I didn't show it, but the curse had numbed my body. The entire left side of my body was sluggish. Lukia drew her bow back and fired her next arrow at the dragon. Her quiver was running low since we hadn't had the chance to resupply since entering the mountains. I dropped my quiver for her use, and she nodded in agreement. With her support, we could scrape some brilliant plans to save us. My hopes held it tightly that we would make it alive and escape the dragon. Even if I had to face the pain from such a powerful curse, I would not let it stop me from victory.

Observing the stunned dragon, its throat had darkened by the constant smoke pouring from the scales. With no idea if he could use his breath weapon again or not, I steered my resolve and channeled the power of Tempest. Whirlwinds circled the blade and focused on the sapphire. Powerful magic gathered inside the blade, lighting up the runes etched into the steel.

Charging forward, I chant the spell through the blade. "Tempest Burst!" Twisting the blade handle forward, the stream of winds extends from the tip toward the neck of Slyr. Scales are ripped apart, and dark crimson blood leaks from the torn scales. Reeling from the strike, Slyr tries to exhale the fumes within its lungs, but another dark mist of sulfur smoke bellows out.

Upon realizing its main form of killing is reduced to nothing, Slyr takes action, drags his chest over the edge, and prepares to take flight, giving him the advantage. "Oh, don't you dare! Stay still for me!" Pushing against her limits, Lukia fires several bramble shots into the limbs and torso of the dragon, causing each of the roots to pierce the ground and lock the dragon in place.

Lukia begins to cough violently as the cost of using her Ranger abilities has tapped into her vitality. The connection to nature growing weaker, she continues to pour everything into the roots, making them bigger and longer as they dig into the mountain. Midway through her coughing, she shutters as vomit pours from her lips.

"That's enough! You'll faint!" I shouted at her, hoping to stop her. Like I am one to say, when I let the curse progress much further along my body earlier. I couldn't risk her endangering herself further; I needed to do something. I had to do something despite the left side of my body drooping ever so slightly; I raised Tempest to my chest and charged forward.

Facing off against a dragon that can no longer move would free a wide attack at any vital areas along its head. With the size of its head bigger than Yann's, I could only hope my sword, which comparably could be a toothpick against such a magical being, would cause any significant damage. Jaunting forward, I leap and slam the blade into the left side of the dragon's cheek.

Blood oozes from the wound down onto its lips. The blade embedded deep into a dragon's tough hide and pierced through one of the massive teeth. The dragon captures the blade still. Tilting and shifting its head, it tries to slam me into the ground. Lifting the enormous head before crashing it down onto the mountain surface, I hold onto it tightly. Even if my back slammed into the rocks, I couldn't lose the open weapon that wouldn't break upon the dragon's scales.

Lukia, with the rest of her strength, crawls to the other quiver and starts to empty the arrows to the ground before knocking on the next arrow. Her eyes droop low, and dark clouds begin to cloud over her sight. She listens intently to the rampaging creature before drawing the arrow and firing it directly into the blind eye, which slips into it deep.

The ensuing roar of Slyr is followed by significant drops of blood from its wounds, and it starts to pull on the vines and roots with every bit of strength it has. Prying the blade free in time, I narrowly avoid being consumed as the jaws attempt to bite down upon me unsuspectingly. Lukia nearly screamed as she saw me slip past its lips with my sword in hand. Tumbling to the ground, I slip to my knees and back away, avoiding the thrashing the dragon causes.

The tail and wings drag along the surface, scraping the scales and kicking stones all over, and with the last bit of effort, the roots begin to snap. It wants to fly and attack where it has the best advantage now that it knows we outsmarted it with our current skills. However, it looked to me like it wasn't trying to flee; it was trying to free its chest.

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My eyes widened when I noticed the black smoke had stopped emitting from its throat or mouth. The few minutes we had endured while it was recovering did some damage but not enough to deter the dragon from continuing its wrath upon us. I didn't assume it would, but I had no choice but to protect Lukia.

