Once again, I own nothing!

Deep within the teal, crystalline walls of the cavern, the dragon's roar echoed with anger. "Keep singing!"

The young pink-haired girl staggered from the force of her captor's voice. Her arms shaking, one of her emaciated hands drew up to touch her throat. The skin on the outside felt cold, but inside she could feel her throat, raw and burning. She had been singing non-stop for over a week now, and the exhaustion was threatening to overtake her. It was only by glancing at the bones scattered around her that she forced herself to keep going. She did not want to end up like the rest.

As she resumed her cracked melody, the dragon slowly began to settle. His eyes flashed yellow warnings at her as he rested his large, muscular head between his paws. Why could he never rest, never close his eyes for the briefest moment? In her heart, she knew it wouldn't have mattered. No one knew how to escape the corridors of this labyrinth except the dragon and his priestess.

The open hole far above their heads leaked a pool of moonlight onto them, leaving only the corners of the room shadowy. That opening was the only source of escape that the girl knew of. Although in her current condition, she was hardly suited for scaling those walls.

The long pink ribbons in her dress and hair had come undone, now covered with mud and hanging limp by her sides. Anyone who had seen her now would not associate her with the friendly, spirited little girl who was often spotted in the courtyard of Linair's castle. She had grown terrifyingly skinny, her round little face now sickly pale and gaunt. Her hair hang limp, the shine gone from it. She was prone to violent, uncontrollable shaking. But most of all, her throat seemed alight from within, a horrible fire that could never be put it. She was in danger of losing her voice. She could not allow that to happen. Or her life would snuff out by the dragon's hand, before she ever got the chance to die of exhaustion or starvation.

Her hands clenched unconsciously into fists, her pink nails scraping the inside of her palms. No, she could not die. She had to think of her best friend, her guardian, the one whose duty she had taken. If she died, her friend would be next, and her task would have been all in vain. Now full of newfound determination, she raised her head to meet the dragon's reptilian eyes. And she sang.

Her feet began to pick up the rhythm of her song. Around and around she spun, her ribbons trailing around her. She felt her heart start to pound with the speed of her dance. Perhaps she would be the Diva who survived. Yes, and she could go free, and go back to her family. And her best friend... it would be alright. Her voice rose in pitch as she reached the end notes of her prayer. It began to sound less like a melody and more like the screeches of a bird circling from overhead. So it was no surprise when the inevitable happened.

Her throat flared up with sharp pain, and her last note was cut off by a choked cough. She bent over, her hand flying up to her throat and pressing down on it. She could feel the damage, the swelling, the sores. She knew it would be too painful to even speak, let alone sing. The dragon's contented noise quickly shifted into a full-on growl. He raised his head once more, peering down at the young girl before him. "I did not tell you to stop singing."

The girl stared up at him, her eyes wide and frightened. A squeak came from between her parted lips, perhaps trying to beg with the dragon. Her prey instinct took over, and she fled like a rabbit into the nearest cavern. The dragon's furious roar echoed in the labyrinth as he chased after her.

These glittering icy walls that had once been a source of beauty now trapped her in. All around her, she could see multiple versions of herself, equally terrified. It was like being in a twisted funhouse. She was starting to hear the sound of the pounding waterfall layers of earth above her. She was nearing the center of the lair, where the dragon's priestess lay. Sharp rocks opened up cuts on her feet as she ran even faster. She didn't dare look behind her as she fled. The noises of the dragon's fury were all she needed to keep fleeing.

Suddenly she felt something wrap around her foot tightly. Her ankle shifted, twisted, and pain exploded as she ran. Stumbling, she let out a terrified cry as she fell towards the ground. She was unable to throw out her arms, and her head struck the stone with a crack louder than anything she had ever heard before. As she felt warm liquid run down her temple, she twisted her head around and glanced down at her injured foot. The obstacle had only been one of her pink ribbons, which had caught around her feet as she ran.

Her relief lasted for only the briefest moment. A hot gust of wind blasted her, smelling like rotten meat. She slowly lifted her head, letting out an unconscious whimper as she stared up at the now-enraged dragon.

He slowly raised his claws, poised to strike down at the now-helpless girl. "Do you now know how pointless it is to run? No matter how far you go in this labyrinth, I will always find you, and you will never escape me. You were brought here to sing, Diva. For me. Now what's your choice?"

"I won't sing for you! I won't! Not anymore!" The girl flung back her head. "I'd rather die!"

A low rumble came from deep within the dragon, and his claws glinted, the only light in this dark place. "Then I grow bored of you, Diva." The dragon's leathery wings opened in a powerful blast, as he tilted his head up and let out a final roar. His claws moved in a black blur, snatching her up like a broken doll and lifting her far above the ground.

Shaking, the pink haired-girl breathed in one final time and shut her eyes. She didn't want to see this part.

