My body felt weak, trembling all over as the dragon descended, its majestic figure looming larger and more terrifying than ever.

The sheer size of it cast an overwhelming shadow, its presence suffocating. It began casting that same devastating beam, and Felis and I instinctively dashed in opposite directions, hoping to confuse it.

But we were wrong. The dragon unleashed two beams, one for each of us. It barely missed me, but the other beam was a direct hit near Felis.

"Felis!" I screamed as the shockwave from the explosion sent us flying through the air.

I slammed into a tree, the impact knocking the breath out of me and causing me to cough up blood. My vision blurred for a moment, and the pain made me dizzy. Felis, who had managed a safer landing, rushed over, immediately casting a healing spell on me.

Thankfully, the dust and debris from the blast clouded the dragon's vision for a moment, buying us some time.

"Can you run?" Felis asked urgently.

"Yeah," I gasped, struggling to stand.

I forced myself up, my whole body screaming in pain, but adrenaline kept me moving. We started running as fast as we could, every step feeling like my muscles were tearing apart. But I couldn't stop now. The dragon was already on the move again, and we could hear its massive wings beating behind us, closing in.

I glanced back—its eyes had locked onto us once more.

As I reached for the luring crystal my grandfather had given me, Felis stopped me, his hand firm on my arm.

"This one isn't an ordinary dragon. You'll only enrage it more if you try to trick it like that," he warned.

Then, without waiting for a response, he walked past me, raising his wand. His whole body began to glow with a bright, almost blinding light. I froze in shock as I noticed the blood pouring from his head—he was already severely injured.

"Watch and learn how strong your teacher is," he said, his voice calm but determined.

Before I could stop him, two massive magic circles appeared in the air. Both were intricate and powerful, containing eight full cycles each, layered with complex multipliers. The sheer force of the mana he was releasing was unlike anything I'd ever seen. I wanted to stop him, to plead with him not to push himself, but I knew it would be useless. He was already too far gone in his resolve.

The dragon, sensing the immense threat, roared and began rushing toward Felis, its claws outstretched in a deadly lunge. But Felis didn't waver. The two magic circles began merging into one, the energy swirling violently.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Forbidden Magic, Nihility."

A beam of pure black and white light shot from the merging circles, blinding everything in its path. I couldn't see what happened next—the light was too intense, the pressure from the magic too overwhelming. For a few seconds, everything was silent except for the hum of the magic.

Then, I heard a heavy thud. Something fell.As the light faded and my vision slowly returned, I saw the dragon's massive body lying in the distance, but my eyes immediately shifted to Felis. He wasn't moving.

"Hey!" I shouted, rushing to his side.

His eyes were barely open, his breathing shallow. "Run... I didn't... make it," he whispered.

"What do you mean? It was a direct hit!" I said, panicking.

He didn't respond, his lips barely moving, his voice fading away. "Felis!" I screamed, slapping him lightly on the cheek. There was no response. His body was limp, his skin pale.

"Felis!! Don't you dare die in front of me!" I shouted, shaking him. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized the severity of his condition. "You're supposed to die surrounded by your grandchildren, not like this! Didn't you say you wanted to have a family?"

The grumbling sound of the dragon grew louder, and I realized in horror that it was still alive—its wings were gone, but it was dragging its massive body toward us. I glanced at Felis, still unconscious and barely clinging to life. Desperation surged through me.

"Don't you dare move another step!" I shouted, though I didn't know who I was talking to—the dragon, or myself.

Without thinking, I grabbed Felis's wand, my grip tightening around it as I sprinted toward the dragon. I had no plan, no strategy—just raw, burning anger fueling me. With a burst of magic, I launched myself into the air, aiming for the dragon's head, hoping to stab it before it could react.

But the dragon's mouth opened, and the light from its throat began to glow. It was preparing to blast me to oblivion.

What am I doing? I thought in a flash of panic. Did Felis sacrifice himself just for me to die too?

Suddenly, something touched me—a presence, soft yet firm. I braced for the impact, but instead of pain, I saw the dragon's beam deflected by something dark and powerful. I was caught midair by my grandfather, his imposing figure towering over me as he held me close.

With a single move, he had deflected the same dragon beam that had nearly annihilated both me and Felis.

The dragon's eyes flickered in recognition of the danger. Realizing it couldn't win, it hastily began casting a giant magic circle beneath itself. Before I could react, the dragon teleported away in a flash, vanishing into thin air.

"Why in the world is a royal dragon here?" one of the soldiers muttered, rushing over to us.

My mind was still reeling from the chaos, but I managed to choke out, "How is Felis?"

A soldier knelt beside him, checking his pulse. "He's still breathing, but unconscious. His magic power is gone… even if he recovers, he'll never be able to use magic again."

My heart sank at those words. Felis—who had risked everything—had paid the ultimate price. His magic, the very thing that defined him, was stripped away.

"It's already a miracle he managed to survive after using such forbidden magic," another soldier added grimly. "Not losing 70% of his body is a lifetime fortune."

Tears welled in my eyes as I looked down at Felis, his face pale and still, all i can hope is his own will to life