Author Note: The names of the dragons were taken from the names of the archangels found in the Bible and apocrypha. They are listed below so that you have a reference for when the names are mentioned:

- Dark dragon: Michael (obviously)

- Light dragon: Raphael

- Wind dragon: Gabriel

- Fire dragon: Jophiel

- Earth dragon: Ariel

- Thunder dragon: Azrael

- Water dragon: Chamuel

"No!" screamed Rose, tears blurring her vision. "Dart!"

Her hand remained outstretched as he fell fifty feet into the cold ocean, still frothing from the wind of the recent storm. Her soul was overwhelmed. She shook her head, trying to dispel memories and trying to figure out what to do. No matter what, the sea approached her – of that, she was sure. Sniffing and trying to breathe normally, she stood precariously on the doorframe, readily aware of the dozen crates that now cascaded toward her.

Holding her nose and closing her eyes, she leapt through the frame, not daring to breathe for the brief second that she fell. She splashed deeply into the ocean as crates fell around her, and she looked around frantically, trying to see Dart's body through the dark, frothing water. Thankfully, darkness to her was less than a detriment. Feeling through it, she sensed various objects distorting the flow of light, and finally, she found one oddly shaped. She pushed herself to the surface for a gulp of air before swimming to the left, away from the safety of the Queen Fury. The phantom ship was now sinking below the surface, slowing as it went, only the very tip of the bow now visible. As it pushed into the water, the water pushed them away from the ships.

Shouts sounded from the Queen Fury, but Rose knew all too well that they could not see her or Dart amid the chaos and wreckage. She pressed forward, buffeted by waves, drawn out by a current. A lifeboat descended from the great ship that was now aflutter with activity, but Rose wasn't sure that even a thorough search would be able to find them unless fate itself pushed the ship in their direction.

Why wasn't Dart surfacing? If she didn't reach him soon, he would drown. She cried as she swam, her salty tears joining the salty ocean. At last, she felt the darkness of his meager shadow beneath her, perhaps ten feet down. After a deep breath, she plunged into the water.

And there he was, floating along, eyes closed. Snatching him by his collar, she hoisted him up, fighting against the waves as she pulled him to the surface and dragged him along toward the wreckage. Boards were floating off in every direction, and she moved toward the closest one, slow going as it was, and pulled Dart up onto it. He didn't quite fit, but at least his head would be out of the water.

She held onto the board and watched the lifeboat and its meager torch begin to search the surrounding waters. By now, they were a hundred yards away, and drifting farther. Rather than focusing on rescue, Rose checked Dart for a pulse and found a weak one. She wondered if the red-eyed dragoon spirit would let him drown, but she couldn't be sure. Awkward though it was, she fought to push on his chest and expel the water from his lungs, but she couldn't maneuver enough force thanks to their buoyancy. Instead, she opened his mouth and breathed for him.

After several attempts, he finally coughed and sputtered, pushing out the water, but he didn't wake. She turned him on his side to empty his mouth, but quickly turned him back when the lessening waves threatened to splash back in. His breathing became regular and his pulse stronger, and she returned her attention to the Queen Fury and the lifeboat.

"Hey!" she called into the darkness. "Over here!"

But her voice was drowned and muffled by the waves and wind, and not even a head turned in her direction. She frowned. If Dart were awake, he could send up a fire for them to see. All she could do was take away their vision.

Rose began to shiver as she floated in the water, grateful that she had brought her sword and regretting the absence of her armor. Dart, too, wore merely a tunic and pants, as neither of them had had time to change in the suddenness of the phantom ship's impact. She sighed in frustration and made a vain attempt to wipe her face dry.

The Queen Fury drifted farther and farther away. The torchlights dimmed until they were mere specks in the far distance. Hope of rescue left Rose's heart altogether.

Two hours later, Rose finally began to make out the distant silhouettes of landlocked objects as the sunlight began to penetrate the cloud cover. First, stable splotches of darkness appeared on the horizon, and then they grew into trees and landscapes. She began trying to swim them closer, holding the floating Dart before her and paddling with her feet. She was grateful for the exercise as it began warming her body just slightly. Dart had remained a perfectly normal temperature since she had gotten him breathing again, even with most of his body submerged in the chilly ocean, but Rose had not been so lucky, and she hoped that she would be able to start a fire once they found their way ashore.

At long last, her feet hit sand. She pushed Dart onto the beach and collapsed next to him, gazing up at the stars and panting heavily. She hadn't strained so hard in a long time.

A breeze drifted over her, and she began shivering violently once again. Despite her fatigue, she pushed herself off the ground and looked around, wrapping her arms around herself. Low shrubs and tall palm trees grew twenty feet inland, and a rocky face was exposed off to her left that cut off view of the island beyond. To her right was a beach that curved around to the left and out of sight, nothing but endless ocean beyond it.

She plunged into the underbrush and gathered as many twigs and branches as she could hold before returning and dumping them onto the sand. Then she searched for larger branches and logs and found at least enough to hold a fire for a few hours. To her mild delight, she also discovered a small alcove in the rock wall that would serve as a makeshift room, at least for one night. She moved all the branches and twigs over to this area, just large enough that they could both lie comfortably. Then she began the somewhat tedious process of dragging Dart over. Although she was stronger than the average woman thanks to her dragoon spirit, Dart was heavier than he looked. Eventually, she found that she could lift under his armpits and get him mostly off the ground, and she dragged him this way, his bootheels digging into the beach, until she laid him down under the cover of the stone. Then she got to work on the fire.

Rose may not have been a fire dragoon, but she had plenty of experience in lighting one. It caught quickly, and soon the flames licked at the sky and warmed her wet toes. She shivered still, but the cold slowly left her, and she leaned her head back on the rock.

The images of the phantom ship came back to her in a flash. The skeletons, the wrathful ghosts, the rotting ship – these images overwhelmed her again, and in the stillness of this moment, she buried her face in her hands as she began to weep. For many minutes, she sobbed aloud, alone in almost every way, left to her cruel fate.

Finally, she hugged her knees and closed her eyes, burying her face again as she fought to make sense of it all.

What had come over her? Since when had she been so emotional?

She recalled Dart dangling from the phantom ship, pleading with her to let go, blue eyes full of fear. Try as she might, she could not separate that image from one long ago in her past, the most haunting day of her long life.

Turning to Dart, she watched him for a moment. He still breathed, deeply and slowly, and she wondered how he could still be unconscious. Perhaps the water had taken more out of him than she'd realized. She sighed and moved closer to him.

Why did he have to look so much like Zieg?

From the first day she'd met him, all that time ago in the eastern forest of Serdio, she had been taken aback at the striking resemblance. His hair was the same color, his eyes, and even his cheekbones seemed to remind her of the man she had lost.

"Dart?" she whispered. He gave no response. She rustled him, and still, he did not move.

Content with this, she maneuvered so that she could rest his head in her lap, giving her a good long look at his face. She had had many conversations with Dart, but she had never been offered the chance to measure the resemblance so closely as in this moment. He remained asleep even through her jostling, and she sighed in relief. Had he awoken, she would have lied and said she had been laying him down.

After placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on the top of his head, she watched him and measured his features. How similar were they, really?

Now that she was paying attention, she noticed that his hair was a little darker than Zieg's, but maybe that was because it was still damp. His nose was more pointed, and his lips thinner. His eyes seemed a little more angled and his jaw slightly smaller.

"So alike and yet so different," she muttered aloud. "How long does it take for something like this to happen? Does everyone have a doppelganger every ten thousand years?" She almost laughed at herself. "Maybe there's a Rose lookalike out there somewhere."