Meiko-chan...

"Dragon."
A cool, clear voice echoed throughout the dragon's animalistic rage. Recognizing the owner, he lifted his head from the sprawled body, distracted. Far above his head, near the open skylight, a figure stood on the edge of a jutting crystal pillar. The figure gazed down at him, still concealed by the shadows around herself.

"Priestess, I demand a new Diva at once. This other one has... lost her value."

The figure stepped forwards, her features revealed in the moonlight. Her teal hair was tied into two long ponytails that fell to her ankles. She was dressed in an ornate teal and black dress, with silver ruffles down the middle. One of her black-gloved hands was wrapped tightly around an alabaster staff. But the most unusual part of her wardrobe was the dark mask rendering her eyes invisible, giving her an inscrutable expression.

"As you wish, my Lord. The Court will be informed as soon as possible." Her fingers tapped the side of the staff, as she gazed down at him. "Shall I ask what happened to this one?"

"Insolence. She refused to sing."

The priestess's gaze moved from the beast to the broken figure lying a few feet away from him. The body was bathed in shadows, hiding most of the damage. One arm reached out to the priestess, the pink nails curled upwards and beckoning to her in the moonlight.

The priestess's expression remained unreadable. She had remembered when this Diva had first appeared, young and alive, greeted by the priestess at the front of the cavern. Along with the Divas before her, dating back by months, almost years, back to the year of the very first Diva...

"Ah, our very first Diva. You should be honored, girl. Not many have the privilege to dance for the dragon." The young woman kept her head bowed inside the shadow, staring down at the young, mousy-haired girl in front of her.

The girl kept silent, though her eyes were welled up with tears. She'd had a very tearful departure with her family, and her gaze was focused squarely over the woman's shoulder, at the dark corridor behind her. The guards had already departed, leaving only the priestess and the girl behind the waterfall's entrance.

She couldn't stand tears. She hated it, these weak feelings. Sadness, happiness, trust, love... it was all so pointless, so stupid to her. The priestess's lips curled in distaste and she turned to go, waiting for the girl to follow you. "What is your name, Diva?"

"A-a-Aerlynn... what's yours?"

This question had stopped her, and she turned her head over her shoulder. The masked woman showed a brief flash of emotion as she gazed at the young redhead. "My name...?"

A horrible pain exploded behind the priestess's head, and she put one hand to her head. She had felt like she had been on the verge of remembering something, but her mind had fogged up once more. The headaches had been happening more frequently, and she never discovered anything new.

Straightening, she lifted her staff off the ground and pointed it down towards the shadows. "You'll have your Diva, dragon. But until then, have some manners." With a flick of her wrist, she lifted up the girl's lifeless body with a dark mist and carried it towards the edge of the cave, dropping it over the edge. Putting her staff down by her side, she aimed a look towards the dragon. "You should know not to play with your meals."

Her sharp heels clicked on the ice as she turned and retreated back towards her side of the cavern. Here, she stayed, always guarding, always watching. Always making sure the Draconic Cycle would continue, and no one would interfere with the Divas. The position might have seemed lonely to others of her age, a prison cell. But unlike the Divas who were forced to come here, the priestess had nobody who she had left behind.

She couldn't remember how she had become the priestess. She never really cared. She had been here long, long enough that she hadn't found it important. But she knew how important it was to keep this ancient creature happy. Only the current Diva and the priestess had that ability.

Her hollow was probably the most beautiful room of the entire cavern. In here, it was always quiet and peaceful, the only sounds being the whistling wind and muffled sounds of the waterfall. The floor was slick and frozen, a combination of ice and cool crystal. Four pillars bordered the room, rising to the roof and meeting together in a crisscrossing array. She stopped in the center of the room, both of her hands on her staff as she looked around. Bowing her head silently, she knelt in the center of the room. Now that she was alone, she unlocked the thoughts which she had been repressing so tightly.

Images of the Diva's terrible end flashed through her head. She relived the moment by the Diva's own eyes, feeling the pain of the dragon's claws enter her heart. Hearing the air whistle past her as she was flung across the room. Watching the world around her fade to black as the dragon towered over her with his terrifying jaws open wide...

All of this flashed through her head, all without her expression changing. Unable to continue reflecting, she looked down towards the ice. Raising one hand to touch the mask on her face, she gazed down at her reflection. Often she was confused by the woman she saw staring back at her. For a moment, she thought she could see another form, a true form lying just underneath her skin. But somehow, the image always seemed to slip past her grasp.

Loud, impatient noises sounded from the chamber below her. Her time of recalling had come to an end. She had to return to her post, as well as escort the next Diva, once she arrived. As the pythoness, it was her duty and her destiny, something she could never die or escape from. She slowly stood, lifting her staff back up. With a long gaze at the spiraling roof above her, she turned back towards her master's chamber and slowly strode to the entrance.