My eyes fluttered open to the same nightmarish reality I had yearned to flee. The palace, my sanctuary of peace and safety, was conspicuously absent. All that remained was the deafening thunder and terrifying flashes that haunted my existence. I reached out for Zephyrion, my dear son, but he was nowhere to be found. His name echoed from my desperate screams, yearning for any sign of life, but the silence was unyielding.

Suddenly, Solara materialized, her wing marred by a bloody stain. She regarded me with a look of pity, assuring, "Don't worry, he's safe now."

"Where? Is he still alive?" I stammered, a wave of panic welling up in my chest.

"Yes, for now. Let's get out of here," she urged, extending a talon to help me to my feet.

"But your wing, it's bleeding," I pointed out, noticing the crimson trail she was leaving behind.

"This isn't my blood, it's your son's. He doesn't have the ability to turn his blood into smoke like you do. Now, let's move," she responded. But I found myself unable to comply. I glanced down to find myself enveloped in an ominous black smoke, reminiscent of the time when Freya had inadvertently killed me, and I had narrowly survived. I cried out to Solara, "I can't move! Please, help me."

"I can't carry you. You'd be covered in your son's blood," she retorted.

"Then just pick me up. It doesn't matter how. We need to leave quickly," I pleaded.

 

She attempted to grasp me with her beak, but the moment she made contact, my wing dissolved into smoke. She gasped, pleading, "Please, don't turn into a shadow."

"I can't control it!" I exclaimed.

A surge of fear washed over me, and I was reminded of my last encounter with this phenomenon. I tried to calm myself and summon any other element, but to no avail. Then, an idea sparked in my mind. "Solara, do you have a crystal?" I asked.

"I don't, sorry," she replied.

"Then please, find one quickly," I urged.

"I'm on it," she assured, and off she flew.

As I felt myself dissolving into nothingness, I grappled with the dark force consuming me. Fortunately, the walls weren't far off and soon, Solara returned, accompanied by Kari. "What is he doing here? Get back to the walls!" I snapped at them. But Kari calmly responded, "I'm here to help, sir." He tossed a few health crystals my way, but they had no effect. Desperate, I asked, "Please tell me you have another elemental crystal with you." He nodded, producing a wind crystal. "Hand it to me, now!" I implored. He complied without hesitation. I sensed his fear and gratitude. Grasping the crystal, a surge of wind swirled around me, transforming the black smoke into a white mist. I regained my original form, my wing materializing once again. A wave of relief washed over me. I expressed my gratitude to Kari, "Thank you, truly. Now, let's get back." Solara inquired, "What about Freya?" I responded, "We'll deal with her later. For now, we need to escape this nightmare. Please." They led me back to the palace walls, into the kingdom, where Vesper was trying to save his stepbrother.

 

Zephyrion was sprawled on the floor, his body simultaneously bleeding and healing. He was locked in a fierce battle for his life while Vesper struggled to stem the blood flow. Vesper encouraged, "Zephyrion, you're strong. You can make it. Your father is here." But Zephyrion didn't respond. His eyes remained shut, his teeth clenched in determination. I rushed to his side, attempting to heal him with my element, but black smoke began to escape from my nostrils and mouth. I was suffocating, but I didn't relent. He needed me far more than I needed air. He opened his eyes and tried to speak. I longed to tell him to conserve his strength, but I found myself unable to utter a word. Seeing me, he managed to croak out, "Dad! I'm okay. Please stop." His voice instilled a glimmer of hope in me. I ceased my healing and collapsed on the floor. He was better now, but I was deteriorating rapidly. I had lost my wings again, and I felt as if I was being consumed by fire. Kira understood my plight and offered me another crystal. I took the wind crystal once more, and the familiar whirlwind ensued within the palace. Thankfully, we were in the expansive throne room, which could accommodate the gusts, sparing any damage.

Finally, the healing was complete, and a wave of relief washed over me. Zephyrion had also recovered, and we both turned to Solara, who asked, "Are you both alright now?"

"I am, finally," I responded.

Zephyrion nodded, adding, "I'm good. That was terrible. Thank you, dad, truly."

