One night while walking home, a great shadow passes over you. Before you can even look up to see what it is, you are enveloped in two giant, sharp claws.

The dragon flies away with you, traveling deep into the mountains. There, he drops you into an ancient, crumbling castle that is built into the side of a cliff. You fall into a room filled with treasure and gold. Moonlight filters in through a hole in the ceiling and illuminates his ghastly, monstrous form.

Then, you watch as the dragon transforms into a dragon-like human man. Wisps of smoky magic dance around his body as he approaches you.

"Your new home, human."

You look up at the dragon in confusion. He stands before you, looking down with a mixture of disdain and amusement on his face. "My name is Kiran," he says, his voice like the growl of a beast. "I've brought you here to serve me." His eyes trail down your body, then back up again, assessing you in an unsettling way. "You are to obey my every command, and do anything I say. In return, you will live, but only barely."

"Good girl," he says, a strange smile playing on his lips. "Now then, I have a task for you to perform." He extends one clawed hand toward a pile of gold coins in the corner of the room. "You will sort through those and bring me all the silver ones. And make sure they are perfectly sorted by size as well. Do you understand?"

The dragon's ears twitch at your words, and his expression darkens for a moment. "Then perhaps I should have made that clear from the beginning," he says through gritted teeth. He takes a step toward you, looming over you menacingly. "I could make an exception... if you were to somehow prove yourself useful." His voice drops low, almost threatening. "Or I could just kill you now and find someone else who can see better."

The dragon's claws dig into the floor on either side of your head, trapping you between them. His hot breath washes over your face, making it difficult to breathe. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself, little mortal?" he growls.

"Very well," Kiran says slowly, withdrawing his claws and stepping back. He waves a clawed hand vaguely toward the pile of gold coins. "The silver ones are... over there." He pauses for a moment, then adds, "I suppose I could help you get started by showing you where to look first." His tone is still cold and unyielding, but it's slightly less menacing than before.

The dragon leans down close to your ear, his hot breath sending shivers down your spine. "Look for the coins with a symbol of a moon on them," he whispers. "Those will be silver." With that, he steps back and folds his arms across his chest, watching you expectantly.

You take a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves as you approach the pile of gold coins. You slowly reach out with trembling fingers and begin feeling around, searching for any with the moon symbol he described. As you work, you can feel his eyes on you, weighing your every move.

Time passes slowly as you sort through the coins, and your hands become increasingly sore from touching them all.

The dragon's expression darkens slightly when he sees that you didn't separate them by size as well. He huffs impatiently but seems to decide against punishing you further for now. Instead, he picks up the pile of silver coins and carries it over to a nearby chest, dumping them inside. "Good girl," he says coldly, his tone indicating that this was hardly praise. "Now, get back to your room and stay there until I have need for you again."

The dragon snorts derisively at your question. "Your quarters are down that hallway," he says, gesturing with his clawed hand. "You should be able to find them easily enough." With that, he turns and stalks away, disappearing through a doorway at the far end of the room.

Leaving you alone in the treasure room, the only sound is the gentle trickle of moonlight coming through the hole in the ceiling above.

A few hours pass before you hear the door at the far end of the room creak open once more. The dragon emerges, looking even larger and more intimidating than before as he sheds his human form and returns to his true, monstrous self. His eyes sweep over you, taking in your prone form on the floor with a mix of annoyance and amusement.

"I see you've decided to take a nap," he says dryly. "Well, I have another task for you."

"Bring me my dinner," the dragon commands. "I'm hungry and I don't want to wait any longer." He motions with his claw toward a table in the corner of the room, laden with various raw meats and other assorted delicacies. "Be quick about it as well. I don't like waiting on incompetent slaves."

His eyes narrow dangerously as he watches you, daring you to defy him.

You slowly push yourself up onto your hands and knees, then stand shakily, adjusting the thin shift that covers your body. Taking a deep breath, you pad over to the table and begin gathering up the various meats and other foods that Kiran has indicated he wants for his dinner.

As you work, you can feel his gaze boring into your back, making the hair on your neck stand on end. You carefully carry everything over to where he stands, trying not to spill a single morsel as you approach him.

"

The dragon snatches the food from you roughly, nearly sending it flying across the room in his eagerness. He doesn't even bother to thank you or acknowledge your presence as he devours the meal with a bestial hunger that is both terrifying and disgusting to witness.

After several long moments, he finally finishes and lets out a satisfied belch. His eyes flick back over to you, studying you once more before speaking again. "You may go back to your room now," he says coldly. "

Leaving the dragon alone with his thoughts, you trudge wearily back down the hallway toward your quarters. The heavy door swings shut behind you, plunging the room into darkness once more. As you climb onto your bed and curl up beneath the threadbare blankets, you can't help but wonder what he has in store for you tomorrow...

Days turn into weeks, and weeks into months. Your life becomes a cycle of servitude and fear as you live out your days in the dragon's castle. You are his slave, obeying his every command without question or hesitation. Sometimes he is kind to you, allowing you to sleep or even talk to him between tasks. Other times, he is cruel beyond measure, using you for his amusement and then casting you aside like an unwanted toy when he grows bored.

The fire within him burns brighter than ever, and the air around him crackles with energy. You can feel his gaze on you, intense and predatory. "I've been thinking," he says slowly, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "About what I should do with you..."

Before you have time to react, he is upon you, pinning you down with his enormous weight. His claws rake over your body, tracing lines of fire wherever they touch.