a plan to survive(1)

The battlefield was a warzone of smoke and fire. The earth beneath them trembled as the clash between Dakota and Fianna raged on, their battle painting the air with violent streaks of flame and steel. The others had barely recovered from the devastating wave of fire that Fianna had unleashed moments ago, their bodies battered and bruised. But Dakota was still standing.

Fianna's blazing eyes were fixed on him, her smirk curling at the edges of her lips. The ground around them was scorched, molten rock replacing the dirt where her power had melted everything in its path.

Fianna:

"You really think you can stand against me, creator? You're nothing but a mere speck of dust in this world of flames."

Dakota clenched his fists, his teeth gritted. The words hit him like a slap, but what really stung wasn't her words—it was the realization that Fianna knew something about him that she shouldn't. He had kept the truth hidden, but somehow, those three had betrayed him again.

Dakota:

"You... How do you know that?"

Fianna raised an eyebrow, her fiery aura intensifying.

Fianna:

"Oh, don't act so surprised. I know all about you, Dakota. The creator of this world, the one who crafted all of this."

Dakota's blood boiled, his heart pounding in his chest. Fianna wasn't the first to learn of his true identity, but to hear her say it, to watch her stand there with that smug expression—it made his stomach turn.

Dakota thinking: "Damn those three... Did they really tell her? Dose Blazer know too?"

The anger inside him festered, swirling like a tempest. He had done everything to keep his past life and the secrets of his true identity hidden. But they, those three had betrayed him. Again. His past life had already been a prison, and now they were dragging him into another one.

Fianna's voice broke his thoughts, her voice cold and mocking.

Fianna:

"You're not the first one to try and resist. You'll be just like all the others who tried to challenge me. You'll burn and fade, forgotten, a footnote in the history of the flames."

Dakota stepped forward, his sword crackling with a fiery aura as he gripped it tighter. He wouldn't let her get away with this. He wouldn't let her mock him for something he didn't even want to be. This fight, this battle—it wasn't just for survival anymore. It was personal.

Dakota:

"If you think you can break me, then try. I'm done with running."

With a roar, Dakota surged forward, his magic flaring to life. The flames around his sword intensified, burning with a violent fury. He reached Fianna in an instant, slashing downward in a brilliant arc of searing light.

But Fianna wasn't caught off guard. With an elegant twist of her body, she dodged the attack and countered, her hand extended toward him. The flames surged from her palm, creating a wall of heat that repelled Dakota, sending him crashing into the ground.

Fianna:

"You disappoint me, creator."

Dakota's heart skipped a beat as he pushed himself to his feet, determination and rage filling his every cell. He knew what was coming—he had seen it in the way she moved, in the deadly calm of her posture. Fianna wasn't going to let him go easy. She was going to end this battle, right here and now.

Fianna's gaze shifted from mockery to cold precision. With a flick of her wrist, her flames shaped into a monstrous spear, glowing with an intensity that could scorch the very air.

Dakota:

"I won't—"

Before he could finish, Fianna's fiery weapon shot forward, its tip aimed directly at him. He didn't have time to react. In the blink of an eye, the sword passed through his body with brutal force, the flames searing through him as though his flesh were paper.

Dakota gasped, the pain searing through him like nothing he had ever felt. He tried to move, to fight, but his body was already failing him. His vision blurred, his sword slipping from his grip as he collapsed to the ground. The last thing he saw was Fianna's cruel smile as she stood over him.

Fianna:

"I knew you had a plan, creator. But it won't save you. You never were a match for me."

The flames around her flickered and danced, but her eyes were cold and distant as she turned her back on Dakota's bleeding form, her voice taunting.

Fianna:

"Goodbye. You were never worth my time."

The rest of the group watched in horror as Dakota fell, blood pooling around his body. The sight of him crumpled on the ground like that was more than they could bear.

Franklin and Duke, still reeling from the intensity of the fight, rushed forward, but they were too late.

Duke:

"No! Damn it!"

Franklin's eyes were wild with rage as he reached Dakota's side, his breath ragged from the battle.

Franklin:

"Dakota! Get up!"

But it was clear to everyone that Dakota wasn't responding. His body was still, his chest barely rising and falling. The flames of life were flickering within him.

Ava pushed past them, her eyes wide with desperation as she knelt beside him. She cradled his head in her lap, her hands trembling as she checked for a pulse. Tears welled in her eyes, her breath hitching with every painful moment that passed.

Ava:

"No, no, no! Dakota, please don't—please!"

Henry was right behind her, his face pale with fear.

Henry:

"Ava, you have to be strong. We can't lose him now."

Lucas stepped forward, his ice magic already swirling around him as he tried to calm the group.

Lucas:

"We can still save him! We have to! Mia, can you do something?"

Mia, who had been knocked down earlier, finally stumbled to her feet, her magic flaring in a desperate attempt to help. But even she knew that there was little they could do.

Mia:

"I—I'll try, but his injuries are beyond anything I can heal with water magic alone. We need more time."

But time was something they didn't have. Fianna's presence still loomed over them, a reminder that they were never safe in this cruel world.

Liam, his usual cocky demeanor replaced by a rare expression of sorrow, gripped his sword tightly.

Liam:

"We can't let her win. Not like this."

Jack clenched his fists.

Jack:

"This isn't the end. We'll bring him back."

But it wasn't just them. Duke and Franklin, who had always been with Dakota, stood beside him. They had always respected him as more than just a young man. He was their friend, their comrade. And they weren't about to let him die.

Duke:

"We need to take Fianna down, now. For Dakota."

Franklin nodded fiercely, his gaze hardening.

Franklin:

"We will. We owe him that much."

Ava's sobs grew louder as she clutched Dakota's form, unwilling to let go. She was shaking, her voice breaking as she spoke.

Ava:

"Please, Dakota. Don't leave me. Please, don't die. Not like this."

Henry knelt beside her, his own face etched with sorrow.

Henry:

"You can't leave yet. You can't die, Dakota. Not now. We still need you."

The words hit Dakota like a tidal wave, pulling him from the brink of unconsciousness. His eyes flickered open, barely able to focus, but the voices of his friends—the people he cared about—rang in his ears.

As the group surrounded Dakota, their faces filled with both grief and determination, Fianna's shadow loomed over them. But Dakota couldn't bring himself to focus on her now. His mind was elsewhere—focusing on the warmth of his friends' voices, the tears on Ava's cheeks, the pain in Franklin's eyes.

The world around him was fading. His body was heavy, as though weighed down by the very gravity of his past. Was this the end for him? Would he never get to make things right?

The darkness closed in, and for a brief moment, it felt like he was slipping away. But something—someone—pulled him back.

Dakota:

"Ava..."

Ava's tearful face was the last thing he saw before everything went black.

Had he died? Or was this just another step in his journey?

The world around him faded into nothingness.