She sighed.

"I never told you, Dart, but I lost him," she whispered. "A long time ago. Somehow, it feels like yesterday and millennia ago at the same time."

She saw the image again: the frightened blue eyes, the hand reaching out for her. She flinched.

"You both are the red-eyed dragoon," she continued. "I couldn't help but follow you in the beginning. You made it feel like he was around again."

She grabbed a lock of his hair and ran it between her fingers.

"But, you're not him, in the end."

Again, she leaned her head back against the rock wall, this time closing her eyes. Memories danced on the back of her eyelids, and as much as she wanted them to stop, they would not. Zieg appeared in her mind's eye, smiling that charming smile. What would he have said if he had been on that phantom ship with her?

She shook her head. She shouldn't ask herself such questions. She'd learned that much by now.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you," she whispered into the night. Tears fell now, and her lower lip trembled. "I tried. If I could have just held on, maybe—" Her voice cracked.

Suddenly she stood, laying Dart's head softly on the sand before pacing back and forth in the meager morning light.

"What is this?" she cried. "I've held it together for this long and that ship is what breaks me?"

You've done your best, came Zieg's voice in the back of her mind. You've done what is right.

She wept anew and collapsed onto the sandy floor of the alcove. She lay down, her head near Dart's as she covered her face while she cried.

Rose knew that that's what Zieg would say. But she couldn't get herself to believe it.

"Everything could change tomorrow," said Rose softly as she leaned back on her palms and overlooked the city.

"Everything will change tomorrow," replied Zieg on her left.

"What if it all goes wrong?" asked Damia on Rose's other side.

Rose turned to her and smiled softly. The girl's big, green eyes faced her, wide with fear and trepidation. Her skin glistened in the dim, faltering light off to the west.

"Then we keep fighting," said Rose. "We keep fighting until it goes right."

"I just wish I could stay with you tomorrow."

"Shirley will take care of you," assured Rose.

"Shirley has to take care of everyone else," protested Damia.

"She always does, doesn't she?" muttered Zieg.

Rose sat forward and folded her legs. "We'll be alright. The three of us will make it out just fine. We have a good plan."

"You don't care about the others, then?" teased Zieg.

Smiling, Rose rolled her eyes and punched Zieg lightly on the thigh. "You know what I mean."

Zieg placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and rubbed it lightly. "I do," he said.

Men's laughter echoed out behind them, and Rose turned to see Syuveil and Kanzas making jest with several soldiers. Or at least, Kanzas was. Syuveil was awkward as ever, sipping his tea and peeking out at the world through his glasses.

"Hey, fish brain!" called Kanzas in their direction when he saw that their attention had been gathered. Damia sighed and shook her head. "Syuveil here wants to know if you can survive on salt water!"

"Shove off, Kanzas!" retorted Rose, shaking her head.

He laughed again, but Rose was relieved when he turned back to the others.

For some time, the three merely watched. The thriving wingly city lay before them, lights glistening in the night as the citizens slaved away on whatever schemes the dictator had concocted for them. Rose turned her eyes up to see the real capital city floating high above them, so high that it was veiled in spotty clouds. She was grateful that they had eluded detection as of yet, having hidden their army in the thick forest surrounding Kadessa, and she prayed that their luck would last until morning.

Fires had been forbidden for the last three days of their journey here, just to make sure that the winglies couldn't see the humans' approach from their perch high in the sky. Some soldiers had complained about the cold, and Zieg had spent nearly two hours before sundown distributing large rocks that he had heated to temperatures that could sustain a comfortable ambience for several hours. Rose and Belzac had helped, although Belzac had done most of the heavy lifting himself. It had been humorous to see the giant pile of floating boulders move through camp, and even more enjoyable to see the dumbfounded soldiers. Despite their years of service, any display of dragoon magic was always enough to amaze them.

Footsteps approached behind them.

"Hey," said Shirley as she sat on the other side of Damia. Her red hair sat in bright contrast of Damia's sea blue.

"How's Belzac?" asked Rose.

"Nervous," nodded Shirley. "As we all are, I guess. But his panic attacks have come around more frequently over the past few days. This afternoon wasn't too atypical. Not anymore."

"I'm just glad it will all be over soon."

"As am I. How are you all holding up?"

"As well as can be expected," replied Zieg.

"You need to make sure you get some rest tonight, as much as you can."

They all nodded.

"Do you think we'll win?" whispered Rose.

"Yes," replied Shirley without hesitation. "We will. We have to."

"We've come this far, haven't we?" asked Zieg.

"I just have a feeling," muttered Rose.

That night, the dragoons each attempted an uneasy sleep. Rose and Zieg lay beside each other, eyes open, watching each other intently. Rose couldn't deny the anxiety within her, even though she had experienced something similar before every other battle. But this time was different. This battle was more important. And more dangerous.

Each of them had grown confident in their own abilities, but they knew that they were stronger together. Wingly magic could be hard to combat without every dragoon present. And tomorrow, they would be splitting up.

Diaz had chosen Zieg as the champion who would fight against Melbu Frahma himself. Not only did Zieg hold powerful magic, but he was by far the most accomplished swordsman of the group. Somehow, he was faster and stronger than all the rest. The only one who had been able to hold him off was Belzac, and that was only because he could take more hits than anyone else.

And yet now, as Rose looked into Zieg's eyes, she saw only apprehension. He may have kept up the façade before the others, but now, Rose was able to see his vulnerabilities.

"I'm afraid," he confessed at last, his voice splitting the quiet. "What if I'm not strong enough?"

Rose paused and placed a hand over his cheek as she gathered her thoughts.

"Do you remember Zenebatos?" she asked finally. He nodded. "You were the one who convinced Damia to keep fighting. She was ready to break, but you encouraged her to stand. And what about Mayfil?" He nodded again. "You helped Kanzas fight through his own guilt. You advised Shirley to lead us in a different direction, and she listened to you. And just last week, when Kanzas was ready to explode, you were the one who got him to calm down. Right after you took a direct hit, anyway."

He chuckled as a tear fell onto his pillow.

"The strength that Diaz sees in you isn't just power with a sword or magic, although you are definitely the strongest magic user here. The strength he sees is the strength inside." She placed a hand on his chest. "Your heart is your greatest strength. It pushes you past the limits that we all have. That's why you'll win tomorrow."

Grinning, he took her hand and kissed it. "I don't deserve you," he said.

"I'm sure that it's the other way around," she grinned. "You changed me, you know. I used to hate to have anyone touch me, but now…" She stroked his chin, now rough with an emerging beard. The resultant delight almost completely superseded her repulsion. "It's not so bad anymore. You were patient with me. You helped me find joy. I didn't know what it was until I met you."

"I like to think that I just helped you to see yourself."

"And it worked."

"I'm glad. I like you."

Rose smiled. "I like you, too."

With a nervous sigh, Zieg closed his eyes. Rose wasn't sure how much her words had helped, but she was certain that nothing else would. Zieg had been given the most important task of their age – to defeat the dictator of the entire world. And Frahma was not to be underestimated. The few times that Rose had seen him, he had come to intervene on the winglies' behalf. Rarely had he demonstrated his magic, but the one time he had, Rose's hope had all but vanished. Over three hundred humans had been killed in an instant.

With worry in her heart, Rose scooted closer to Zieg, and he draped his arm over her. She considered the importance of such an act, and his dedication to keeping her safe. Although she was as deadly as he was, Zieg had made a pointed effort to give Rose a safe space to heal from her childhood trauma, and now within the safety of his arms, she was able to relax. Her heart was what he had protected for so long, and it was her heart that now found solace in the touch that years ago would have made her panic.

