My stomach did a summersault as a feeling of weightlessness suddenly engulfed me. The entire island of Dragon’s Nest began to fall out of the sky without warning. I quickly activated my domain and wrapped it around my nearby Mom and Dad, just before the building shook with the deafening thunder of impact. More focused on my parents’ safety than my own, I was painfully thrown to the floor. In the distance, I could hear other people scream out as they too were caught off guard by Mare’s sudden action.

“Mare! What are you doing?” I yelled out in frustration as I picked myself up. I ignored the new bruises I undoubtedly had and hurried over to make sure both of my parents were unharmed in the sudden plummet.

“Making your work easier,” Mare replied without any hint of remorse.

“You haven’t even explained how you are getting us past the splinter cannons. You could have at least warned us first. What if I had not been quick enough to protect my parents?”

“I knew they would be fine,” Mare replied with a joyous laugh, “Plus, this way I get to experience the joy of sending that so-called master of mine head first into the ceiling. It was quite the sight. You should have seen it.”

I scowled at the disembodied laughter. “There are more important concerns than your entertainment. Explain your plan before I decide your walls would look better burnt and broken.”

A small explosive glyph appeared in my hand threateningly. I was not sure entirely how effective it would be against a Preateritum remnant but I had grown strong enough recently that I was no longer helpless if I wanted to go on a rampage. After seeing both of my parents in that condition, I was looking for any excuse to blow off a bit of steam.

“Fine, fine, ruin my fun,” Mare said with a reluctant sigh, “Head outside and I will explain.”

Frowning in annoyance, I decided to follow Mare’s direction and see what her idea was. Stepping outside, I immediately saw that Mare had crashed the island in a dense section of the ice forest Dad had created. Purple shards of ice littered the ground everywhere like beautiful crystals. Without Dad there to control it, the broken and shattered branches overhead no longer grew back after Mare had smashed through them. A large hole was left in the thick canopy of branches overhead.

Seeing the sight of the island embedded in the forest, I immediately understood Mare’s plan. After what we had done to it, the purple ice was one of the few materials strong enough to withstand the high temperatures of the splinter cannons. If we could surround the Preateritum remnant with it, we would be able to approach the city in relative safety.

The disembodied voice of Mare echoed from inside the building. “Since you seem to understand my idea, you had better get to work. There cannot be a single gap in the exterior if you want me to approach the city.”

There was a sinking feeling in my chest as I began to realize why Mare had said her plan would take some effort. The floating island would likely pick up a few pillars from the surrounding forest next time it took off but most of Dragon’s Nest would still be visible. Even if it was just to completely cover the entire building, it would take a full day or two of hard physical labor.

Turning around, I wanted to go back inside, only for the doors to suddenly slam shut in front of me. I could hear the sounds of muffled laughter echoing just on the other side. I cursed Mare under my breath. For a moment I questioned whether or not I could break down the doors. The demons had managed to break them in the past, it should be possible. After some wishful rumination, I decided against it. The faster I completed this project, the faster we could break into the city, rescue the undead Lucia, and revive her so that she could heal my parents.

I looked around at the shattered ice created by the island’s rough landing and sighed resignation. It looked like a sea of beautiful purple gems. I reached out to pick one up and a jolt of pain shot through my fingertips. I recoiled with a series of curses that would make a sailor blush.

I eyed the shard of ice with a murderous glare. Cold did not even begin to describe it. Touching the ice was like touching fire. My hand had only been in contact with the shard for a moment but I had no doubt my fingers would blister from that momentary touch.

“No wonder it can block the splinter cannons,” I mumbled unhappily as I rubbed my poor fingers.

I was still exhausted from our earlier fight but I had recovered enough that my domain was able to stretch out and begin gathering the broken shards so that I would not have to touch them. I pulled the smaller shards into a pile, leaving the larger boulder-sized pieces for when I was better rested. As I worked, Mare either tricked or coerced everyone except Charly outside to help.

Luckily, it was not hard to attach the ice to the building. Mare could turn the outer walls into a semi-liquid, just like the inner ones. Once hardened, the walls kept the shards in place better than concrete. All we had to do was lift the ice to a bare spot on the wall and Mare did rest.

I was not quick enough warning poor Donte not to touch the ice and he also ended up burning his hand, to the endless delight of Mare. Vissna was the only one who did not need to use her domain to move the ice. In both human and dragon form, she proved that she could easily reach out and grab it with her bare hands.

