The wind howls across the valley, carrying the scent of frost and shattered ice. The battlefield is a frozen wastend, jagged peaks rising in the distance, the ground beneath us slick with the remnants of our struggle. My boots grind against the frostbitten stone as I stare across the divide, my fingers tightening around the hilt of my bde. Even at this distance, I can feel the pressure of her magic—dense, ancient, coiling around her like a living thing. Power that has had centuries to grow, sharpened like a bde against the whetstone of time.

  My sister stands on the opposite ridge, her icy blue scales shimmering under the aurora-drenched sky, her golden eyes gleaming like a predator savoring the inevitable. She wears the same serene smile she always does, like she already knows how this will end.

  "You've had your fun, Elyssia." Her voice is smooth, almost gentle, but the magic beneath it crackles like a storm barely held in check. "It’s time to come home. The age of pying with mortal toys is over."

  I don’t answer. I can’t afford to. My grip on my weapon tightens as I push the words from my mind, forcing myself to focus. But she sees it—sees past the cold mask I wear, straight to the war brewing beneath my skin.

  She takes a step forward, her movements fluid, effortless, like ice flowing down a mountainside. "You always knew this was temporary. Mother allowed it. She indulged your little rebellion, your adventures, your so-called friendships. But that time is over."

  She tilts her head slightly, voice softening. "You were never one of them, Elyssia. Not really. But I know you cared for them. So I make you this promise—come back, and I will make sure they are left alone. No one will harm them. You have my word."

  I hesitate. Not because I believe her, not because I think she speaks the full truth—but because, despite everything, despite all I have done to sever my ties, I still feel something for her. It is not the all-consuming loyalty she demands, nor the blind devotion our kind was raised to uphold, but it is there. A remnant of something older, something unshakable.

  And that hesitation costs me everything.

  In truth, the only reason I stand here at all is because I would have in the past. Once, I would have fought for humanity without question, without pause. Now, I do it out of obligation—a shadow of who I used to be. I tell myself it’s enough.

  The ground trembles beneath me. Her magic fres, and I brace myself. This is it.

  She moves first—a silver streak of raw destruction, closing the distance between us in an instant. I barely shift in time, my instincts carrying me backward as her magic erupts where I stood, turning the ice to splinters and stone to dust.

  I twist, countering with a ssh meant to drive her back, but she is already gone, her form dissolving into shimmering afterimages. Too fast. Too strong.

  A pulse of cold fire sears through my veins, my own power awakening in response. My breath comes sharper, deeper, my senses sharpening as the shift begins. The Hunter. The Apex. The Beast.

  Not yet. Not here. Not now.

  The air crackles with magic, the ground beneath my feet fracturing. Her eyes narrow, a fsh of annoyance breaking through her calm. "Enough of this," she snaps, weaving a spell that freezes the air itself.

  My instincts scream, and I do the only thing I can—I let go.

  Flesh and armor rend, bones elongate, wings unfurl with a sound like thunder. The transformation is instantaneous and violent, my human form tearing away to reveal the young dragon beneath. Scales gleam, a gcial sheen of silver and blue; cws sink into the ice, leaving deep furrows.

  Her eyes widen, surprise breaking her composure for the first time. I lunge, draconic maw parting with a roar that shakes the heavens.

  The impact is cataclysmic. The ground shatters, ice and rock exploding outward. My cws tear through arcane shields, breath freezing spells mid-cast, forcing her back, forcing her to acknowledge me as a threat.

  For a moment, I have the advantage.

  But power surges, wild and ravenous, threatening to consume everything. My vision swims, limbs tremble. It takes everything to force the Beast down, to pull back before I lose myself entirely.

  She sees the hesitation, her smirk returning, eyes glinting with something like admiration. "So, you do remember who you are," she purrs. "Good. That makes this easier."

  Her magic fres, raw and blinding. Chains of frost and light snap around my wings, dragging me down. I snarl, shattering them with a pulse of energy, but her next spell is already weaving into reality—an endless storm of ice and lightning.

  I hesitate—just for a second.

  A second too long.

  The sky splits open as she casts, the air itself freezing into jagged spears that rain down upon me like a divine execution.

  I grit my teeth, raising my cws in a final desperate defense.

  The battlefield erupts into chaos.

  And then—darkness.

  *Image pceholder until Artist is commissioned*