Eventually, they drifted off, but every shift in the wind seemed to wake them. They held each other all night, forcing away their fears as best they could.

The dragoons stood together before a mass of human, giganto, and mininto troops. Proud and tall behind them stood their dragons, each content with watching apathetically. And to their right stood the great Emperor Diaz, his resplendent armor now glistening in the morning sunlight. He held his hands out to silence the murmuring crowd as Syuveil summoned a breeze to carry his voice farther.

"This day will be one of the most historic days of our age," he began, his deep voice booming across the small, wooded valley. "Fourteen months ago, we finally grasped an upper hand in this war, and it is today that we seal our own fates and take hold of our own freedoms once again!" The crowd cheered. "This victory will be hard-fought. It will be bloody. Some will fall. But we will emerge victorious, honoring the deaths of those who have made it possible. Today will go down in history as the day everything changed. Fight for that future. Fight for your children. Fight for their children. Fight for the lives of all those who follow us, that they might live free in this world!"

The people whooped and cheered, and Rose glanced nervously up to the floating city. Could they be heard up there? Zieg must have been thinking the same thing, as he also focused on Kadessa.

Diaz left his position, and the generals standing throughout the crowd began gathering their troops together. As Diaz approached, the dragoons stiffened and stood at attention.

"Dragoons, weavers of fate," he said. "My friends… I do not pretend that your task will be easy. To fight in the sky is nothing that we mere humans can accomplish. This task is yours alone."

"We will see it done," nodded Shirley.

"You are the most powerful among us. Should anyone be able to succeed, it is you." He paused as he looked at each of them. "We all want to be positive and hopeful. We all want to say that we'll all come out alive. But we also know how unlikely that is… That being said, should I not see you all again, I wanted to say thank you. No matter what happens, what you all have accomplished is nothing short of legendary."

"And to you, sir," said Zieg. "None of this would have been possible without your influence."

Diaz gave a small smile and nodded. "The time has come. Let's go kill some winglies."

As the emperor moved off, Shirley indicated that they circle up and take hands. They did so, Rose holding tightly to Zieg and Damia.

"This is it," said Shirley. "We know our assignments. This is the first time we've split up in a long time, but we can do it. My only regret is that I can't protect you lot." She nodded at Zieg, Rose, and Kanzas.

"You have enough that needs protecting," replied Zieg. "You and Damia are needed where things will be the worst."

Shirley nodded, her expression still worried. "Damia, Syuveil, Belzac? Are you all ready?"

They each nodded shyly. Their fear was palpable.

"It'll be a piece of cake," shrugged Kanzas. "We've all killed winglies before."

"You know that this is different," insisted Syuveil. "The most powerful winglies in existence all live within Kadessa, and we don't know how many virage. Even all seven dragoons together and all seven dragons might not be enough."

"Should we just despair then?" retorted Kanzas. "Give up now, why don't you?"

"Stop," ordered Shirley, and Kanzas rolled his eyes while Syuveil looked down. "You both know that this is no time to squabble. This is too important."

"Shirley's right," said Zieg. "We have to be united today, of all days."

"Can we go kill things now?" asked Kanzas. "I'd like to try my hand at old Melbu, if that's alright."

Shirley sighed.

"Remember to communicate," she said. "Never has this been more important. Let us know what's happening at all times, and we will do the same. Unless, of course, it compromises your mission."

"We will," nodded Rose.

A single tear fell from Belzac's eye, and Rose noticed that his eyes were closed, and he appeared to be praying. He squeezed Shirley's hand so tightly that Rose feared he might break a bone. But Shirley didn't seem to mind; in fact, she seemed to be holding his just as tightly.

"This is it," said Shirley quietly, her voice barely a whisper. "The most important battle of our lifetime… There's… nothing else I can say."

For the first time in what seemed like years, Shirley's voice cracked as she addressed them. Her eyes grew watery, and Rose's heart sank. Never before had she seen Shirley so rattled. She had become a firm foundation for them as she had led them in many battles before. Now, her walls were cracking under the weight of such a monumental task.

"I love you all," she choked out. "No matter what happens, it's been an honor."

Rose released Zieg and Damia and wrapped her arms around Shirley, who returned her hug. Belzac latched on, and then Zieg and Damia, and at last Syuveil and Kanzas until they all stood together. All but the last two wept openly, and when they finally released, Rose would have sworn that she saw a tear glimmering in Kanzas's eye.

"To your groups, then," said Shirley as she wiped her face. "We have a job to do."

"Save the world," muttered Zieg as he took his place by Rose and Kanzas. The other four gathered opposite them.

Three dragons approached Rose, Zieg, and Kanzas, and Rose reached out to pet the massive, dark snout of Michael. She smiled and placed her forehead on his nose, and he nuzzled into her. The red Jophiel and purple Azrael nearby did the same to Zieg and Kanzas.

"You go with them this time," she whispered, and his great purple eyes stared at her as if he understood. "I'll meet you after. Take care of them."

She scratched under his left ear and smiled as he almost closed his eyes. Then she stepped back and held out her hand, and he touched her palm with his nose.

Instantly, she felt the dark power arise within her. Emboldened by Michael's flow of strength, she allowed it to overcome her, and the night poured out of her dragoon spirit, enveloping her until she stood completely transformed before him. She smiled weakly. The dragoon had wiped away some of her fear, but not all. She glanced around to see the others transform in the same way, and she kissed Michael's forehead before sending him off to be with the others.

At long last, the seven dragons, Shirley, Belzac, Syuveil, and Damia stood facing Rose, Zieg, and Kanzas. All fourteen dragoon wings glittered in the morning sun.

The horns of war rang out from the valley, and the mass of troops began to move north. With hesitation in their hearts, the dragoons pushed off the ground and began flying toward the massive city hanging high above them. The mighty roars of dragons followed them, and Rose glanced behind her to see Michael's black scales sparkling as his massive body moved.

"Rose!" called Damia, and Rose slowed and reached out her hand.

Damia approached and grasped it tightly, and they flew together, upward until they were almost a mile above the ground. The fourteen came to a hovering rest, and Shirley nodded at Zieg. Rose turned to Damia, wings flapping as she smiled sadly.

"Come back to us," whispered Damia.

"I'll do my best," smiled Rose.

"Good luck!" called Shirley. "Let's go!"

The group split, and Rose followed Zieg and Kanzas toward the east as the others headed west. For a time, they followed the enormous pillars that formed the outer wall of Kadessa, doing their best to stay out of sight. Multiple virage flew around, patrolling for any potential invaders, and they kept to the shadows underneath the wall. They followed it for some time, searching.

The flying city had many access points, but they required one a little less obvious. Zieg's eyes scanned the underbelly of the city as they flew along, waiting to cross the chasm between them and the heart of Kadessa until they could spot it. Though much of the inner city was open to the air, every logical entrance was being watched. All save a select few locations that Kanzas had gleaned from a wingly through some creative questioning techniques.

As they proceeded, Rose cloaked them in a mild shadow, helping them blend in with the wall above. She watched nervously as virage flew around between the inner and outer wall, and she saw dozens of winglies patrolling balconies on the city's edge. Thankfully, none of them seemed alerted to the dragoons' presence.