She held up a piece to the dim light shrouded by crimson mist and examined it. “It is quite impressive. Your father really tapped deep into the essence of the realm creating this ice. I am not sure if even I could do the same on without putting my life on the line.”

“Is it really so difficult that even a dragon can’t even imitate it?” I asked curiously.

Vissna frowned, looking insulted for a moment. However, she kept calm as she spoke. “You still have a lot to learn about how our powers work, hatchling. Drawing energy from the realm is not a logical skill. It is erratic and full of inconsistencies. During times of heightened emotion or inspiration, it is sometimes possible to tap into a power that can shake the heavens but moments like that cannot be relied upon nor are they always safe. The true test for any dragon or Adept is being able to draw upon that power at any time. How deeply you can connect with that energy is often less than in those extreme moments but there is also no chance of losing your sense of self like your father.”

“I think I understand,” I replied as I thought back to my last clash with Berith. During that time, I had been able to control the golden flames as if they were an extension of my own body but once the fight was over, that feeling faded like water slipping through the cracks in my fingers. It was likely that moment I had also done something similar to what Vissna was speaking of. However, even though it was powerful, my inability to recreate that feeling meant I had to continue relying on glyphs for the time being.

Vissna continued to speak as if lecturing a child. “If I were to do as your father did and completely immerse myself in the true meaning of ice, I could create something far greater than this but that does not diminish his accomplishment. So long as we are comparing it to my normal state, he did surpass me in his moment of inspiration. If he wakes from his comma, I expect he will be far stronger than before.”

“When he wakes,” I hissed.

Vissna raised an eyebrow but did not argue. “Regardless, this ice is impressive. However, its strength is not absolute. Your father’s technique still needs practice.” As she spoke, Vissna clenched her hand and the shard of ice cracked in half, “It is a little harder than steel but also brittle. As the falling island has expertly displayed, this ice is far from indestructible. If we wish to advance on the Demon stronghold, we will have to protect it from any other attacks our enemies might have in store for us.”

I frowned as I looked up at Dragon’s Nest. The purple ice glistened against the crimson light that surrounded it. With the addition of the shards of ice, the building had to reveal its true size. Ever since the first day Donte became the master of the Preateritum remnant, it had been disguised as a simple mansion. However, the ice could not become see-through like the walls. Dragon’s Nest was an even bigger target now that it was starting to look like a glittering crystal palace.

Other than the Demons themselves, I had seen an absolutely ridiculous number of Demonkin when Sebastion split the blood mist. The number here was likely even more here than on the front line. Likewise, there were probably just as many Alphas mixed in as well. Any one of them could easily break the ice apart and expose Dragon’s Nest to the splinter cannons if we were careless. The floating island flew far slower than any of us could fly when using our domain. What would be a fifteen-minute dash to the walls could take up to an hour on the island. There was a lot the Demons could do with that much time.

I took a breath as I thought about everything that could possibly go wrong. “Regardless of the risk, I need to get into the palace. For Mom, Dad, and Lucia, we cannot fail.”

Vissna gave a resigned sigh as she picked up another piece of ice. “I will help you, of course, just do not let your emotions blind you. I have not known you as long as some of the others but you and your family are the hope of my race returning to the realms. I would be very disappointed if you were to die here.”

I chuckled as I used my domain to lob another chunk of ice onto the building. “My death is hardly the worst-case scenario. If Envy is stopped and all his Demons die, it would be a fair price to pay. I can always come back, after all.”

Vissna frowned as she watched intently. I ignored her and continued to add more ice to the building. It was hard work getting the ice into place so that there were no gaps or weak points but I was happy for the distraction. The work kept my mind off my worries for my mom and dad. Staying focused on a goal kept me from being overwhelmed by the emotions threatening to drown me.

After some time working alongside each other in silence, Vissna eventually spoke again. “Two hundred thirty-six.” I looked up at Vissna curiously. Her expression was troubled as she tried to find the right words. “That is the number of friends I lost when the Preateritum started hunting dragons. Much like you, they were unafraid of death. After all, death is just another part of our lifecycle. We will always be reborn… at least that is what we thought… Our arrogance nearly led to our extinction. Only a few of us managed to flee the slaughter and escape into uncharted realms.” Vissna paused. She took a deep breath as if pushing down the emotions boiling up inside her. “Never assume that your next death will not be your last. Despite what we like to believe, none of us are really immortal.”