Every breath was agony, every movement a trial. My chest burned where the dragon's claws had raked me, the taste of blood hot in my mouth. Yet as I forced myself upright amidst the shattered stones of the market, I felt a thousand lives pressing on my heart—the hopes of the City of Beginning, the cries of the wounded, the faith of every friend who still stood.
I drew a ragged breath, centering my spirit. All the world seemed balanced on the edge of a blade. Above, the Fire Dragon circled, wings shedding sparks, body limned in the unholy glow of gathered spirit energy.
But below—across ruined streets and burning rooftops—life endured. Water evolvers conjured rivers to douse the fires. Earth evolvers lifted rubble from the trapped and dying. Air users cleared the choking smoke so children could run. My brothers, Ye Xuan and Ye Rong, crisscrossed the city, guiding survivors, bolstering every desperate stand.
This city would not surrender. Neither would I.
The dragon roared—an ancient, endless cry, shaking broken windows, rattling the very marrow of my bones.
As I staggered to my feet, pain flaring with every heartbeat, my mind flitted back:
To the quiet mornings of childhood, practicing surya namaskar in a dew-soaked yard while my mother watched and smiled.
To those first, faltering attempts at channeling spirit energy, when the world still felt so mysterious.
To the moment my family first discovered spirit power, eyes wide with the thrill of transformation, the beginning of a new age.
To every lesson in the Academy, every book written to teach a better future, every laugh and every dream that built the City of Beginning from a village to a beacon for all humanity.
This is my world. My home. I will not let it fall.
The Fire Dragon dove, a comet of wrath. Flames spewed from its jaws, scything through the air. This time, I didn't flinch. Instead, I called on everything I had learned—not just the combinations of two elements, but the true blending of three and four.
Wind, water, and fire together: I conjured a vortex of scalding steam, swirling it into a shield as the dragon's fire rained down. The impact sent a blast wave out in all directions, shattering nearby windows, but sparing the desperate civilians huddled in the square.
Earth, air, and water: I slammed my palms into the ground, unleashing a rolling quake. The earth split, swallowing up a surge of dragonfire and forcing the dragon to pull up, wings buffeting the city with hurricane winds.
For every strike, I paid in pain. My vision swam. Spirit energy flickered, dangerously low.
I can't… I can't stop. If I fall, all is lost.
Suddenly, a cry rose from the edge of the market. Ye Rong and a cluster of healers were beset by falling debris, flames licking at their robes. Without thinking, I hurled a blast of wind and water, dousing the flames and blowing the stones aside.
Ye Rong's voice came, choked but strong: "Ye Caiqian! Don't worry about us! Just win!"
Tie Lao, blood streaming down her temple, appeared at my side, brandishing her hammer. "We can still fight, you know."
I grinned through pain. "I'd be lost without you."
She planted her feet beside me. "Then don't get lost. The city needs its leader."
The encouragement from my friends steadied my heart. Around us, the defenders who could still stand formed a loose perimeter, their faces set in grim determination.
The Fire Dragon landed with a thunderous crash, sending out a shockwave that flattened the last standing stalls. Its wings folded, its body pulsing with magma-bright veins. The very ground seemed to ripple from its heat.
"Human," the dragon thundered, "you are worthy prey. But this is the end."
I coughed blood, wiped my mouth, and met its gaze. "You'll find I'm hard to finish."
I ran forward, spirit energy blazing. My hands blazed with fire, wind howled at my heels, earth rose at my command, and water danced around my limbs. For a moment, I felt as if I was part of something greater—a force of nature called forth by the dreams of every living soul here.
The dragon struck. Its claws carved furrows through the earth, tail smashing a row of abandoned houses to powder.
I met it blow for blow:
Wind and fire became a whip of searing flame, lashing the dragon's muzzle.
Earth and water became spears of mud-ice, driving into joints and wounds.
I ducked, rolled, leapt, every move an act of desperate calculation.
The dragon roared, blasting a ring of fire that nearly incinerated me. I countered with a wall of steam, barely holding the inferno at bay.
My spirit flickered. The pain was almost beyond endurance. In that instant, a single doubt wormed its way into my mind: Is it enough? Am I enough?
I saw my father's face, stern and proud. My mother's smile. The shining eyes of my brothers. The trust of every student, every elder, every stranger who had come to this city because they believed.
I clenched my fists. I am Ye Caiqian. If I fall, let it be with the whole world in my hands!
The Fire Dragon arched its back, gathering spirit energy. Its scales flared brighter, cracking open to reveal a core of molten magma. The ground at its feet turned to lava, rivers of fire surging through the north quarter.
It spread its wings—now tipped with blades of pure flame—and leapt into the air. Where its breath had been fire, now it unleashed a storm of molten stone and liquid heat, blasting the city with world-ending power.
I threw myself in the path, drawing every scrap of elemental energy remaining.
All four elements—earth, water, fire, air—spiraled around me. I formed a shield, a dome, a barrier so dense with spirit energy it shimmered like a rainbow in the inferno. I braced myself as the magma storm crashed down.
The world became heat and light. My thoughts dissolved in the roar.
But still, I stood.
When the blast faded, I was still on my feet—barely. My robes were burned, skin blistered, spirit energy guttering like a candle in the wind.
The dragon circled, clearly shocked to see me alive. "How are you still standing, human?"
I grinned, lips cracked and bleeding. "Because I promised to protect them."
It roared, anger and fear mingling. "You are but one. I am eternal!"
I staggered, nearly falling. In that moment, I felt a flicker of connection—a thousand threads tying me to everyone in the city. Their spirit energy, hope, and prayers washed into me, filling my battered body with light.
This is not the end. Not yet.
I straightened, spirit power surging one final time. Around me, defenders cheered, battered but unbroken. My friends stood at my back, lending every last drop of energy they possessed.
The Fire Dragon rose above the city, gathering for its final, annihilating attack.
And as dawn broke, painting the smoke and ruin gold, I prepared to answer with everything I was—body, mind, and soul.
For the City of Beginning. For all of humanity's future.