“You know he could have never lived without you!” Its charred lips pull into a wicked smirk. “Tilly’s plan has worked.”
“She knew Koen would give his life just so I could live?” I stutter in pain, feeling every hair on my body rise as rage shoots throughout my whole body.
Its disgusting lips rise and at this moment, I know I am going to rip them off of it.
My dragons soar around me, their wings cutting through the air with a furious intensity that mirrors the raging anger igniting within me.This damn fire darkling is dead.My palms flicker with fire as each dragon I wield launches into a synchronized assault on the fire darkling.
The water dragon surges forward, its liquid form crashing into the darkling's chest, sending a cloud of steam swirling into the atmosphere as the darkling staggers and collapses to its knees. The ice dragon follows, its chilling breath crystallizing the darkling's hands, anchoring them to the ground in a sheath of frost. Meanwhile, the air dragon swoops and dives, its powerfulgusts striving to extinguish the flames that dance like a volcano erupting on the darkling's back.
As I watch with a rage that is consuming me, Koen’s wing slams into my back, lunging me forward as I slam into the crystals. With a loud thud, my body falls to the ground, and I tremble as I try to rise. A loud, painful grunt escapes my lips as I catch my breath.
Fire, distract Koen.
I call out to my fire dragon, watching as it flickers in front of Koen’s enormous head, his large teeth continuously snapping, trying to swallow my fire dragon whole.
Do not hurt him,I plea out to the one of fire.
“How do you think Koen lives today!” The fire darkling calls out to me as it struggles to break the ice. “Why do you think he keeps pushing away from you!”
My eyes burn. The wind and rain from the outside now whips inside by the storm.
“What did you all do?” I say through clenched teeth, feeling my eyes burn as I grip the gravel in between my fingers.
“He’s part darkling…” Its crimson eyes darken as they meet mine. “He consumes half of the dark magic like his mother. But when he gave up his life… when he gave up the only good that was inside of his heart so you could live,” it clears his throat, smoke clouds in its face as it coughs, “his mother gave up half of her heart so he could live. Which means…”
His chin burrows in, wickedly letting its lips pull upward as he watches me realize what he is trying to say.
“So… he…” I choke on my words, watching my dragons continue their attack on both the fire darkling and Koen. “He is now…”
My lips part, trembling as I heavily breathe.
“Go on,” it teases, eyes widening as it waits for me to say it. To realize it.
“Full darkling now.” My heart seizes with what I say.
“There it is.” It sighs before letting out a moan of agony as my water dragon attacks once more. “You destroyed him. You made him turn into the thing he hated the most. The thing he never wanted to be…you did that to him. And now that you remember, he will remember what you did. Tilly will finally allow it.”
My eyes burn as tears drip off my chin. “But he doesn’t look like you…”
“No.” It exhales a painful breath as my ice dragon begins to freeze its body. “His mother never looked like us. They were half darkling, Koen is still considered half the descendant of the Gods. Yet his heart is consumed with the dark magic that courses through us darklings.”
“I can fix this!I can fix him!” I cry out, tears soaking my cheeks as they fall off my chin.
“How!” it screeches, its sinister sound filling the cave. “You took the only good that was inside him, there is no turning back from that. He is ours now.”
Fire flickers in my palms, and I feel the flames course through my body as I stare at the darkling before me. With all my might, I let out a raging scream, my hair whipping in the wind as fire blasts towards the darkling. It consumes him, burning around him as he snickers a wicked laugh. The flames blast forth continuously as I ragingly yell, never taking a moment to breathe.
I can breathe when it's dead.
“You won’t be around to watch as I save him from this…” I choke on my trembling voice. “You darklings can’t have him. I won’t allow that.”
It lets out a high-pitched wailing laugh, its flames flickering out as it slowly dies. I watch as my fire scorches him, the heat from my flames burning him as his body begins to melt into a puddle of lava that seeps into the cracks of the cave.
I forgot how good power feels. This is the rage I have bottled up, and now it's time to unleash it.
“Only a damn Deskyiara can kill a darkling.” I deliberately walk to the puddle of burning lava, standing over it before squatting down. I raise my hand and hover over it, the steam beating against my palm, yet the heat is cold.I remember.I remember what I can do, and that should scare the darklings. “And I’m Serene Deskyiara. They used to call me the rising Scorching Queen before I disappeared. Don’t forget it.”
I spit at the lava before it finally soaks into the cracks and turn my attention towards Koen, who still snaps at the fire dragon.
