaims, already taking a step forward before pausing and looking back at the colossal creature.

  “We can’t just ‘go,’” I say, patting the creature’s rough hide. “If that machine goes boom… everything here, this entire underground city… everything goes up in smoke.”

  I look at the creature, a sudden thought striking me. “Let’s call you Rexy.”

  It’s the first name that pops into my head, since it does resemble a certain other large reptile from a movie from my past life. Hopefully, this one won’t try to eat any lawyers.

  “Garaaaha,” Rexy rumbles, nodding in what I assume is agreement. She nudges my hand with her snout, as if saying, “Yeah, Rexy. I dig it.”

  Turning to Bailey, I ask, “How are you with machines?”

  "Not ideal...I've got a few ideas, but I'm no Master Keyser." Bailey replies, shaking his head.

  “That’s okay, still better than me,” I say, then proceed to sketch the machine I’d glimpsed, explaining its workings to Bailey as I draw.

  It’s basically a giant metal balloon now with a bunch of glowing wires sticking out, which, I admit, isn’t the most technical description.

  Bailey slowly nods, then explains his understanding of the device. Apparently, it’s a converter, but it’s been converting and collecting energy without anything to expend it on.

  Ever since the… incident that claimed Dr. Keyser, the machine’s been on the fritz.

  It might be possible to reverse the process and slowly release the energy back into the magma, preventing a catastrophic volcanic burp.

  By the time we’ve hashed out the basics, the sun is high overhead.

  Bailey suddenly looks as if struck by a sudden realization. "Oh, no you don't! You're not gettin' rid of me now, not after all we've been through! I'm stickin' with you!"

  “That hell hole is not somewhere you can go,” I explain to Bailey.

  “You won’t last in that kind of pressure and heat. Only I can, because I am Dr. Keyser’s best creation. I’m not about to become a human-shaped pile of ash down there.”

  “But…” Bailey starts, worry etched on his face.

  “Please help my buddy get to safety,” I interrupt, speaking to Rexy. “I’ll go with you to that machine and see what we can do.”

  Rexy rumbles again, then scoops Bailey onto its back before he can object further. I hop on behind him.

  Rexy charges up the wall with surprising speed, Bailey clinging on for dear life, and we make it all the way to the top of the cliff face in record time.

  Bailey gives me another worried look. “Thank you… for everything.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic!” I say with a laugh, giving Bailey a playful shove. “I’ll be back! You should get as far away from here as you can.”

  I turn back to the hole, ready to descend with Rexy, then pause, a thought striking me. I grab my bag and toss it up to Bailey.

  “Just in case! Don’t want it getting all… extra crispy! Keep it safe for me, will ya?” I yell.

  “You’d best come back in one piece!” Bailey’s anxious shout echoes off the cliff walls.

  “Okay, Rexy, lead the way!” I say, giving Rexy a reassuring head rub.

  Rexy rumbles in response, then charges back into the hole it came out of, heading straight down like a scaly missile.

  It’s a wild ride, a bumpy, jostling descent into the dormant volcano’s fiery belly, but thankfully, this body is indestructible.

  We plunge deeper and deeper, through a maze of existing tunnels, a chaotic network of natural pathways carved by ancient lava flows, until we reach the massive, hellish cavern where the machine is located.

  The air crackles with heat, and the cavern glows with the orange light of molten rock.

  Rexy carefully navigates around pools of bubbling, spitting magma. Good thing I don’t feel the temperature.

  Suddenly, I’m extra grateful for this indestructible body. I shudder at the thought of what I’d look like otherwise.

  Once I deal with this machine… maybe I’ll try jumping into the magma.

  We get close enough to the hot air balloon-sized machine for me to hop off Rexy.

  “Good girl,” I whisper, patting its massive head. “You stay here. I’ll let you know if I need backup. If things look bad, you run!”

  Rexy gives me a slightly confused look, tilting its head, before settling down to wait, its tail thumping gently against the cavern floor.

  I reach the machine. It’s completely bloated now, bulging and warped, covered in a network of spider web-like cracks that glow with an eerie red light.

  It looks like it’s about to pop like an overfilled balloon. I examine the controls—they’re all melted into a useless, fused blob of metal.

  Okay, reversing this is officially off the table. Plan B it is, then.

  How is this thing even still running? It looks like it should have turned off ages ago.