The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning wood and the metallic tang of rain-soaked stone. The storm dragon's wrath had left the world in chaos, the sky a churning maelstrom of dark clouds and jagged lightning. My heart pounded in my chest as I moved through the wreckage, my boots crunching over shattered glass and debris. Samrio was already ahead of me, his tall frame silhouetted against the dim, flickering light of the storm. Together, we guided Helene and Ebba toward the car—a lone vehicle that had miraculously escaped the dragon's fury, its frame intact and its engine still humming faintly. Helene's face was pale, her wide eyes reflecting the terror of the night, while Ebba clutched her sister's hand tightly, her small frame trembling.

I forced a smile onto my face, though it felt fragile, like a mask barely holding together. My gaze met Helene's, and for a moment, the world seemed to pause. The storm, the destruction, the dragon's distant roars—all of it faded into the background. I reached out and took her hands in mine, her fingers cold and shaking. "Go," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, yet firm enough to cut through the chaos. "I'll get the others out." Her eyes searched mine, filled with a mixture of fear and gratitude, but she nodded, understanding the unspoken promise. She and Ebba climbed into the car, and Samrio gave me a quick, solemn nod before sliding into the driver's seat. The engine roared to life, and they sped away, leaving me standing amidst the ruins.

I turned back toward the crumbling school, its once-sturdy walls now fractured and unstable. The wind howled through the gaps, carrying with it the scent of rain and ash. My wings, usually hidden, twitched beneath my skin, eager to unfurl. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, the floor groaning beneath my weight. The interior was a labyrinth of fallen beams and shattered classrooms, the air thick with dust and the faint, coppery scent of blood. My senses sharpened as I moved deeper, my footsteps echoing in the eerie silence.

I found them in what had once been the science lab. Elijah, his dark hair plastered to his forehead with sweat and rain, was crouched beside Kyle, who was frantically trying to stabilize Tevan. Tevan lay on the ground, his face contorted in pain, his hands gripping his broken leg. The bone jutted out at an unnatural angle, and his breaths came in shallow, ragged gasps. Kyle looked up as I approached, his eyes wide with relief. "Thank the stars you're here," he muttered, his voice strained.

"Up you go," I said, my tone calm but urgent. I knelt beside Tevan, my wings unfurling with a soft rustle. The golden scales shimmered faintly in the dim light, and I carefully lifted him onto my back, his weight settling against me. Tevan groaned in pain but didn't protest, his arms wrapping weakly around my shoulders. My wings spread wide, their strength compensating for his weight, keeping us balanced. Elijah and Kyle flanked me, their faces set with determination as we began to move toward the exit.

But then it happened. A low, guttural growl reverberated through the corridor, shaking the walls and sending a chill down my spine. I froze, my instincts screaming at me to run, to hide, to do anything but face what was coming. The ceiling above us splintered with a deafening crash, and the storm dragon descended, its massive form crashing through the roof. Its scales were a deep, iridescent blue, shimmering with the power of the storm, and its eyes—those piercing, electric blue eyes—locked onto mine. They were like currents of raw energy, swirling with malice and intelligence.

"Yes," it hissed, its voice a thunderous rumble that seemed to vibrate through my very bones. "You, little dragon-born. I have you at last." The words sent a shiver down my spine, and I tightened my grip on Tevan, my mind racing. The dragon's presence was overwhelming, its power radiating like a storm about to break. I could feel the weight of its gaze, the promise of destruction in its every movement. But I stood my ground, my wings flexing as I prepared for whatever came next. The others depended on me, and I wouldn't let them down—not now, not ever.

The air crackled with raw energy, my blood roaring like a river of fire as the power within me tore free. It surged from my core, molten and primal, ripping through flesh and bone. My skin blazed as violet scales erupted across my arms, my neck, my face—a shimmering armor that burned with otherworldly light. My fingers lengthened into claws, edges gleaming like forged steel, and my wings, now larger, fiercer, thrummed with a strength that sent gusts scattering debris across the floor. The dragon within me uncoiled, ancient and hungry, its voice merging with mine as I roared.

I lunged.

The storm dragon's snarl twisted into something like surprise as I closed the distance, the world narrowing to the lethal arc of my talons. My strike carved through the air, a violet blur, and connected with a sickening crunch. Scales split beneath my claws, spraying blackish blood that sizzled where it struck the floor. The beast recoiled with a shriek that shook the crumbling walls, its head whipping sideways, one eye reduced to a ruined gash. Lightning seethed in its remaining eye, and its maw gaped, gathering a whirlpool of storm-force—a tempest ready to detonate.

But I was faster.

My wings snapped open, launching me upward as the dragon's breath exploded beneath me, a maelstrom of wind and electricity that vaporized a section of the wall. Plaster and stone dissolved into dust. Tevan's grip tightened on my back, his breath a ragged prayer in my ear, but I didn't falter. I twisted midair, my tail—when had that appeared?—lashing out to grip a fractured beam, anchoring me as I dove again. The storm dragon reared, its claws slashing downward, but I met it claw-for-claw, our collision sending a shockwave that shattered every remaining window.

"You dare?!" it bellowed, its voice a hurricane given sound. "Mortal flesh, playing at godhood—!"

"This," I snarled, my voice layered with the growl of a thousand storms, "is not play."

My next strike was a blur of violet and fury. I raked my talons across its throat, scales parting like parchment, and the dragon's roar became a wet, guttural choke. It staggered, its colossal weight buckling the floor, but its tail whipped around, a barbed spade of bone and scale aimed at my chest. I dropped, tucking my wings tight, Tevan's cry muffled against my shoulder as the tail grazed my ribs. Pain flared, hot and bright, but I channeled it into momentum, spinning to slam my heel into the beast's jaw. Teeth splintered. The dragon reeled, its remaining eye blazing with frenzied defiance.

"You... cannot... end me," it rasped, even as its body began to dissolve, scales flaking into ash, its form unraveling into coils of blue-black smoke. "The storm... is eternal..."

"But you," I hissed, my claws closing around the flickering core of light in its chest—a pulsing, storm-forged heart, "are not."

I crushed it.

The dragon's scream tore through the building, a final, deafening crescendo as its essence imploded. The shockwave hurled me backward, my wings flaring to cushion the blow as I skidded across the rubble. Tevan slid from my back, gasping, as Elijah and Kyle scrambled to his side. My scales retreated like quenched flames, leaving my skin raw and trembling, my human form drenched in sweat and blood not entirely my own.

The silence that followed was deafening. Rain poured through the shattered roof, washing the ash from the air.

But as I knelt there, breath heaving, I felt it—a whisper in the storm, a cold laughter on the wind.

Not over, it seemed to say.

Never over.