The dragon head sculpture loomed over the mountain village, its stone eyes glinting with a malevolent light. Villager Elara Tomlinson gazed up at it in dread, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

"Mama, where are the others?" her daughter Lily asked, clinging to her skirts. "They've gone," Elara whispered, her voice trembling. "The dragon has taken them all."