Legacy of the Dragon Lord

The weight of what Shira had done crushed her like a mountain pressing against her chest. Every breath she took felt shallow, each heartbeat a constant reminder of the flames she had unleashed, of Darin's face in the inferno before it consumed him.

She couldn't escape it. The pain, the regret, the guilt. It twisted inside her like a venomous snake, biting deep and poisoning everything in its path. She had killed Darin. Her friend. Her first love. And all of it was her fault. No matter how much Elias tried to convince her otherwise, it didn't change what she had done.

She sat on the edge of a cliff, the cold wind tugging at her hair as the sun dipped below the horizon. The darkness was creeping in, but the night felt suffocating, as though it had already swallowed her whole.

Elias had tried to help, tried to comfort her, but the words never seemed to reach her. She couldn't speak. She couldn't look him in the eye. Every time she did, she saw Darin's face—not the one she had known, but the twisted, darkened version of him possessed by Darkwind. It burned into her memory, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape it.

The flames, the destruction, the power. She had felt it all inside her, and it terrified her. The thought that it could happen again… it terrified her more than anything. What if she lost control again? What if the next time she killed someone who didn't deserve it? What if there was no one left to stop her?

"Shira?"

Elias's voice broke through her thoughts. She turned, slowly, and met his eyes. There was something in them—a mix of concern, worry, and something else. Something he wasn't saying.

He sat down beside her, his presence warm and solid. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

Her lips parted, but the words never came. How was she supposed to answer that? How could she explain the whirlwind of emotions crashing through her, the deep, gnawing emptiness inside her? She couldn't even begin to understand it herself.

"I don't know," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I don't know how to live with this."

Elias sighed softly, his gaze distant as if searching for the right words. "I know this is hard, Shira. But you have to understand… you didn't choose this. Darkwind chose Darin. He chose Lyra. You were trying to save them, trying to save everyone. But you couldn't save Darin."

Her eyes stung, the threat of tears rising again. "I killed him, Elias. I didn't try to save him. I killed him. I lost control. I didn't even try to stop it. I didn't even care." Her voice cracked on the last word, the rawness of it startling even her.

"You're wrong." Elias's tone was firm now, cutting through her self-loathing. "You cared. You always cared. But you were fighting something that was too strong, something that controlled him, just like it controls Lyra. The Darin you knew is gone. The Darin who cared about you, who loved you… he's lost to Darkwind. You couldn't have saved him, Shira. No one could."

The words should have offered comfort, but they only made the void inside her feel deeper. The silence stretched between them like an endless chasm. She wanted to scream, to say something—anything—but nothing came out. Her throat was tight with emotion, with memories she couldn't escape.

The wind howled around them, the night closing in.

"Where do we go from here?" Shira asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elias didn't answer immediately. He seemed to be weighing his words carefully before speaking. "We go forward," he said finally. "We find a way to stop Darkwind. He's still out there, and he's still dangerous. We can't just let him destroy everything. Darin's death won't be in vain if we stop Darkwind."

Shira felt something stir inside her at those words, but it wasn't hope. It was the lingering bitterness of loss, of guilt. She hadn't stopped Darkwind, she had only accelerated his plans. If anything, she had made it worse. Darin had died because of her. That was a weight she would carry for the rest of her life.

"Do you think I can stop him?" Shira asked, her voice distant. "After everything I've done… after what I've become?"

Elias met her gaze, his eyes soft but steady. "Yes," he said without hesitation. "Because you're strong. You've always been strong. And I'll be right beside you. We'll figure this out together."

Shira nodded, though the weight of his words felt like a burden, not a promise of salvation. She didn't know if she could go on. She didn't know if she could live with herself, let alone face Darkwind and all the destruction he had left in his wake.

But the fire inside her still burned, and she knew she couldn't ignore it forever. She had a purpose—whether she liked it or not. And as much as she hated the thought of it, there was only one way forward.

She had to stop Darkwind. And she had to do it before he destroyed everything she loved.