If I had a second life, I would never know grief.

That was my thought when the crystal skies split and I plummeted down...

...Whizzz! The world revolves around me in a dizzying kaleidoscope.

I'm falling, faster and faster, the wind howling in my ears, ripping my dress like paper. It's biting cold, like icy fingers clawing at my skin.

I'm rushing like a comet. My hair blows away, and strands flail wildly. They seem shocked by this speed. The air whips past me, stealing my breath. I can't even yell—sounds get stuck in my throat.

Ugh, my head spins. It's like my veins are pumping liquid chaos!

I try to calm the panic, but terror grips me. Cold and paralyzing, it fills my heart, which pounds like crazy, matching the mess in my head.

The earth is hurtling towards me.

I can't weep or shout or do anything. I'm just falling, and it's all so fast and loud, and I can't... I just can't even...

Far below me, the earth is a patchwork of colors, a blend of greens and browns, stitched together by rivers and roads. They seem so distant, so unreal as if I'm looking at a map.

This freefall is deadly beautiful when nature gives me a final, breathtaking show.

I'm getting swallowed up by the sky, and clarity arises amidst the fear. My mind turns off, and worry fades away. I know no one's gonna miss me. No fam, no squad, no bucket list.

It seems it's time to die!

And I dive into a storm cloud covering the earth below me—in a moment, I'm enveloped in twilight. I feel the fall stops, and time seems to slow down, as in a movie.

Lightning bolts rip through the darkness. They sparkle around me, stunning with their power. I notice my body is also glowing and buzzing like a live wire.

A warmth flares inside, and I feel a surge of energy. My skin tingles and the shine of my body grows brighter.

I extend my hands, and beams radiate from my fingertips. They intertwine with the lightning. The air crackles with energy, and the dress clings to my body.

I feel connected to the storm.

I see other figures around me. They glow like me: ethereal warriors, solar and lunar sorcerers, elemental sprites, elves. Among them are light-wing horses and phoenix archers, nine-tailed foxes, and fairies.

I get that the energy coursing through me is not just mine. It's shared, a bond that links us all. I feel their strength as if we are one.

A distant rumble shakes the cloud, reminding me of the battle ahead. The mages don't speak, but I plainly hear their resolve. My body responds to their call and fills with an inner light.

At that moment, I find anchor. I am not alone. I am a warrior, and we will face whatever comes next together. The energy flowing through me resonates with theirs—a sound of power. We are waiting for the battle, and this is where I belong.

As their spells weave around me, I understand the battle ahead is dicey, but one thing is clear—it's time to embrace my destiny.

And then, something primal emerges from the abyss below.

From the core of the gloom, a malevolent force swallows the light whole, and an army of shadows and deadly creatures go along. The air becomes thick with malice, and the first wave of shadows crashes into our ranks.

"Go!" I hear the call.

I throw my hands forward and send beams of pure energy. It surges out with a resonating hum.

The light covers the shadows and tears through them, but they keep coming. The shadows slide around like serpents changing their forms. The battle descends into a vortex of turmoil where light and dark become blurred in a dance of destruction.

The air around me is saturated with magical spells. It's a rowdy sea of energy where waves crash against shadows with a thunderous impact.

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I press on, each step forward a defiance against the darkness. The light grows more robust, fueled by every heart in this battle.

I found myself in the heat of the fight.

A shadow lunges toward me, gaping like a gulf. I dodge by a whisker and feel the brush of the cold void against my skin. My heart's doing the hundred-yard dash.

I'm attacking. Rays of my light shoot out and pierce the shadow as it writhes and screeches! The light breaks darkness into tiny sparks.

No break, though! More shadows swarm towards me, and I spin, and my torn dress billows. I unleash a flurry of light, but it's like fighting the tide, as soon as one foe goes down, another takes its place.

Fire blazes across the battlefield. The mages' flames are now like madness. It devours everything in its path, creating a barrier that the shadows hesitate to cross.

I hear a drawn-out cry among the thunders and flashes.

The dragons fly in a swarm towards the shadows—mighty and fearsome. Their scales flicker in the dark, roars echo through space, and something is menacing and sad in the cry of the dragons flying to attack.

The crazy battle continues. The dragons and shadows are fighting: they swoop and dive around me, and I feel their hot breath and freezing touch.

The combat is pure chaos—everything's a blur of noise and motion. The dragons clash with the dark forces and burn the creepy things crawling out of another world. I see flashes and bursts when the dark power fends them off.

