Cold.
That's the only thing I can feel. The ice seeping into my bones, numbing me from the inside out. I can't even feel my fingers, can't move them. My whole body is heavy, weighted down by exhaustion, by the pain. The wind cuts into my skin like knives, each gust stealing what little warmth I have left.
I try to summon it—the fire—but nothing happens. There's only the cold. I can't even muster a flicker, can't feel that familiar heat within me. My own power has abandoned me. Useless. Pathetic.
I blink slowly, my vision hazy. Everything's blurry, shapes and shadows swirling around me. The world tilts and shifts, and I can barely keep my head up. My body feels like it's not my own anymore, just dead weight being dragged through the snow.
But then I feel her. Seraphina. She's here. Holding me up, dragging me forward. Her arm is wrapped around me, keeping me from collapsing completely into the frozen ground. I should be protecting her, but instead, she's the one carrying me.
I can hear her voice, but it's distant, muffled. She's saying something, urging me to stay awake. I will try. Goddess, I will try. But it's so hard. My eyelids feel like they weigh a ton, and every time I blink, it's harder to open them again.
Her warmth is the only thing keeping me grounded, the only thing that feels real in the midst of this freezing nightmare. I want to tell her I'm sorry. I want to tell her how weak I feel, how I should be able to protect her. But I can't even speak. My lips are numb, and my throat is too dry. I can't even summon my acid spit, the one weapon I have that could keep us safe.
Useless.
I'm supposed to be stronger than this. I'm a dragon, damn it. But I feel... helpless. Like a burden. Like I'm weighing her down. And I hate it. I hate that she's the one struggling through the snow, carrying me when it should be the other way around.
A flash of memory hits me. Her twisted smile, her hands covered in my blood, the way she looked at me with such malice. The way she laughed as I screamed. I shudder at the thought, the pain still fresh in my mind, but it's distant now, like it belongs to someone else. My body is numb to it. The cold has dulled everything, even the pain.
But I'm still here. Still alive.
And so is Seraphina.
She's talking again. I can hear the strain in her voice, the desperation. She's trying to keep me awake, trying to keep me moving. I want to tell her I'm okay, that I can make it, but I can't. My body won't respond, and the words won't come.
I blink again, trying to focus. The world around us is a blur of white and gray, the snowstorm swallowing everything. But there, in the distance... light. Faint, but unmistakable. The academy.
Relief washes over me, but it's weak, fleeting. We're close, but I don't know if we'll make it. I can feel myself slipping, my body giving up, my mind drifting in and out of consciousness. Each time I fade, it's harder to come back.
But Seraphina... she's still fighting. She's not giving up. Even after everything we've been through, she's still here, still pushing forward. And that's the only thing keeping me going. Her.
I feel her shift beside me, adjusting my weight as we trudge through the snow. She's practically carrying me now, her steps heavy and labored. She's exhausted, too. I can feel it in the way she moves, hear it in her ragged breathing. But she won't stop. Not until we're safe.
I manage to open my eyes again, just for a second. I look at her, at the determination in her face, the way her jaw is set, her eyes fixed on the academy ahead. She's been through hell, too—more than I know. And yet... she's still here. Still fighting.
And despite everything, I feel relief. Relief that she's safe. Relief that we're together, even in this frozen wasteland.
A part of me wonders if she's thinking about Eleri. I try not to think about what happened between them, the way Eleri looked at her, the way she touched her. I can't afford to think about that now. All I care about is that Seraphina is here, and we're still alive.
The lights of the academy grow brighter as we stumble closer. We're almost there. I can feel Seraphina's grip tighten around me, her steps growing more frantic. She's so close to getting us out of this nightmare, and I can feel the weight of her determination pulling me forward, even as my body wants to give up.
But the cold... the exhaustion... it's too much. I feel myself slipping again, my vision blurring once more. I can't hold on. My mind drifts, the darkness creeping in around the edges of my thoughts.
And just before everything goes black, I hear Seraphina's voice, soft and urgent. "We're safe now."
I hope she's right.
Then, there's nothing.