As they neared the southeast corner of Kadessa, wingly sirens began to blast through the air: high, shrill sounds announcing the attack that must now be underway at the main gate. The winglies on the balconies began to shout, and they took to the air as they flew around to the western gate. A moment later, Rose heard a swoop noise as an invisible barrier took form around the city, undetectable except for the slight distortions of light at the edges of the walls.

"They know we're here," came Shirley's voice in Rose's mind. "Twenty winglies, two virage so far."

"You have more coming from the outside, too," said Rose. "At least another twenty, and I can see six virage right now."

The three dragoons halted in the air, hovering as they waited for the winglies and virage to fly off. When the skies appeared empty, they shot over to the main city, ducking down beneath it until they were out of sight again.

Zieg swore as he bumped into the barrier, and he shot a spout of fire at it only for it to be completely absorbed. Still, Rose noticed a slight flicker, making the force field visible for just a moment.

"Let's find the door first," urged Kanzas. "Then we can focus on the barrier."

"Agreed," said Rose, and they continued.

Several minutes later, they finally found what they sought – an inconspicuous tube barely protruding from the underside of the city, about two hundred feet in from the wall.

"Bingo," said Zieg.

"We found the entrance," reported Rose.

"About time," retorted Syuveil. "You need to pick up the pace."

"I hate that guy," muttered Kanzas as they flew toward the tube.

"You don't mean that," said Rose as they gathered around, hovering in the air as they assessed the problem above them.

Zieg reached out as if to touch the side of the pipe, but his hand was stopped by the invisible barrier two feet away from it. Without saying anything, he left his hand in place and began pushing heat into it. Rose felt as though she were standing a few feet from a roaring bonfire and was forced to turn her face away as Zieg tried to burn through the barrier. To her amazement, the magical wall began to flicker and then blacken, and slowly, it receded. Only the charred rim was any indication that a barrier was there at all.

"There we go," muttered Zieg as he pulled himself through the hole and into the tube.

Just as Rose was about to follow, a needle-like pain shot across her torso.

"Who was that?" demanded Zieg.

"I'm fine," growled Belzac.

"If you say so," muttered Kanzas.

"Virage got him," said Shirley. "I have him though."

"Locked," said Zieg.

"We expected as much," replied Rose.

"Kanzas, you're up."

Zieg moved out of the way, and Kanzas moved into place. Setting his hand on it, he sent tiny pops of electricity into the hatch until it clicked open.

"Works like a charm!" he said triumphantly.

He swung the hatch open, but he was immediately pelted by a hundred food scraps. Sputtering, he flew down and out of the way of the torrent of rotting cuisine that now came cascading out of the hatch and falling to the city below.

"Disgusting!" he said, wiping his face and hair furiously.

Rose would have laughed at him had the situation been anything less dire. Now, as Kanzas struggled to remove spoiled lettuce and smelly bones from his beard and armor, Rose had a sudden realization that he had just opened the hatch to the deadliest place in the world. She shivered.

"Guess the trash wingly didn't show up today," laughed Zieg.

"Shut up," scowled Kanzas.

Then Zieg pulled himself into the hatch, pressing his wings against his back to squeeze in. Rose and Kanzas followed, and she tried not to focus too much on how well she could hear the men breathing.

"Inside now," said Zieg.

"Same here," replied Shirley. "We've taken a couple hits, but nothing I can't handle." There was a pause. "Those winglies you mentioned are coming at us now, and the virage are bearing down." Then to only Rose, she added, "Michael's making a killing, Rose. He's doing you proud. Tore a whole virage in half a minute ago."

Rose smiled despite the cramped quarters, and she wished that she could be with her dragon.

They climbed up the chute for some time, passing hatches on either side every so often. Zieg counted under his breath, and when he finally reached twelve, he stopped and reached for the tiny door. Knowing full well that her dragoon spirit was the only reason she wasn't panicking in their confined space, Rose waited as patiently as possible for Zieg to open it.

Eventually, he did before easing himself through. The hatch was barely big enough for him, but Rose was leaner and managed to scrape through without too much struggle. Kanzas followed, and the three dragoons stood anxiously in a hallway that extended a hundred feet before them, where it split to the right and left.

"You remember where we're going, right?" asked Kanzas.

Nodding, Zieg flew forward and turned right.

He stopped so abruptly that Rose almost ran into him, and they stood staring for just a moment at the space before them. They had entered a colossal room almost a mile wide with thousands of balconies ringing it, on one of which they now stood. The room was open to the sky above, but in the center hung a structure at least five hundred yards across that reminded Rose of a hornet's nest. Nothing appeared to support it, but it was decorated with a hundred carvings of winglies ruling over the other species. Rose was appalled to see humans, gigantos, minintos, and dragons all being crushed into submission by the might of the winglies. And there, toward the top, repeated on every side, was a carving of Melbu Frahma himself. He held his arms out in invitation, as if he were showing the lost their way to salvation.

"That would be where we're headed," remarked Zieg.

"We can't fly over there," said Rose. "We'd attract too much attention."

"You're probably right."

"Where would we go in anyway?" asked Kanzas. "I don't see a door."

"I think that part got left out of my briefing," muttered Zieg.

As Rose looked around for possibilities, she noted that every other balcony was equipped with a glowing green teleporter. Surely, one led inside the huge chamber.

"They have the Dragon Block Staff!" shrieked Damia, and Rose recoiled.

"What?" said Zieg, landing in his shock.

"They have me surrounded! What do I do?"

"They can only focus that thing on one of us at a time," replied Syuveil. "I'm sending Gabriel over."

"She needs more than a single dragon, Syuveil!" cried Rose. "Send the others! Why isn't Chamuel with her?"

"There are at least fifteen virage now, Rose!" came Shirley's reply. "We're doing what we can!"

"My magic!" screamed Damia. "I can't use my magic!"

Their communication went silent, and Rose waited with bated breath. She couldn't focus on anything else, and then she felt Damia's fear rise within her own chest. All at once, she felt a pain at her neck, and then it was gone.

"What happened?" she demanded.

A painful silence followed.

"Rose," said Zieg, walking up to her, but she refused to look at him.

"She's gone," said Syuveil. "We were too late."

A shaky hand flew up to Rose's mouth, but before she could collapse, Zieg whipped her around and forced her to face him. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared helplessly into Zieg's ocean blue. She could see her shock and grief reflected in his face, but it was overshadowed by determination.

"We can't, Rose," he said. "We can't. We have to move on."

"Look!" said Kanzas, pointing far off to the right.

Rose wiped her eyes before following his gaze and saw a teleporter decorated with an archway, unlike any other in the vast room. Sniffing and trying to swallow her pain, she searched around for a discreet way up. Her attention was gathered by shouts coming from across the great hall, and she turned to see six winglies sprinting along a balcony two floors above them, headed toward the main gate.

"Let them go," said Zieg. "We need to press forward, no matter what."

Rose projected darkness around them as Zieg led them west along the balcony. She grew dizzy to see so many offshoots to her right; this really was a grand city, and she had only seen the tiniest sliver of it. They flew until they were as close as they could get to the teleporter without taking to the sky, and then they turned into a hallway. Just as Rose was beginning to wonder if Zieg knew where he was going, an explosion rattled her senses.

Although Zieg was able to redirect much of the fire, the force of the blast still sent the three dragoons careening into the wall on their right. Rose's head struck the hard rock wall, and her vision blurred as she struggled to stand. Sounds of battle began to fill her ears, and she focused as hard as she could on Zieg, who stood before her like a mighty shield. In front of him, four winglies fought, each drawing a sword as they abandoned their magic and prepared to charge forward.