The windstorm and the warriors become one as the battle reaches a zenith.

I am trying to focus my energy. Hey, that's tough! My spells are getting lost in the mess. Every move I make is countered by the insanity of the fight.

Just as we start to think we're winning, an enormous and sinister entity floats from the abyss and comes to life. It has no form, no weakness. The air around it gets heavy like lead and crushes all living beings around it. And everything changes...

The darkness turns into a monster, carrying all evil in its mouth. The dragons try to fight it, but it breaks through them, and no matter how hard they fight, they begin to lose. Oh no, I hear they shout everywhere, my heart so racing!

The dark army is relentless; the shadows are too much and too strong! It's like wrestling the ocean. I see how the dragons falter, their flames go out. It's not just a fight anymore but a fight for survival. It's getting worse, and the dragons can lose.

The shadows swirl around me like vultures circling their prey.

A larger and more menacing than the others flies from the flock. It moves with an ominous grace, and I feel its presence leeching warmth from the air, a chill that seeps into my bones.

Fear's got me in a vice grip. I'm staring into the hell, and it totally sucks.

The dark energy is stifling me and trying to get into my mind, whispering calls to give up.

Grrrrrr, I have to be strong!

I raise my hands, attempting to summon the energy I have wielded before, but my movements are sluggish, hampered by the growing dread. Sensing my weakness, the shadow lunges like a predator.

The impact is jarring. It hits me like a bucket of ice water, the shock of it stealing my breath away. I stumble backward. The shadow form expands, pulling me into darkness.

My mind is trying to mount a defense, but panic is getting me in a headlock. I struggle against the oppressive force, my arms flailing, trying to break free from the embrace of the shadow.

With everything I've got, I push back. It's scrappy and desperate, but I'm not just scrapping for me, I'm fighting for all of us, for the light that binds us...

I thrust my hands forward with a defiant cry. A wild burst of light erupts from me, an unrefined explosion of energy.

The shadow recoils, its form flickering under the assault. The light cuts through the darkness, a single, piercing ray in a black depth. I don't stop, pouring every bit of fear, anger, and defiance into my light.

I try to raise my hands to summon whatever scraps of energy I have left, but my arms feel like lead. The shadow advances, each movement shaking the air, its growl reverberating through space.

A wave of despair hits me.

This is it, game over.

I close my eyes and brace for the inevitable when, suddenly, some strength covers me. It isn't the suffocating darkness; something else is immense and protective.

I look up, and there it is—a giant dragon rises amidst a fiery whirlwind!

His giant form stands between me and the shadow, and the scales shimmer with an inner light, contrasting our foe. The dragon let out a roar that shook the air, an awesome sound.

The dragon unfurls his vast wing in one motion and surrounds me with a protective hug. I'm cocooned in a haven of warmth and safety, shielded from the shadow's malevolent breath. The dragon's wing is like a fortress, with the scales as hard as armor.

The shadow slams into the dragon's wing with a force that could have crushed stone. But the dragon holds firm, its wing absorbing the impact. I feel the tremors of the collision, but I am protected by the dragon's unwavering guard.

I feel a tide of rapture under his wing!

The dragon pulls back, lowering his wing and exposing me again to the battlefield. And now, I'm not scared anymore. I'm ready to face the shadows and whatever the darkness has in store. The dragon and I stay against all the evil, a girl and a beast, together in the center of madness.

His wide-open wings take over the sky, and flames lick his jaws. With a roar that echoes through space, he plunges into the battleground.

The shadows are all over him; they attack him in all directions and cling, but the dragon rushes into the core of the murk.

Suddenly, the dragon stops and turns his head towards me, and his gaze meets mine.

He looks at me, and it's like he's seeing right into my soul. There is peace and beauty in his eyes. Something warm and bright fills my heart, a feeling so strong it's almost tangible.

We're connecting with each other.

His eyes, pools of wisdom and courage, hold a message no words can capture. It's like he gives me a piece of himself to remember him by.

It's as if his gift is not just for the world but for me.

Then, his body erupts in an explosion of radiant energy. The light touches everything, reaching even the darkest corners where the army of shadows lurks. It's a blaze to end all gloom, a sacrifice to win the battle.

The energy ripples out in waves, circles of power that sweep through the storm. The shadows, caught in its path, vaporize into screams that fade into nothing.

The light spreads, sweeping the battlefield until every last one is gone.