Meanwhile, Vesper glanced at his hands, stained with his stepbrother's blood, and muttered, "I need to clean myself."

"Go and do that," I told him.

"I'll be right back," he responded, walking away.

The sight of the blood-stained ground was unbearable. I wanted to erase the memory, and with a flick of my wrist, I set the blood ablaze. But Solara interrupted me.

"Nox, not now. We must stop Freya. She's in danger," she urged.

I shrugged, replying, "I'm sure she's fine. Don't worry."

But Solara wasn't convinced. "Then I'm going on my own. If you don't want to help her, I'll do it," she declared, dashing out of the palace.

I followed suit, shouting, "Wait! I'll help." But she transformed into a cloud of flames and reappeared far away, clean and unscathed. She could have done that all along. Regardless, I morphed into a fire eagle and flew after her. When I finally caught up with her, I reiterated, "I'm here to help her too." She nodded, and together, we headed towards the center of the thunderstorm.

That's when I understood why she wasn't afraid of the lightning. As soon as a bolt threatened to strike me, I transformed into a cloud of flames and resumed my form. It was a defense far superior to a shield. It just worked.

We found Freya drifting in the storm's tumultuous center, her eyes closed in serene oblivion. I called her name, but she remained unresponsive, unmoving. As I attempted to draw closer, a bolt of lightning struck, narrowly missing her. I retreated, and Solara confessed in a tone laced with desperation, "I've been trying to reach her, but it's impossible."

Hovering in mid-air, I contemplated our predicament. I suggested, "Maybe we could shoot her down."

Solara immediately protested, "No! We can't harm her."

"So, do we abandon her here, as I initially suggested? She will eventually come to a halt," I countered.

"No, we can't leave her, but there must be an alternative," Solara reasoned.

"Do you have any other ideas?" I challenged.

After a moment of contemplation, Solara queried, "You can manipulate multiple elements, can't you?"

"Yes, I can. What's your point?" I responded.

"Perhaps you could encapsulate her in an ice cage?" she proposed.

I immediately pointed out the flaw in her plan, "The cage would plummet to the ground with her trapped inside. That's hardly a better outcome."

She insisted, "It's already a better approach than shooting her down."

I conceded, "You have a point."

We proceeded with her plan. I conjured an ice cage around Freya from a safe distance. The cage hovered momentarily before beginning its inevitable descent. The impact jolted Freya awake. "Aaah, what's happening?" she screamed.

"Freya, stay calm! We're coming!" I shouted, and we dove to intercept the falling cage.

The storm gradually dissipated, leaving a swath of destruction in its wake. The ice cage, now a twisted, shattered shell, crashed to the ground. We rushed to Freya's aid, freeing her from the wreckage. She blinked up at me, a hint of humor in her eyes, "Nox? Are you still an eagle?"

I snorted in disbelief, "Seriously? After all we've been through, that's your first question?" I gestured at the devastation surrounding us. "Oh, did I do that?" she asked, sounding sheepish. "We did this," I corrected her. "I can shapeshift normally now, and I have control over my elemental powers. This chaos... we both had a hand in it."

As we surveyed the aftermath, I noticed a familiar figure approaching from the sky, followed by a squadron of heavily armored soldiers. "Zain is here," I informed Freya, transforming back to my dragon form in anticipation of his arrival.

Zain touched down, horror etched on his face as he surveyed the scene. He asked about the general, to which I could only shrug in response. He noticed the charred remains of his soldiers and asked, "Did the storm cause this?" I replied, "The storm played a part, yes." He cursed, vowing to avenge his fallen comrades. I assured him, "The general is already dead. I defeated him in a duel."

We joined Zain in his search for survivors, occasionally pausing to heal the wounded using health crystals. I returned to the kingdom and instructed our general to assist in the search. He felt useless, but I reassured him, "You followed my orders, and everyone is safe. You've done well."

The aftermath was grim. Over a hundred electric dragon soldiers perished, and fifty more were severely wounded. I was astonished that so many had survived. I won't dwell on the diplomatic issues and damage to the opposing kingdom that followed. Convincing Zain's kingdom that their own general was responsible for the carnage was a difficult task.