The dragoons drew theirs, and Rose soon found herself fiercely attacked by the wingly on the right. She swirled darkness around her and shot it into the wingly's heart, and she saw the panic arise in his chest. Taking advantage of his distraction, she imbued her sword with dark magic before plunging it into his chest. He fell to the ground dead, and barely a moment later, the other three lay beside him.

"Let's go," said Zieg, now keeping his sword drawn as he flew down the hallway.

Doors stood on either side now, and Rose wondered what types of rooms these were. Kadessa was the capital of the wingly empire, but only the most powerful winglies were allowed to live here. Melbu personally assessed each one that requested relocation, and if they were not worthy, they were cast to the earth to live in the city below.

Still, the winglies had been holding events here for centuries, open to all members of their species. Their coliseum was infamous among the enslaved races, and nightmarish legends abounded regarding the mysterious goings on there; none who were taken ever returned. Rose hoped that they would not encounter that space while they were here.

At last, they found stairs, and as they reached the top, they felt another pang from their dragoon spirits.

"Syuveil was hit, but I'm patching him up now," said Shirley. Her voice was weighted, and she was panting. "Raphael and Ariel are down. We're being overwhelmed. They just keep coming… and we've killed at least two dozen virage by now. Chamuel went on a rampage for Damia, but the Dragon Block Staff was too much for him. He was swarmed… Belzac and I are trying to reach the wingly with the staff, but she keeps hiding."

Kanzas swore. "We don't have time for this whole stealth thing," he said angrily. "We should just fly up to that teleporter."

"Maybe you're right," replied Zieg hesitantly.

"We can't afford to get lost," added Rose.

"Let's go," he agreed.

They doubled back before taking off into the room, flying as quickly as they could toward the teleporter.

Rose yelped as a streak of fire shot past her right arm, singing her skin with an acidic burn. They stopped to see several more winglies now taking off and heading their way, although Rose noticed one turning in a different direction.

"He'll alert them!" she cried.

"I got it," sneered Kanzas, and he shot off toward the wingly, sending streaks of lightning before him.

Rose and Zieg became locked into combat, bouts of magic whirring in every direction. As Rose dodged another bolt of fire, a wingly charged at Zieg. He swept to the side, knocking the dangerous sword aside before grabbing the wingly's arm tightly. The wingly's skin began to sizzle and burn as the wingly cried out in pain just before Zieg silenced him with a cut across his throat.

Rose attacked the two winglies before her, flinging dark magic at them. They reacted, but not as much as her last victim, and she was forced to parry their powerful blows as they came down on her. A moment later, she was flanked, and she pushed her hands outward to dispel all light surrounding her. Within thirty feet in every direction became pitch black, and objects within were visible only to her. The winglies shouted as their vision vanished, and Rose took the opportunity to remove both heads cleanly. She dispelled the magic and watched with grim satisfaction as the bodies and heads plunged toward the distant gardens far below them.

The three winglies attacking Zieg were now enveloped in a massive ball of fire and screaming as they burned alive. Kanzas returned and assured Rose that he had disposed of the herald just as Zieg's magic threw the three winglies into a pillar. Each of their bodies bent around the pillar as their spines broke, and they, too, fell.

Without prompting, they rushed toward the teleporter. They landed on it together as shouts came from below.

"They found the bodies," said Zieg. "Let's get this thing going."

"I forgot how it works," confessed Rose. "Is there a lever or something?"

"Wow," said Kanzas. "You're both hopeless."

Shaking his head, he shot electricity down onto the pad, and the glass-like floor began to shine brightly. Rose closed her eyes and held her breath as the uncomfortable feeling came over her that she was being buried beneath a thousand feet of sticky mud.

A moment later, it was over, and she opened her eyes to see a tremendous sight. They were indeed within the inner chamber that they had sought, but they now stood before some foul beast that failed to make sense to her eyes. It reminded her of a virage, but twisted into some dark form, monstrous, foul, and cursed. It was shorter than a virage, almost as if the body had been removed and the head and feet were all that remained. And instead of arms, it possessed something like cannons, charged with a magical power.

"What is that?" breathed Rose.

"Some kind of virage, I guess," replied Zieg, though he seemed as dumbfounded as she was.

It began to move, slowly at first, and then at a speed that took Rose by surprise. The dragoons leapt into the air, but the virage followed them with what Rose would have called its eyes. Then at the moment they paused, it aimed at Rose and fired a beam of pure energy.

So quick was the attack that Rose had no hope of dodging it. With a scream, she fell to the floor, her entire body writhing in a horrific piercing pain. For what seemed an eternity, she could not focus on anything but the millions of magical sickles that now attacked her inner being. Slowly, the pain began to fade, and she turned her eyes to see Kanzas and Zieg flitting about above her, dodging this way and that, both faster than she ever had been.

As she recovered, she stood and snatched the sword she had dropped. But when she pushed off the ground, strange, pink vines erupted from the floor and grabbed hold of her. She screamed again as the vines renewed the stinging pain from the previous attack, and her vision blurred. But Zieg and Kanzas could not get any moments free so that they might help her.

"What's going on?" asked Shirley.

"Just – ah! – fighting some weird virage thing," replied Zieg as it swatted at him.

"Rose was hit," explained Kanzas. "But she'll be alright. If we can kill this thing."

Squirming mightily, Rose fought to keep calm as she tried to find a way out. She could no longer move her wrist so that she could cut her way out. It felt as though the vines were pulling her into the floor, and she struggled to stay upright. Her left arm threatened to snap.

"Use magic!" shouted Zieg from above.

Rose shook her head and tried to calm down. A vine grabbed around her neck, renewing her panic, but she turned to the dragoon spirit beset into her dark armor. From within it, she called a deathly sickness, darkness that had been waiting for release. Even as she fought to breathe, she pushed it out into the vines, and they began to shrivel and decay. Free at last, she took off.

"The Dragon Block Staff is powerful," said Syuveil coolly, as if he were studying a tome in the comfort of his home. "I really cannot access any magic while it is targeting me. I am surprised that I can even fly."

Rose shook her head and pushed into the air, striking at the virage with magic as she did so. The dragoon pushed away her pain until it was merely a dull ache in the back of her mind, and with renewed vigor, she joined the battle. Streaks of lightning, fire, and dark whizzed around the room. They did well dodging its powerful attack, and Rose began to notice that a spot on its arm would glow just before it fired. After communicating this to the others, they gained confidence in their attacks, stabbing here and there, combining their magics whenever they could.

As they fought, Belzac informed them that he had reached Syuveil and was working to protect him, but Rose knew that his power was limited this high off the ground. As long as the Dragon Block Staff was focused on Syuveil, they were at a disadvantage.

"Zieg…" said Shirley. "Jophiel… He's gone. Swarmed by at least six virage at once."

With a mighty roar, Zieg exploded with fire magic. It swirled around him, promising retribution, and with pointed anger, he aimed his sword at the virage. Bolting forward, he dragged his magic with him until he pierced the thick hide of the virage. His magic channeled through the sword and into the virage itself, and then Zieg was blown backward as his own magic exploded within the monster. Chunks of flesh and green blood flew in every direction, and Zieg was thrown against the wall so hard that he collapsed unconscious to the ground. There was a flash, and his dragoon form was gone.

Rose tried to focus. With Jophiel gone, that left only three dragons and three dragoons left to fight on the front lines. And Damia… She couldn't think about Damia. Not now.

"Zieg is unconscious," she announced. "This virage is something else entirely."

"It's like it's a… super virage," said Kanzas, and Rose could sense the smirk on his face.

