The world was burning, and so was I.

The scythe in my hand flashed through the air, and my hands shot blast after blast of ice. Every time, the scythe would fail to leave even a single dent or scratch in those exquisite crimson scales. Every time, the frost would slide off as if it had never been there.

It’s too hot. Even my ice wouldn't last long. The dragon had long since raised the air temperature to far beyond human tolerance. I would already be dead if I were still ordinary.

My hands kept moving, my feet pounding into the ground, and I could feel the desperation constricting my chest as I dived away from the beam of light bursting from the dragon’s throat.

Thousands of glimmering gold threads wrapped around the dragon’s snout, catching it off guard. Rounin shouted in victory by my side as his strings forced the dragon's head to the ground.

A smaller, thinner beam sliced through the air, just a second too late.

The dragon moved his head despite the restraints, the threads evaporating, the attack just barely missing the sun dragon’s eye. My head turned to check on the attacker. An angel soared through the sky, weaving between the beams of light it shot at him with uncanny precision.

The dragon roared, and immediately, fiery winged creatures seemed to shimmer into existence around its head.

“I’ll distract it! Get them!” I shouted, blasting the dragon with frost once more to get its attention.

The angel gave no verbal confirmation but began zigzagging through the air. His wings sliced through the creatures like a hot knife through butter— and what his wings didn’t catch, his own beams of light did.

A thread whipped through the air and sliced through creatures. Rounin was at work.

I couldn’t watch for long. I hurled another ice projectile at the dragon, aiming at the same spot over and over in the hopes of wearing it down eventually.

The dragon’s tail swept towards me, throwing dirt in my face. I leaped in the air and landed awkwardly, my eyes stinging.

Golden threads wrapped around my chest and yanked me away from a blast of light directly in front of my face.

“Okay?” Rounin shouted.

“Fine,” I called back, wiping the dirt out of my eyes and slashing at the same spot I’d hit with my ice earlier with my scythe.

I was rewarded with the scale cracking.

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“Icarus!” I shouted. “I cracked a scale!”

The angel flared his wings out to stop his dive toward the dragon’s face and then changed direction, swooping towards me with all the grace of an owl diving for a mouse.

He was so focused on avoiding the claws and the beams the dragon kept shooting out of its mouth, he forgot the dragon’s tail could crush him just as easily.

The angel cried out as he was swatted out of the air like a bird cruelly pinned down by a cat.

My body was in motion again, sprinting for him. I crouched low to the ground and sprung, tackling him out of the air.

I could see the beam’s reflection in the angel’s eyes, hear the screams from both him and Rounin, feel the sharp increase of temperature sizzling through the air, and then I was on the ground again.

It was hard to think. Every inch of my skin had been burning and my eyes stung from smoke, but now my leg especially felt as though it had been set on fire. No, being set on fire would hurt more. I was fine. Strangely enough, something smelled like burnt pork.

The angel was standing up again, glancing regretfully back at me. “Y-Yule, darling, I, I’m so, I’m sorry— Rounin’s coming. I have to go.”

“Go, hurry.” I gritted my teeth, my voice strained and gravelly. How strange. I didn’t even know my voice could sound like that. “I’m okay.”

He launched with one powerful flap of his wings, with all the grace of a bird of prey.

I slowly picked myself up off the ground, reminding my sluggish, protesting body that I had to move or die.

“Yule!”

My head turned towards the noise. Rounin rushed towards me, eyes wide, his jaw visibly clenched.

His steps stalled, and his teary eyes landed on my leg.

I was what smelled like pork.

Was that even my leg? I couldn’t even feel most of it. Perhaps the nerves were damaged.

All I could see was a mess of char and red, slimy flesh. What wasn’t char was still bubbling and sizzling slightly as it cooled down. What was left of the skin on my shin and thigh was peeling, colored a sick blackish-brown, and leathery. It wasn’t shaped right for my leg, either— some of what used to be flesh had likely already crumbled away.

Rounin dropped to his knees next to me, extending his hands. The golden threads wrapped around my leg.

“Oh,” He murmured, closing his eyes.

“It’s okay,” I promised. “Rounin, save your magic. I won’t make it. Icarus might need you later.”

Rounin gathered me into his arms, ignoring my protests. How strange. Rounin wasn’t strong enough to carry me, much less with such ease. “You’ll make it.”

“Rounin, leave me,” I said, more commanding this time. “Don’t be foolish!”

“I’m just going to get you somewhere safer, and then I’ll come back for you once we finish off the dragon, okay?” Rounin promised, voice cracking. I could feel his sharp breaths as he lugged me away from the dragon.

“Tell Icarus it isn’t his fault,” I insisted, hissing in pain each time my leg jostled. “Rounin, please, just put me down, it hurts—”

My dearest friend obliged, carefully propping me up against what was left of a building. “You’re okay, Yule. Stay with me. Don’t pass out, okay? Icarus is going to kill it, and then we’re going to figure out what to do about this. You’re going to be okay—”

“Rounin,” The name slipped out of my mouth, softer and sweeter this time.

“It’s not too late,” He promised, cupping my face in both hands. “Look, just— just amputate the leg. One quick strike. Try to stop the bleeding, doesn’t matter how. And I’ll come help you as soon as—”

“Rounin!” The angel shouted, and he turned towards the shout.

“Yule—” He started, tremors running through his voice.

“Go.” I nodded, pushing weakly on his shoulder.

I watched him turn, keeping his eyes on me for as long as possible before he ran for the angel and the dragon. His expression asked only one thing of me— stay alive.

My hand extended out in front of me, and spikes of ice shot through my leg.

My head dropped to my chest, and my vision went black.