"Damn it, Sky, why can't you be easy to protect?" A huge black dragon stood in the center of the room, glaring at Sky. Speaking in Ember's voice.

"What's that?" a pale blue dragon called. Her eyes were stormy, and intricate spirals of white and navy blue swirled across her scales.

"Oh, Em's just being dramatic, Ara," said the biggest of the dragons, her pink-edged scarlet wings flaring out as she spoke from where she stood on a lump of masonry, breathing fire out across the fleeing squids. "Couldn't you tell?"

"Rose, chill. Ara was just asking," a light green dragon said mildly. Next to Rose and… the dragon they called Ember (Sky wasn't going to believe that it was Ember just yet), who filled the room with coils of tails and wings, this dragon was barely bigger than a horse, tail twitching, every flick sending squids flying in trails of ink.

"I know, Wisp. I'm just teasing," Rose groaned.

"Didn't sound like it," the black dragon said, again with Ember's voice. " But"—the Ember-dragon's eyes widened. "Watch out!" She brought her tail whipping around, smashing into Caharison's chest and sending the squid hybrid crashing against a column. Caharison jumped to his feet, enraged.

"Wisp, you stay by Adam. Get him out of here if this gets bad. Rose, Ara, you guys come with me. Let's toast some squid butt!" Ember inhaled deeply as the squid charged her, and when he was close to being able to reach her with his swords, she exhaled, purple fire spraying from her jaws, circling around the hybrid.

Caharison roared angrily, but appeared to be only a little singed. Sighing out her frustration, Ember snapped her mouth shut. Aradyn hovered a few feet above the squid, evading his swipes by only a hairsbreadth each time. She exhaled, and ice sprayed from her mouth, trapping the deranged alchemist in a prison of frost.

With a punch, Caharison shattered the cage, shards of ice flying. Rosewing, Aradyn, and Ember manage to dodge, but Wispice was struck in the side by one glittering piece. She roared, green lightning crackling around her teeth. "Okay, now I want to kill something!"

Caharison stepped forward, slicing his swords at Ember's foreleg. She dodged and swiped her clawed paw at him, batting him against the column. "Wisp, don't get into this," she warned.

Rosewing swatted at Caharison with her spiked tail, but the squid dodged. "Hold still! Ara, can I get a little freeze ray here?"

"Fools! You are no match for me!" The squid sheathed two swords and reached for some pockets that Sky hadn't noticed before.

"Rose, get out of there!" Rosewing just had time to take to the air before a potion landed where she'd been standing a moment ago, spraying poisonous vapors everywhere.

The dragon shivered. "Holy Herobrine, that was close."

The black dragon—Ember?—snorted. "You think? Aradyn, make sure Wisp is okay. Rosewing, make sure that Adam stays in one piece." Ember stretched out her wings, each one ten times as long as Sky was tall, and jumped into the air. The force from every downbeat sent Caharison staggering.

"You're going to do the thing?" Rose squeaked, looking slightly alarmed.

"I think she's going to do the thing!" Aradyn shouted.

"Crap!" Wispice rose to her feet. "Does she know the thing might end up killing the Adam guy?"

Sky stared up at Ember. Her scales were glowing purple, shimmering with eerie light. Her form was flickering, sometimes dragon, and sometimes the human girl he'd fallen for. Ember laughed, fire dripping down from her mouth. "I can control it now, guys!"

"Yeah, right!" they all yelled at her.

"Exactly," Ember huffed. "Now watch out!"

Sky couldn't remember much after that. Purple. Extreme, searing heat. The screeches of Caharison. The roars of the dragons. The building collapsing even further. Water spraying everywhere. Huge chunks of stone and lapis falling around him. And then, there was only darkness.


Hey... Sorry I didn't update sooner. Lucky me, I just got really, really sick (a fun way to spend the last portion of summer vacay). I have a throbbing headache and... I'm not going to bother y'all with the details. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! I know I've enjoyed writing this. Please R&R, and follow this story if you like it!

Sky: Why do I always black out?

Nafia: Because it's convenient for the author.

Sky: That's hardly fair. What'd I ever do?

Nafia: The building just got exploded by a dragon, who also happens to be your mega-crush. You are unconscious, so shut up and... why do I have these debates in the author's note?

Nelson: I still haven't gotten my autograph!

Both: Silence!