Shaking her head, she tried to take Zieg's place in the battle, but she knew that she was not as powerful as he was, and it quickly became evident. Kanzas tried to compensate, but she feared that their luck might run out soon.

"That is the worst name I have ever heard," replied Syuveil suddenly, though he sounded out of breath.

"They're trying to take down Shirley!" called Belzac. "Syuveil, you need to help me get to her!"

Rose swore. What were they doing fighting this… thing while her friends were dying?

The virage swatted Kanzas to the ground faster than Rose could react. He struck hard and managed to stay conscious, but then those odd vines attached to him. Instantly, he began shooting electricity all about him, and the virage squealed in response, but the vines did not release. Rushing toward him, Rose was caught off guard when the virage fired its beam at her again, striking her and sending her to the ground once more.

Coughing and shrieking, Rose looked around only to see black dots across her vision. She heard Kanzas screaming as the vines crushed him, and she heard heavy footfalls of the virage as it slinked closer to her. She had to move.

And then, she was alerted once more to the pain of her distant companions.

Her breath left her altogether as she felt a piercing agony in her chest, digging into her heart.

Against every instinct, she pushed off the ground and found momentary solace in the air. Swirling her hands, she summoned a darkness to envelop the virage and blind whatever poor vision it may have had. She heard it floundering about, fighting to see, but she made sure that the darkness followed it wherever it went, though it took most of her concentration. In a flash, she was by Kanzas, seeping death into the vines until they finally released him.

"Thanks," he muttered, cradling his left arm that now had multiple dark bruises along it. "It felt like they were just absorbing my magic. Why isn't Zieg up?"

Shaking her head, Rose and Kanzas flew to the unconscious Zieg, dodging the blind attacks of the virage as they went. Kneeling next to him, she now saw a small pool of blood beneath him. Turning him over, she gasped to see a shard of rock embedded in his neck. Quickly, she checked for a pulse and found only the faintest flutter.

"Quick, heal him," said Kanzas, eyes flitting between Zieg and the virage. "Use me." He stuck out his wounded arm.

"But—"

"There's no time, Rose! You and Zieg have to move on. We're losing people left and right, and you have to get to Frahma. If we can't kill him, this is all pointless. If he survives this day, then Damia's death was for nothing!"

Fighting tears, Rose snatched Kanzas's hand and sliced along his forearm with her sword. She dropped her weapon, placed her hand on Zieg's neck, and began pulling Kanzas's life force from his blood and directing it into Zieg. Cringing, she watched Kanzas's arm begin to shrivel with a deathly decay even as Zieg's body regained color and his breathing became more even.

Just as the spell was about to finish, she heard Belzac's voice in her mind.

"Syuveil's dead," he said. "Shirley's unconscious but alive. There's a temporary calm, but only because Michael, Azrael, and Gabriel went and chased them all off. They're trying to save her life. She got the wingly with the staff. It fell, and I don't think anyone else will have it from now on." His voice cracked as Zieg's eyes flitted open and the virage shot another beam just over Rose's head. "It's just the two of us now."

This time, Rose could not contain herself. Tears streamed down her face as she stood with Zieg, and he quickly transformed again. He shot into the air, and Kanzas stumbled forward slightly before using Rose's shoulder to steady himself.

"Get Zieg," he commanded. "Move on without me."

Rose nodded through her tears, and they both took off.

Even as her voice cracked and wavered, she told Belzac, "Do what you can… We're trying to get out of here." Zieg was charging a fireball, and Rose returned her attention to the darkness around the virage. She enlarged the cloud and waited as Zieg and Kanzas both hurled magic toward the beast. As the beams combined, they detonated, and the virage shrieked as it stumbled backward into a wall.

"Zieg, you and Rose get out of here!" called Kanzas. "Find Frahma! I'll take care of this thing."

"How?" demanded Zieg.

"You showed us how. Its weakness exists. We just need enough firepower."

"But you're weakened already!" shouted Rose.

"Don't worry. I can handle it."

She hesitated as the virage stood. Zieg flew up to her and grabbed her hand.

"Come on," he urged, and he dragged her toward the only door in the room, fifty feet high in the wall with no platform or stairs.

She watched as they moved. Kanzas darted toward the virage and flew under it, out of its view. The air became charged as Kanzas gathered electricity to him, and small bolts of lightning shot toward him under the virage. It stamped about nervously, clearly trying to remove the pest now beneath it, but to no avail. The power built and grew until the entire floor glowed a light purple.

"He's never charged that much before," breathed Zieg.

Rose felt that touching anything in the room would send a massive jolt through her body, but she clung tightly to Zieg's hand. They hovered outside the door, but even Zieg was transfixed by the display of power before them. Never before had they seen Kanzas harboring such energy, but it grew greater and greater, the virage panicking more and more.

Then came the sound of metal piercing flesh as Kanzas stabbed the beast. It shrieked, and then the purple glow transferred into the virage. Its head shone as it was filled with Kanzas's magic, until all at once, it exploded.

The pain of Kanzas's death swept over Rose, and she felt the burning tear of electricity as his body was torn apart.

"Kanzas!" she cried even as the explosion rushed toward her. Zieg jerked her through the door and slammed it shut behind him just as the fire swept past, and Rose fell to the ground weeping.

For several moments, Zieg held her, panting, while she covered her face with her hands. They knew that this would be difficult. They knew that it was risky.

But Rose had never imagined this.

Only four dragoons were alive now.

Only four.

"What happened?" asked Shirley.

"Kanzas… He sacrificed himself," replied Zieg.

"Keep moving. Rose, I know it's hard, but you have to push forward. We can mourn when this is over."

Rose merely shook her head. She could not speak.

"Don't worry about us," assured Zieg. "We'll get it done."

He stood abruptly and held out his hand to Rose. He hoisted her up and watched her closely with a grim expression.

"I know," she whispered.

He placed a hand on her face, and for a moment, there was an eerily peaceful silence.

"We might not…" he began.

Touching his hand, she tried to smile, but there was no joy to grasp.

"I love you, Rose," he said before pressing his lips on hers.

They wept together even as they kissed, and when they pulled apart, Zieg wiped Rose's cheeks.

"How does that old song go?" he asked with a slight grin. "'If from where you're standing, you can see the sky above…'"

"'I'll be waiting for you, if you still believe in love,'" she quoted.

"Will you still believe in me? After everything is over?"

She put her hand on his chest.

"Always," she whispered.

The ground trembled, shaking them from their reverie. Dust fell from the ceiling, and Rose glanced around nervously. The hallway that housed them seemed unaffected, but the tremors did not bode well.

"A second wave is coming," explained Shirley. "And some are headed for you. I think Kanzas's explosion tipped them off. Michael wouldn't listen to me, and he's trying to get to you, tearing into virage as he goes."

"Let's go," urged Zieg, and Rose nodded her agreement.

They sprinted down the hall, barely wide enough for their wings to pass through, until they came to a doorway that opened into a massive room that must have taken up most of the space in the central hive. It appeared to be some kind of meeting area, although Rose could see no other entrances. But in the middle of the room was a spire upon which sat a throne, and on the throne sat a wingly.

He sat as though he were a king, both hands outstretched on the armrests. He seemed tall for a wingly, and he wore a dazzling robe that sparkled in the dim light, and his boots were as black as Rose's magic. His long years of magical experimentation had marred his outward appearance, having turned his skin gray and leathery. But what pierced Rose most closely was his eyes, which glowed blue with his hidden power, matching almost exactly that of a crystal orb built into the back of the throne. These eyes were now trained directly on them, glowering with an evil wrath that filled Rose's heart with fear.

