I don't feel pain. In fact, I feel absolutely nothing that would result in a demon dragon attacking me and ripping me apart.

I open my eyes to find that Nightstar is standing above me, her stomach heaving with her breaths and her skin glowing blue with plasma. My lips part in absolute shock. The only other time I've seen a Night Fury look like that was when a Toothless became the Alpha of all dragons.

The demons are shrieking at us, red eyes narrowed in anger, but every time they try to come nearer something pushes them back. I get to my feet, looking down at my necklace to see that the gem is shining furiously, shooting out rays of magic from it and causing a sort of shield around us.

Nightstar shrieks again, her skin glowing brighter as the wind whips around us. She strikes out, sweeping her claws through the demons and causing them to disintegrate into smoke. I cast my gaze to Alrek, seeing that his resolve has started to crumble.

"No...NO! What is the meaning of this?" he shouts, gripping his own necklace as if desperately trying to make its magic work. "Why won't this stupid thing work?!"

I find myself grinning, a wide and mischievous smile breaking across my features as I laugh into the sky, Nightstar still blasting fire and clawing at every demon that comes near us. He never noticed that I switched our necklaces. What a fool.

Nightstar lets out a roar, rearing onto her hind legs as the wind whips the smokey mess of decimated demons around in a whirlwind. My hair flies around my face and my clothing presses against my body with the force. Nightstar's wings beat against the smoke, her skin still glowing with power. The Vikings of Berk hold on to their helmets and sink to the ground, trying to remain planted.

I focus on my necklace, the magic spreading even further with every push I give it. Some strands surround me, some connect me to Nightstar, others trail outwards into the shield. As the magic surges, I feel my skin starting to tingle. Ghostly black wings appear behind me and seem to sprout from my back, a long leathery tail of the same kind trailing from me as ghostly Night Fury ear plates appear above my head. Alrek frantically shouts for more demons, but none can break through the magic barrier before being destroyed.

"WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Alrek demands, the wind shoving against him as he grips his deadened necklace in his hand. He fixes his cold eyes on me, his face registering absolute fear. "I DEMAND TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE!"

An odd sort of calm washes over me, one that I haven't felt in what feels like an eternity. I leap onto Nightstar's back as she stands on all four legs, the both of us tall and proud.

"I am Thora of Hermaōr, the daughter of Thord and Sigrid," I shout, addressing both the trembling crowd before me and Alrek. I aim my hand at my old enemy, my fingernails jet black and pointed like a dragon's claws. "I CARRY THE SOUL OF FURIES WITHIN ME! I POSSESS MAGIC SENT FROM THE GODS!" I roar, a sort of shriek rising from my mouth a second later.

Nightstar joins in on the battle cry, making me realize that the sound I made was that of my dragon's. We close our eyes, power surging through us as though our souls have been connected.

The wind seems to roar even louder than we did as dust and smoke flies everywhere. We open our eyes, and judging by how Nightstar's have become two pure orbs of white, mine must look the same. The force of our combined power sails forwards, sending a blue aura throughout the entire village and blasting out over the ocean as a light seems to grow brighter and brighter with each movement. Alrek screams as the light engulfs everything.

The clouds soar away, pulled by the mighty wind we've created, and sunlight bathes the starved earth for the first time since Alrek came to this place. The tyrant's cry fades out into nothing as the wind stops, bringing everything to a screeching halt. Silence blankets the entire village. A bird chirps in the distance.

The Vikings of Berk slowly look around, stunned speechless by the events, and I feel my power escape me. I exhale, slumping over and collapsing onto the ground, laying on my back and staring at the sky. Nightstar makes a concerned gurgling noise as her skin stops glowing. She shambles over to me and pokes her head into my line of sight, blocking the light from my eyes. I smile weakly and raise my hand to her nose, resting it against her warm scales.

"Hey Nightstar," I whisper, my voice like a mere breath. "That was fun, huh?"

"That was amazing!" she squeals. I almost gasp, having nearly forgotten that I can understand her.

She makes a happy dragon noise and licks my entire face, making me let out a tired laugh. She nudges me, nosing her head under my body and helping me back to my feet. I lean against her, feeling as if I might pass out. I catch sight of Astrid, the twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs staring at me, but I can't bring myself to wave or greet them.

"You..." a shaky voice says from the crowd below. Both my dragon and I look up as a Viking man stumbles from the throng. "Thora, of Hermaōr...you have saved us all."

I raise my hand momentarily, shaking my head. "I'm no one but a stranger. I did what I had to."

"Please, oh mighty one..." He sinks to his knees, clasping his hands before him as if praying. "Please stay. You can be our next chieftess."

A ripple of agreement rolls through the crowd. Nightstar's eyes widen and she swings her large head to look to me. I blink a few times, stunned by the offer.

"What do you think?" she asks, her big blue eyes curious.

I shake my head, looking to the man. "I'm sorry. I cannot remain here," I apologize.

"Then, could you bestow upon one of us the right to rule? Give us a new leader," the man begs.

More people within the crowd nod frantically and collapse to their knees. I feel a sudden surge of awkwardness at the amount of Vikings bowing to me. I don't need any of that.

I take a deep breath, thinking of someone I know could handle the burden. I smile a little, pushing off of Nightstar and walking to Astrid. I grab her wrist and pull her forward so that she can be seen by the crowd. Nightstar shuffles back to my side as I wobble in place.

"This is Astrid Hofferson. She shall lead you," I say, finding myself smiling at her surprise. "She is your new chieftess."

Astrid gapes at me. The crowd erupts into cheers.

"Me? Why me?" she asks.

"You're capable. I know you are," I respond, leaning against Nightstar again. "I think you've got the makings of a great leader in you, Astrid."

She looks around at the cheering crowd, her cheeks dusted with pink. Then, she spins around and throws her arms around me, yanking me into a tight and breath-stealing hug. I wheeze, slumping against her as she continues to hold me out of pure joy. I return the affection, resting my forehead against her shoulder and patting her back.

"Thank you," she whispers. "I had my doubts...but you proved yourself."

I smile weakly. "I'm sorry about Eret..."

She pulls away, giving a sad nod in response before turning to look around at everyone. They've forgotten their shock, instead basking in the sunlight and raising their hands to the sky. I hear a few people send praises to Odin as they enjoy the sunshine-filled earth once again.

The other four of our friends dash over, eyes wide and bright.

"You looked like a Night Fury goddess up there!" Ruffnut gushes.

"It was amazing! Your magic is seriously...woah," Tuffnut adds.

I smile at their compliments, forcing myself to keep standing. "It takes a bit out of you, that's for sure." They laugh and thump my shoulders, making my smile widen a bit more. "But...you're forgetting, I have to fulfill the rest of my promise."

Their faces go slack with remembrance.

"You're..." Snotlout starts.

"Yes, Snotlout," I say. "I've still got to bring back your dragons."