The battle had raged for what felt like an eternity. The black dragon's massive wings created gale-force gusts, tearing at shields and throwing smaller students off their feet. Fire, water, earth, and spirit magic collided in brilliant flashes, yet the colossal creature pressed relentlessly forward, driven by raw instinct.
Lira's heart pounded, her chest aching, every muscle trembling as she pushed herself to her absolute limit. Her vines coiled and stretched, twisting through the courtyard stones, through cracks in the earth, searching for anything to hold, anything to restrain the unstoppable force before her.
"Lira! Focus! Keep the shield steady!" a teacher shouted, but her vision blurred from exhaustion, sweat trickling down her temples.
She felt dizzy. Weak. The force of the dragon's wings, the roar, the chaos—it all threatened to pull her down. Her vines, strained to near breaking, scraped and clawed at the dragon's legs, but it barely faltered.
