And then, before any of them could speak further, the Ice Belle stepped beyond the glowing barrier. Her feet did not touch the ground as she rose effortlessly into the air, her translucent wings spreading behind her like the birth of dawn itself. The movement was silent yet awe-inspiring; every beat of her wings shimmered with frost and light, scattering trails of crystalline motes that drifted through the air like falling stars.
She lifted her gaze toward the dragon now soaring frantically across the horizon. It had nearly vanished into the churning storm of darkness, its massive wings slicing through the blackened clouds, desperate to escape the judgment descending upon it.
But she would not permit it.