"Lukia! It's going to burn us! Get away!" She was too far for me to reach with my weakened body. I couldn't create two barriers to save us both again; in fact, I didn't believe I had the strength to withstand another assault if the curse spread anymore. Chills spread along my skin. My left arm was practically useless, Lukia pushed herself too far to move either, and now the dragon had recovered what it needed to finish both of us off...

No.

I wouldn't let that happened.

Part of me sensed the magical energy from the dragon. Without knowing how or being able to explain it in words, a familiar sensation called me to the burning flames that began accumulating within it. I looked to Lukia, who watched me accept the situation. I had nothing to believe that my sudden idea would save her, let alone me. But I had no choice but to believe in the feeling that brewed inside.

Unbeknownst to me, when I had repelled the flames earlier, the pain of the curse had distracted me from noticing it at first, but I could sense that a dragon's breath is both physical and magical. The flames themselves are physical, but their potency and creation are similar to how I create lightning in my spells. Magical in nature, but overall, it is a physical element. Magic is in everything, including people. We come from magical beings that are now long distant, but they give us the long lives we carry. The magic in my blood allows me to manifest and create lightning out of thin air. Perfecting it would take decades of practice and knowledge to make it stronger.

Something like a dragon would have the time and ability to produce fuel, sparks, and heat to produce flames as powerful as it does. Like nature, it can be controlled.

"Stay back! Don't come closer, Lukia!"

The dragon inhales, formulating the breath into a single bead of flame that quickly expands outwards into a massive orb. It contains the flames deep inside its torso, constricting it into a single point of origin. The scales on its torso heat up into a bright red hue. The area travels up the creature's long neck and throat. Heatwaves flow between its teeth as the bright yellow light of flames blasts from its mouth.

A large orb of flames approaches me—a fireball directed to hit the both of us. I plant my feet and reach out to the familiar feeling I once had in a massive rainstorm that was made with magic...

"YAHHHH!!!!!"

The crashing sound of rock and force overwrote my screams. Blown back on my feet, I held my right hand against the massive ball of fire. The painful burning sensation reached the tips of my fingers. Withstanding the force, stopping myself from being pushed further for Lukia's sake.

The pressure of force blows my hair and cloak wildly; Lukia stares in the same spot; she holds her hand in front of her to shield herself from the pressure and heat. Peeking through the chaos, she watches as I hold off the orb without it incinerating me.

Slyr watches in awe himself. His eye focuses intently on me. The strangely powerful young boy he thought nothing of until now.

After redirected lightning, I wondered if I could do more than just one element. With the knowledge I knew about Demons, Lords, and Kings alike who were able to master and use multiple sources of elements, they could manipulate fire, water, earth, and others at a single time.

Despite my age or my current level of magic, I would say that having even the slightest control of another element other than my innate given at birth would be impossible. What I did at this moment was something I shouldn't have been able to do. But I did.

Small golden lines sprouted within my pupils. The force that pushed me back had begun to reverse. Using the full might of my power, I sacrificed more of my body to the curse. It continued to travel up my neck and spread across my torso and stomach. Parts of my cheek also were affected when a long blue streak of lightning flowed out of my eyes, traveling down to my right hand and into my palm, and then began to create an orb of lightning.

"StormFire!" Shooting the orb into the fireball, it collides and enters, fusing. The flames streak off and swirl around my command, moving it up with my palm toward the dragon. Upon uttering the words of mixing fire and lightning, the spell propels directly into Slyr's left arm and wing.

A large explosion of fire and lightning damages Slyr significantly as large scales are torn away with a mist of blood. His left wing is tarnished, which causes him to dip low as he can no longer properly fly with his body positioned.

Blood runs down my palm, and the burnt tips of my fingers struggle to move. Watching the giant dragon slowly plummet to the ground, the side of the mountain I stood on started to break and collapse. Lukia called out my name in horror as I plummeted to the ground...