Blinking against the dazzling light, whiter than snow and brighter than the sun, I found myself disoriented. Snow? Where was I? A sharp poke on my side and a voice broke through my confusion. “Wake up! We’ve got to move.”

My eyes fluttered open to reveal a man standing over me, his face etched with anxiety and impatience. I was sprawled on the ground, my body in its dragon form. “Who are you?” I managed to croak out.

“I’m Raphael, but that doesn’t matter right now. We’ve got to move,” he repeated, tugging at my wing.

Groaning, I attempted to rise, pain radiating from every inch of my body. My surroundings were a blur of ice and fog, a bitter wind slicing through my scales. The cold was intense, freezing.

“I can’t move,” I admitted weakly.

“What? Really?” His voice was laced with incredulity.

With great effort, I pushed myself up, feeling heavy and sluggish. Standing on my legs was a struggle, and I swayed dangerously. Raphael steadied me.

“Good, let’s walk. We can’t stay here long,” he urged.

Nodding, I took a step forward, then another. But my strength gave out, and I collapsed back onto the snow. A tear escaped my eye, freezing on my cheek.

“Don’t surrender now. Try again,” he encouraged, his voice softer.

I tried and failed again. “It’s no use. I can’t. I need to rest,” I whispered.

“We can’t rest now. We’ll freeze! Do you understand? Come on, get up!” Desperation tinged his shout.

Looking at him, I felt a pang of sympathy. He had somehow saved me. Lowering his head, he spoke in a low voice, “You’ve just survived. You can’t stop now. I used all the power that I still had to save you, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back. Please don’t waste it.”

His words sparked a glimmer of hope within me. I tried to get up again, taking a few steps, carefully and slowly. It was like learning to walk again. Reaching his side, I said, “Thank you. Let’s move, Raphael.”

He didn’t respond. Suddenly, he was motionless and silent. Then he collapsed.

“Raphael, hey! Get up! Please,” I pleaded, nudging him with my nose.

He was shivering, his skin as cold as ice. He was freezing too, even more than me. We were in the coldest place I had ever seen, and I couldn’t change my form. I wished for something to shield us from the cold. My powers didn’t work, except for one thing: I could still breathe fire.

I curled around him, wrapping my wings over us to block the wind. Then I breathed fire into the air, creating a warm bubble around us. I kept doing so while resting my head on his chest, hoping that he would survive.

I felt a surge of gratitude for being alive, even though I barely knew him. He bore a striking resemblance to me and to the other shadow in my dream who had saved me. He was my clone. Fragments of memories from heaven flashed in my mind. I tried to make sense of them, but something was missing. He had no wings. He was just a normal human, and now I had to return the favor and save him after he had risked his life for me. I waited for him to regain consciousness, watching his chest rise and fall. After what seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes and looked around. He said nothing, but he noticed me sheltering him with my wings, trying to keep him warm and safe. He looked puzzled and grateful at the same time. He finally spoke: “Thank you. I guess.” I smiled and said, “You’re welcome. Thank you too.” He frowned and said, “We have to get out of here.” I asked, “Do you know which way to go?” He shrugged: “Any direction is better than staying here.” I spread my wings, and a gust of wind hit him. He shivered and moved closer to me. He exclaimed, “Damn, it’s freezing.” I nodded and said, “Yeah, it’s brutal. Let’s go.” We began to walk in a random direction, hoping to find some shelter. But after half an hour, he couldn’t go on. He was hypothermic and numb. He asked, “Can’t we just fly or something?” I glanced at my wings. They looked intact, but they felt heavy and stiff. I tried to flap them, but I couldn’t lift off the ground. The storm was too strong, and I was too weak. He saw me struggling and failing. He said, “I guess that’s a no.” I apologized: “I’m sorry. I can’t.” He said, “And I can’t walk anymore. I can’t feel my legs.” I said, “We have to keep moving. We don’t know when it will get dark. It will only get worse.” He started to laugh hysterically, as if he had lost his mind. I said, “Focus, Raphael, please, focus.” He didn’t answer, but he stopped laughing. I said, “I’ll carry you. Get on my back.” He said, “I can’t move. Help me.” I bent down next to him, as low as I could go. He stumbled towards me and managed to climb on my back. I said, “Okay, let’s go now.” And I resumed walking.

I trudged on through the blizzard, feeling his weight on my back. He clung to me as tightly as he could, seeking warmth from my body. He shivered uncontrollably, his teeth chattering. Every now and then, I would ask him, “Are you still alive?” and he would answer weakly, “I’m still alive, for now.” I didn’t stop moving. We had been walking for hours, and the storm showed no signs of letting up. Then I saw it: a faint silhouette of a tower in the distance. I thought I was imagining things, so I turned to him and said, “Do you see that, Raphael?” He squinted and said, “A building?” I nodded. “Yeah, a building.” We made our way towards it. It was indeed a tower, made of stone and standing tall in the frozen wasteland. The door was strangely open, as if inviting us in. We entered the tower, grateful to be out of the wind’s fury. It was still cold inside, but not as bad as outside. On the floor, there was a thick and cozy carpet that looked dry enough to lie on. There were also some ladders leading to higher levels. Raphael stayed on the ground floor, too exhausted to climb. I decided to explore the tower and see if there was anything useful. I climbed up the ladders and reached another floor, which was empty except for some wooden furniture and a trapdoor on the ceiling. I opened the trapdoor and poked my head out. I was on the roof of the tower, but I couldn’t see anything beyond the swirling snow. I quickly went back inside and closed the trapdoor behind me. Raphael called out to me from below, “Look what I found!” He had discovered some blankets hidden behind the stairs, large enough to cover a dragon. I said, “Good job!” and took one of them. Then I said, “You know, the second floor is better than this one. Maybe we could go there.” He said, “I don’t think I can make it up the stairs.” I said, “I’ll carry you up if you want.” He agreed, so I gathered all the blankets and sheets we could find and went up again. I spread some of them on the floor to make a soft bed for us, then laid down and wrapped myself in more blankets. Raphael hesitated at first, but then he crawled next to me and snuggled against my chest. I asked him, “Are you still freezing?” He said, “Yeah, can you do your thing again with fire?” I said, “Get closer. We’ll keep each other warm.” He pressed himself against me, and I felt his cold skin. Then I ignited my inner fire and radiated heat like a furnace. He sighed in relief and soon fell asleep. I followed him shortly after. We had made it through another day. For now.