"So," said Melbu Frahma. "You have come to kill me. Two… pitiful… dragoons…" His voice was smooth, cool, and sharp. "You really think that will be enough?"

"That orb," whispered Rose. "What is it?"

"Not sure, but pay attention to it," muttered Zieg. "Look up, too."

She glanced above her and saw a light high above them, held magically in place by three huge protrusions coming together. They did not touch, but in the exact center was the light, pulsing with some unknown magical power.

"Whatever that is… it's important," finished Zieg.

"Come now, let's share with the class," said Melbu, standing and imposing his presence upon them. A wave of light lifted off him, and Rose wondered whether it was intentional. "Wouldn't want anyone feeling left out." With his right hand, he reached toward his left hip, where hung what appeared to be no more than a tiny stick. But as he wrapped his fingers around it, it erupted with a garish flame that formed into a long and broad blade.

"Zieg—"

"I know. I'll be careful."

"I see your fear," growled Melbu. "You recognize this sword. The—"

His sentence was cut short by a firebolt that struck his face. Rose and Zieg took to the air and began hurling magic after magic at Melbu, and for a moment, he could do nothing but stagger and fall back onto his throne. Zieg charged at him, but the instant that their attacks subsided, Melbu waved his hands, and a pulse shot out from him in every direction. Their magics were batted aside, and Rose flapped her wings to keep from being blown off balance. In an instant, Melbu was flying, great spouts of magic erupting from his back to propel him forward as he rushed up to Zieg.

So fast was Melbu that Zieg hardly had time to raise his sword to block the wingly's attack. Their battle erupted into a quick series of blows that Rose could hardly follow. Spouts of fire fought various forms of magic, sometimes light, sometimes dark, sometimes fire, sometimes pure, colorless energy. Every time that Rose thought she could insert herself, she lost track of who was who as their magic surrounded them. For a long minute, Rose breathed heavily, desperate to help but oblivious as to how.

Then Melbu snatched the upper hand as Zieg's sword was flung across the room. In one smooth motion, endlessly more graceful than any human, Melbu pulled Zieg's right arm behind him and sliced into his thigh. He drew back his sword, and Rose barreled forward, sword flashing with night as she poised to strike him. Just before Melbu could pierce him with the fabled Dragon Buster, Rose pierced the wingly dictator with her rapier.

But Melbu had noticed her at just the last moment. He tried to dodge, and rather than meeting his heart, Rose's sword tore only the flesh of his right arm.

Zieg pushed away, spun, and poured a mighty fire at Melbu who threw up his hand in defense. An immaterial shield appeared before him, wicking away the flames and keeping him from its burning wrath. As Zieg had regained the wingly's attention, Rose shot off toward the ground and snatched Zieg's sword before coming back up to hand it off.

Stones in the wall behind Melbu began to glow red and even liquefy as Zieg's magic persisted. For a moment, Rose held both swords in her hands, and she considered how she might use them. But then her attention was drawn to the orb on the throne. The light within seemed to wax and wane, over and over, as if it were charging somehow. Then it flashed brightly as Melbu screamed from behind the wall of flame.

Rose gasped as the wingly shield grew and pushed toward her and Zieg, carrying the flames with it. Zieg quickly halted his attack as the fire rebounded. Wind whipped through the room, a buffeting gale that was enough to send the dragoons careening. As the tempest grew, it snatched dust and pebbles from the surrounding platforms and began beating against Rose and Zieg.

For a moment, Rose lost all sense of direction as she swirled about in a storm stronger than anything Syuveil could have conjured. She felt the breath being sucked from her lungs, and she reached out wildly to grasp anything that could keep her from this unending motion. At last, her fingers latched onto something, and she held tightly to it. One of her fingers snapped with the tension, but she could not even shout in response.

Heat began to tear at her face, and she opened her eyes for tiny moments to see that fire had joined with the wind to create a flaming tornado that churned within the room.

Despite the pain in her finger, Rose pulled herself closer to the object she held, and she found that she could wrap her arms around it. She thought it was a pillar holding up one of the many platforms, and she wondered if she could find her way to the other side, where she might be shielded from some of the flames that threatened to burn away her wings.

Just as she began to feel that her skin would boil, the winds died down, and she strained to see a hovering Zieg near her pulling his fire toward him and enveloping the enraged Melbu on the far side of the room. Rose flew down to the floor where glimmered her and Zieg's swords and snatched them up.

A tunnel formed within the fire, and Melbu flew now at Zieg, teeth bared in rage, sword poised to kill.

Rose leapt between them and caught his blow with both swords, and for a moment, she was face to face with the evil dictator. He growled at her, and she saw his robes singed, his skin burned, and blood dripping from the wound she had given him.

"The god bleeds," she snarled.

He screamed with wrath, but then in pain as Zieg reached into the fray and grabbed a hold of the wrist holding the Dragon Buster. The sword fell and his skin hissed, but just as Rose was about to stab him, Melbu snatched Zieg's throat and flew forward at blinding speed, smashing Zieg into a wall. Zieg struggled to breathe as his throat was constricted, but he began to burn Melbu's wrist even more, and the wingly was forced to let go.

Rose had followed, but as she creeped up behind, Melbu flung his hand behind him, and she was struck in the chest by an invisible force. The air left her lungs as she shot toward the opposite wall, and the corner of her eye caught another blue flash from the orb.

Zieg's and Melbu's fight became one of magic again, and Rose now paid close attention. After a moment, she was sure – the orb flashed every time Melbu cast a spell.

Without hesitation, she flew at the orb and brought down both swords upon it, and to her surprise, it shattered. A thousand pieces of glass flew in every direction, several scratching her face even as she threw her hands up to block them, and a blue cloud issued forth before dissipating into the air.

"No!" shrieked Melbu. "What have you done!"

Rose looked up, and the wingly had abandoned Zieg and was now hurtling toward her. She tossed Zieg's sword high in the air and took hold of her own with both hands. As Zieg snatched his sword from the air, Melbu ejected a beam from his finger, a single laser of energy that pierced Rose in her left shoulder. She felt as though a red-hot knife had pierced her, and she screamed as she fell backward.

At that moment, Zieg's weapon made contact. Even as she grasped uselessly at her shoulder, still burning from within, Rose gaped to see the tip of Zieg's sword protruding from Melbu's chest.

Melbu's eyes grew wide as he gazed down at his wound, and his breathing grew rapid as his shock set in. Zieg removed his blade, and a sudden wrath filled Melbu's eye. Spinning with his inhuman speed, he snatched the sword from the surprised Zieg, tossed it aside, and grabbed his neck again. Despite the intense heat the Zieg must have been mustering, Melbu held on this time and placed his other hand over Zieg's chest, directly over his dragoon spirit. Then he rushed them up toward the ceiling, toward the odd ball of light floating there, and they passed directly through it to the other side, faster than Rose could follow.

"Zieg!" cried Rose.

Before she could reach him, all the sounds in the room evaporated for a moment. All she could hear was her own heartbeat. And then, the ceiling burst.

Shards of rock flew in every direction, and the ceiling began to fall in, inviting in bright rays of sunshine. Rose was disoriented by the sudden light, and her ears rang as she tried to dodge the falling debris. She flew up into the clear sky but halted immediately when she saw Zieg's human form falling, still somehow intact. She rushed toward him as fast as her wings could push her, and she caught him before trying to fly upward. But a heavy boulder struck her back and knocked her off course, and she was forced to careen off to the left.

