unimaginable pain that robbed of me of breath, but it was devastating and unbearable.
All I could do was look up, and for a flashing moment, it felt like I was now looking among the starry sky, chants of victory and joy of my downfall pulsing all around me while Mother Flame mourned my approaching death.
None of it made sense, and yet everything made sense - the Deja vu in this serial predicament made me wonder if this was a part of the destiny I was born to face.
The destiny I was reborn to face.
"Alice!"
Words shot through the chants of death and cheering.
"She's dying!"
"Not on my watch, dammit."
"Fuck, move!"
"Westley!"
I felt like I was fading away, the warmth I once felt beginning to fade at a rapid pace. The loss of warmth made fear trickle in me, and for the first time, I was afraid of death.
All the times I thought of suicide. All the fleeting moments I wished to just be rid of my existence and be gone from the world that clearly didn't want me.
Yet death was finally knocking on my door and I was frightened to go alone.
If I could cry, I would have done that. Sobbed and begged to stay a little longer. I hadn't gotten to learn more about Gabriel, Keru, or Westley. Nor did I get to have some time with Dad, or even try to find the truth about my mom.
The threat that represented my life was coming to an end, and yet, I had far more regrets than I did accomplishments.
That was saddening.
When the world seemed to finally be cloaked with black, something warm touched my frigid cheeks. My eyes that were on the verge of closing caught a glimpse of the light, one that grew bigger by the second, until I was washed with the comforting warmth.
"We weren't brought back to life for you to die without me, my princess."
The soft voice was followed with a press of one's lips. The tender kiss to my lips giving me the breath of life.
I gasped when my body let me, my eyes opening slightly to see silver blazing eyes and ocean teal hair that was flooded with golden strands. What caught my brief attention were the massive wings, one of gold, orange, and white. What made me reach up with a trembling hand was the relieved expression on the man's face.
My hand pressed against his cheek, and the words left me before my eyes came to a close.
"My king."
I allowed myself to fade away, but this time, I knew that I'd fall into the arms of my guardian angel.
My destined path continued its way towards an unknown future.
Proven Horsemen Of Blazing Fire
"Am I actually grounded?"
From the six pairs of eyes that landed on me, I knew that was a definite yes.
"Woof?"
"I know, Cyrus," I muttered and stroked her head with my bandaged hand. "They're being bullies."
"I'm so tempted to lecture her," my dad muttered, but Mrs. CloverSpell sighed. "Let's leave the lecturing for when she's fully recovered."
"Or we can skip it?" I suggested.
Another staring moment that made me pout.
"Meanies."
Professor Daily was the one to sigh next, but he gave me a small smile. "As much as we'd love to lecture you for what you did, Alice, it's also thanks to your bravery that we had zero casualties after that mix-up madness."
"Did I really...um..." I was trying to find the right words. "Revive the dead?"
"Used an extremely rare and forbidden spell with Holy Trinity Flame," CloverSpell elaborated.
"Ah." I nodded and tried to hide beneath the blanket. "Okay, bye."
Gabriel groaned. "No one is suspending you, so get out from under there."
"Make me." I poked my head just slightly to glare at him. His scowl deepened and Keru shook his head. "Just let her be for now," he encouraged. "And Gabriel's right. You're not getting suspended."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive," CloverSpell declared. "I've already talked with the other professors. All of you have received perfect scores on the written exam, as well as this unexpected exam. Obviously, we'll go into the exact details of what occurred and how this all came about once Alice is in stable condition, but the four of you have officially passed semester one of Blazing Academy."
That was a mega relief, and I looked to see the smiles of the others. Westley looked my way, and he reached out to slip his hand beneath the blanket to grasp mine. I squeezed his hand back, my eyes growing a little tired.
"Um," I began and gave a sad