Chapter 289 CHAPTER 289

Chapter 289 CHAPTER 289
DRACO'S POV

I stared down at her limp body and felt something inside me crack wide open.

We'd all descended to the ground, and I still struggled to believe that this was actually happening.
It wasn't some horrible nightmare.

The arrow was still buried in her chest, right above her breasts, and blood kept soaking through her clothes, a darkness following it gradually.

Her skin was too pale in comparison to the infected parts.

Her breathing was too shallow and she was beautiful, even when she shut her eyes against the pain.

And all I could see was the vision that had haunted me for the past four months months.

In that vision, she had been on her knees in the middle of a burning battlefield, screaming my name until her voice gave out.

Her hands had been covered in my blood, pressing desperately against my chest like she could force life back into me through sheer will.

The ground around her had been cracked and scorched black from her power, and still she refused to accept it.

She had destroyed everything — mountains split open, skies turned to ash, dragons screaming in the distance all because of Drakkonia and she refused to accept that I still died.

“I won’t live without you,” she had sobbed in that vision. “I won’t. I told them I can't make this sacrifice, it's the only thing I stand on. If you die, I’ll burn it all down. I’ll burn the whole fucking world before I let them take you from me."

And when I didn't wake up because that arrow was right in the middle of my heart, she unleashed hell.

Florina tried to hold her back, she flung him towards the veil and Zade didn't know if to try or to go make sure the halfling was fine.

She took her rage from one realm to another, and that power, the one I'd finally seen what it was capable of, filled her and made her its slave.

Nothing remained but a burnt world when she was done.

I woke up from that dream, vision or trance and decided I had to make changes.

I kept my distance. Every time she reached for me, every time she tried to understand why I was pushing her, I told myself it was better this way. She would hate me a little less when I was gone.

But despite how hard I tried to make her hate me, it was almost pointless.

Still, I tried, even today, in this same battlefield, I kept doing the thing she hated the most, being micromanaged like she was some powerless wimp.

Because I couldn't bear the thought of her loving me so much that she'll lose everything.

I couldn’t let her go through that. I couldn’t let her love me only to watch me die in the most brutal way possible.

And now she was the one bleeding out in my arms.

“Alira…” My voice broke. I pressed my forehead against hers, eyes burning. “You stupid, stubborn girl. It was supposed to be me.”

"Don't say that, Draco, none of us is supposed to die," Zade whispered, holding her finger in his hand like he was scared of coming too close and killing her completely.

“I was supposed to protect you,” I choked out. “That’s all I’ve ever tried to do. And you went and—”

The King’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

“Everyone clear away from there and go back to the battle! Now! Kill every last one of them!”

Soldiers and dragons started moving again, the sounds of war rushing back in.

I didn't move a fucking inch, not when it felt like I was the only thing holding her back in this world.

She wasn't gone completely but she was on death's door.

Again.

I had hope, because she's always managed to defeat it, but somehow, this one felt different.

But then the King’s next words stopped everything.

"You three," he pointed to us, "stay back and help me. Where are her dragons? Solvarion, get those violent beasts down here. We need to try something. She can't just die like that, not after what she did for this Kingdom!"

I looked up sharply. He stood over us, bloodied and furious, Solvarion looming behind him like death itself.

Everyone gathered in mere seconds, panic moving with hope and purpose.

“Since my dragon and I have a connection to all of you, We’re pulling life force,” the King said, voice hard. “From all of you. We'll revive her chi and it can start healing her."

A burst of hope bloomed in my chest.

"Thank you, My King," I gasped, letting go of the protection I had around my Chi.

He can use it all, I don't bloody care.

Florian dropped to his knees beside us without a word. Zade was right behind him, jaw clenched so tight it looked painful.

Even Solvarion lowered his massive head, looking at her like a prized jewel.

The King placed one hand on Alira’s chest, right beside the arrow, and the other on my shoulder. Power surged through the bond immediately — hot, ancient, and brutal. I felt it rip through me like fire in my veins.

My vision blurred. My dragon roared inside my head but didn’t fight it.

Around us, I could feel Florian and Zade’s life forces being drawn too, their dragons lending strength without hesitation.

The King’s voice was strained.

“Hold on, girl. You don’t get to die on my watch.”

He gripped the arrow.

I looked away, but I still heard it — the wet, terrible sound of it being pulled free.

Alira’s body jerked once in my arms. Fresh blood poured from the wound, dark and thick, but it didn’t spread the way it had before. The black edges had stopped moving.

The King stepped back, breathing hard.

“It’s done. The wound is stable and her chi should revive to start helping with her healing."

I looked down at her again but nothing was happening.

The darkness didn't move further but it didn't fizzle out either.

At this rate, if I move her too much, it might go to her heart and that'll be the end.

We didn't cross over here with healers and I didn't know how I was going to get her on ShadowRider.

Suddenly, a steed neighed from the distance.

"Oh Styx," I croaked, "you're more magical than you let on."

"Be careful," Florian said, helping me to steady her.

When I climbed the horse I told them to tie me with ropes to stay still.

"Can I help?"

I turned to see one of her friends.

"How?" Zade asked.

"I can.. I can freeze the wound until you get to the healers."

"Freeze? You're a Fae in disguise?" Florian hissed, his hand already going to his sword.

"No! Master Florian, you taught me for the last three years. I'm not a Fae. But I'm not fully dragon kin either. My mother was impregnated by one of the beasts from the world behind the northern region. That's why I have ice in my veins."

"Why didn't you tell anyone this?"

"I.. I was scared. She came to ask for my help but I was a selfish idiot who was scared of every fucking thing! Now she's.. please let me help. It's not much and it's not saving the world but I.."

"Go ahead," I told her, desperate for anything at this point.

She raised her hand over the wound and at first, nothing moved.

"We don't have time for this nonsense, "Florian snapped.

"Wait," Zade stopped him.

Soon, frost began forming on her skin.

"That's something you don't see every day," I muttered.

After successfully freezing every dark spot, we got on our dragons.

But as we rose in the sky, I was shocked to see that the war was far from over.

"Are those robots?" Zade gasped, but I didn't wait to find out

Alira needed to be in a healing pool immediately.