Landing roughly on one of the platforms, she laid Zieg down and checked his pulse again. She nearly cried to find one, and his eyes fluttered open a moment later.

"You're okay!" she grinned.

The platform jolted, and Rose's stomach caught. It felt as though the entire inner chamber was about to fall to the earth.

"Rose, something's wrong," said Zieg as he clutched her hand tightly and gasped for breath. "I can't feel the dragoon anymore."

"What are you talking about? It's right here." She touched the gem in his breastplate.

"I know. I can sense it. But I can't… Something's happening to me."

"Everything is going to be okay," urged Rose. "We defeated him. We can go home now."

Shirley's voice interrupted them as she asked, "What happened?"

"We did it," said Rose. "He's dead."

"Then you need to get out of the city! It's crumbling! Virage are dying, but—"

Her voice stopped.

"Shirley?"

"Rose," breathed Zieg.

She turned to him.

"You have to—leave me here and get out," he said, struggling to breathe.

"I won't leave you!"

"Something's wrong. I can't feel my legs. I can't—"

He groaned in pain, and Rose turned to see that he was right. His feet and calves had become stone. Her heart raced as she watched the strange affliction take over his knees, and then crawl up his thighs.

"Rose, you have to leave!" shouted Zieg as the platform trembled again.

A roar sounded out above them, and Rose looked up to see Michael flying toward them. He was covered in green blood, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.

"I can't leave you," said Rose, tears forming as she turned back to Zieg. "I can't."

"We don't know if this will affect you! Get out of the city! Now!"

"Zieg, please!"

The flapping of Michael's wings resounded behind her, but she did not turn.

"Michael!" called Zieg. The stone flesh had reached his hips and reached for his chest. "Michael, get her out of here!"

The dragon's claws wrapped around Rose's waist and tugged her away, but she screamed in protest and wrapped both hands tightly around Zieg's wrist. His chest was now stone, but she would not let go. Michael pulled at her again, but she held on even as she wept. Zieg's blue eyes were streaming tears, and she saw nothing but terror there as his ability to move was taken from him. The curse traveled up his neck, out his arms, encasing his terrified face, his outstretched arm, and then his fingers.

He was no more than a statue. His eyes were colorless.

Empty.

Hollow.

Dead.

Michael roared and pulled again, and this time Rose could no longer resist his pull.

"Zieg! No! Zieg!" she cried as Michael dragged her away from the love of her life.

He snapped at her as he flew up into the sky, and Rose tried to keep Zieg in her sights as long as possible. But eventually, Michael dived, and a wall blocked her view.

Another pain pierced her chest, and Michael finally let go of her. They hovered for a short moment as Rose fought to breathe evenly enough to speak words.

"Shirley?" she choked out. "Belzac?"

"Rose," came a strained voice from Belzac. "Help us. I cannot… hold this…"

"Where are you?" she asked desperately.

Turning her eyes to the city, she saw walls crumbling in every corner. The mighty pillars of Kadessa fell as though someone had swept through them with a sword. And then the entire city began to fall slowly, as though gravity were tempting it to plunge.

"No!" she cried before she vaulted forward once more. Michael followed her, and she flew toward the city gates. Upon reaching them, she saw the countless winglies and virage that had come to their untimely end. Even as the city accelerated slowly downward, she scanned around for Shirley and Belzac. She nearly collapsed when she saw the body of Damia, her head lying several feet away, her bright blue hair now stained crimson.

Near her were the large bodies of Raphael and Ariel, and farther on she spotted Chamuel. She flew through the massive gates and saw that the ceiling here had caved, too, and the room was now completely open to the sky. Ruins of the walls lay strewn about thanks to a massive pillar – at least fifty feet across – that had fallen into the great welcoming hall. Syuveil's body lay just beyond it, a wingly spear buried deep in his chest.

Michael flew forward and landed near a purple body – Azrael – and Rose noticed Gabriel's greenish yellow just beyond. The dark dragon nudged Azrael with his nose, but the great thunder dragon did not stir.

A screech rang out from a room on her left, and Rose flew quickly toward it.

"Rose?" came Shirley's slow voice.

"You're alright!"

"Not… entirely. I've… lost a lot of blood."

"Where are you?"

"Just get out, Rose. We're not… We're not going to make it."

"Don't say that! I can come save you!"

"Belzac is… dying… I think I am, too. I don't have any strength left. I can't… I can't feel my magic anymore."

"Shirley, please!"

Rose began to weep anew, desperate as she was. She could not stop searching for them.

"The city is falling… Let it be our tomb."

"Let me save you!"

And then she saw them a hundred yards away. A huge part of the ceiling was being held up by Belzac, but he had been driven to his knees thanks to the grievous wound still being inflicted by a virage that clung to life. One of its claws now dug into his chest, and Rose could see it protruding out of his back. Next to him, Shirley stumbled to her feet, a smattering of red across her armor. She turned toward the virage, and Rose saw that her head had been bleeding profusely, and now her right side was entirely coated with blood. Rose pushed forward as Shirley drew back her magical bow as the virage charged an attack.

"Shirley!" screamed Rose, reaching out to her. But she had been too late. Shirley fired her arrow, and as the magic met that of the virage, they ignited.

The blast flung Rose back once again, but she caught herself in the air. The city was falling faster now, but she could barely see past her tears. Something exploded far away, and the magic seal barely holding the city in place broke. Kadessa plunged downward, and Rose rushed out of the way, forcing herself to follow Michael as he led her out of the crumbling palace into the sky.

They flew until they were free, and then Michael led her to the initial rendezvous point where the other dragoons were supposed to have met them. Not thirty feet from where she had sat with Zieg and Damia the night before, Michael alighted and shook his body as Rose landed next to him.

Instantly, she transformed and fell to her knees, a thousand aches springing up across her body as she did so. Kadessa still hurtled toward the ground, gaining speed and glowing like a meteor. She could see people fleeing the lower city, winglies and humans alike, desperate to escape the coming doom, but there was no creature fast enough. As Kadessa crashed into the earth, a shockwave shot out toward them, sending debris after it, but Rose did not move. Her human body longed for the relief of death. Her heart had no desire to go on. The tidal wave of fire and earth was a friend to her, and she anticipated its arrival.

As the thunderous sound of the impact reached her ears, she closed her eyes and awaited the gentle peace that would come to her with the shockwave.

But then she felt the scaly body of Michael as he wrapped himself around her. His wings became a canopy over her, and all light fled her eyes. The ground trembled violently as Michael clung to her, and she heard the rushing wind that bore thousands of terrified screams.

And then, it was over.

The earthquake came to a halt, and the air quieted. Michael's breaths were deep and slow. And then, a shard of light pierced Rose's skin, and she shirked from it as Michael moved his wing. He released her and shook his body, pushing off the rocks and dust that had gathered on his scales. As he moved away, he revealed a scene of utter devastation.

The blast had destroyed all the trees around her. The earth appeared as if it had been churned up for miles in every direction. Dust threatened to block out the sun, and the shadowy haze of the remains of Kadessa was barely visible in the distance.

All at once, Rose fell onto her hands and knees. Her breaths came in great gasps. She felt as though her heart was about to burst. Without warning, she vomited onto the tiny patch of grass that Michael had protected, and then she fell onto her back. Then she screamed. With all her might, she shouted into the lifeless void surrounding her. And once her lungs had been emptied, she filled them and screamed again.

And then, finally, her tears came. Her screams turned to wails. Her mind, heart, and soul had shattered.

Zieg had been right.

Everything had changed.