Tairn's voice, usually so calm and commanding, was a guttural growl. "We won't make it," he grunted, his breath coming in heavy bursts. He banked hard, narrowly avoiding a massive tree whose branches clawed at us like skeletal fingers, before soaring once more into the open expanse of the sky.

Above us, the heavens were a deceptive expanse of blue, but my eyes caught the edge of a storm brewing on the horizon. Dark, menacing clouds rolled in, twisting and turning as if propelled by an unseen hand. They loomed ahead like harbingers of doom, each thunderclap a warning that time was slipping away.

I let out a low breath, my lungs burning from the cold air. Shaking my head to clear the grit blown into my eyes, I tightened my grip on Tairn's scales, each one a ridge of solid strength beneath my fingers. His golden eyes flickered back at me, filled with determination and a hint of something deeper—fear.

The storm was upon us now, lightning slicing through the sky like jagged spears. Thunder boomed, a deafening roar that reverberated through my bones. Rain began to fall in heavy sheets, each drop a stinging reminder of our desperation. Yet, through it all, Tairn flew on, his wings cutting through the tempest with unwavering resolve.

"Hold on!" Tairn roared, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of the storm. I buried my face against his neck, feeling the heat of his scales against my cheek. His muscles bunched and flexed beneath me, each powerful stroke of his wings propelling us closer to our goal.

Liam's presence in my mind was weakening, a fading pulse that sent a fresh wave of panic through me. "Faster, Tairn," I whispered, my voice lost to the wind but felt by my dragon nonetheless.

With a final, Herculean effort, Tairn surged forward, his body a blur of motion. We pierced the heart of the storm, racing against the clock, driven by the unbreakable bond of friendship and the fierce determination that no force of nature could extinguish. We would reach Liam. We had to.

Soon, we saw it. A streak of red across the sky, like the heavens had spilled their blood. A dragon was falling, and a bit away from it, a body was plummeting too.

"NO!" I shouted, leaping off Tairn without a second thought.

"Aethira, no!" Tairn roared, but the storm dulled his scream of anger and pure fear. His cry tore through the air, but all I could see was Liam falling, Deigh falling. Blood was spraying from every pore, painting the sky in crimson horror.

As I plummeted towards the ground, I saw it. A white being barreling its way toward us. Its form was a blur of deadly elegance, slicing through the storm with merciless intent. A wyvern, eyes locked on its prey.

I shot out with my palm, heart pounding with desperation. The wyvern closed in around us, its jaws opening wide, ready to strike. The world was a swirl of chaos—thunder, lightning, rain—and then, all was dark.

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

I woke in a serene meadow with grass reaching up to my ribs and the sun pouring through the clouds like honey. The warmth and calmness of the scene made me sigh as I sat up. That's when I saw Liam sitting under an apple tree, eating one of the red apples.

"Liam," I gasped, shouting his name as I hurried over to him, tripping over my own feet and thumping down into his lap. Liam let out an "oof" but caught me easily, pulling me close as I hugged him hard.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't know that the venom would strike today. I..." My words were a jumbled mess of guilt and relief.

"Shh," Liam hushed me gently, his voice a soothing balm to my frayed nerves. I pulled back, looking at him through the blur of my tears. His eyes, calm and reassuring, met mine.

"It was not your fault, Aethira, and it would never be your fault. And don't worry, I'm not dead." His words broke the dam of fear and worry inside me, and I felt a boulder of relief spring apart. I sagged into the blond man's arms, the tension draining from my body.

"I'm sorry anyway," I whispered, burying my face in his shoulder.

He chuckled softly, his embrace tightening around me. "We're safe now, and that's all that matters."

I pulled back and looked at him—those sky-blue eyes, that dimpled warm smile. It was all too much, and I sighed, closing my eyes as tears ran down my cheeks.

"What... happened?" I asked at last.

Liam smiled and took my head in his hands. "You saved me, that's what happened."

I blinked, confusion washing over me. "But... but I was too far away from you and Deigh..." I sighed, the weight of our losses settling in. "He's dead... isn't he?"

Liam shook his head, his expression softening. "Tairn saved him. You saved me."

"How?" My voice was a whisper of disbelief.

He took my hand and held it out, interlocking our fingers and pressing my palm to his chest. "Because you are you, Aethira. Because you have a dragon's soul."

I gasped as I felt magic flow through me, a powerful force forming and changing me from within. Suddenly, wings ripped through my flight leathers, and I lurched forward, gasping. Liam held me fast as my body shuddered, the transformation tearing through me.

"Shh, shh. It's time, Aeth. You'll be fine. We all will be," Liam whispered, his voice steady and reassuring.

The pain was intense, yet mingled with it was a sense of liberation. I felt my wings stretch out, powerful and majestic. My skin tingled with newfound energy, my senses heightening. I was changing, becoming something more.

Liam's arms were a steady anchor as the magic surged through me. "You're not alone, Aethira. We're in this together," he murmured, his words a lifeline in the storm of transformation.

As the final wave of change swept over me, I felt a deep connection with Tairn, Deigh, and Liam. We were bound by something stronger than fate, stronger than magic. We were a family, and together, we would face whatever came next.