Chapter 27 Aug 18, 2025 Flames tore across the sky like war banners. The Rise had begun. Mira could barely see more than smoke and heat shimmer, but she didn't need to. She knew what was waiting. The Rise was the final test of Caerborn's Skybrand Trials-three phases, one purpose: prove you could survive what dragons were born for. And now, it was time for the final phase. The climb. It wasn't just vertical flight. It was a hellstorm carved into the bones of a mountain, layered with collapsing stone, spiraling winds, and firestorms that bent sideways. Her thighs clenched tighter around Liorith's back, body already soaked with sweat. The air stung with ash. Somewhere above, a mountain crumbled with a sound like thunder. "Straight through," Mira shouted over the wind. "We don't stop." Bastian nodded from Vharok's back just ahead, teeth gritted. "No breathers. No breaks." Their dragons roared in unison. Then came the climb. The Rise was a near-vertical stretch of stone and sky, threaded with firestorms, falling debris, and illusions meant to break both rider and dragon. Already, Mira could feel the pressure shift as they surged upward, air thinning, lava cracks bursting open like veins of fury beneath them. Liorith twisted past a falling boulder, wings slick with sweat. The silver drake hissed in frustration, claws scraping at open air. Mira tightened her grip. "We've got this. Come on, girl." Behind her, the whoosh of flame nearly stole her breath. She turned in time to see a burst of molten rock tear through the path they'd just flown. The arena wasn't playing fair. "Keep going!" Bastian yelled. "Don't look back." "Wasn't planning to," Mira shot back, even as her arms ached and her fingers cramped around the harness. They rose higher. Liorith and Vharok flew side by side, scales blistered, breaths growing ragged. Around them, cadets faltered. One pair spiraled downward, a scream echoing into the void. Mira winced but didn't stop. Couldn't. "What's our altitude?" Bastian called. "High enough to make dying dramatic," she muttered, scanning the collapsing cliff above. "Look out-left!" The cliffside split. A jagged sheet of rock broke loose and came tumbling down. Mira ducked. Bastian did too. Almost. The edge of the rock caught him. His scream was raw, ragged. Blood arced through the air like a red ribbon. "Bastian!" He slipped. One second, he was on Vharok. The next, he was falling, leg limp, body twisting midair. Vharok shrieked in panic, wings flaring too late to catch him. Mira didn't think. She just moved. "Dive!" she ordered. Liorith didn't hesitate. She plunged into the smoke with a speed that made Mira's lungs collapse. Wind screamed past her ears. The roar of stone and fire blurred around them. There. A shadow tumbling. Mira lunged. Her hand snagged Bastian's harness just as his fingers started to slip from it. She grunted with the impact, their bodies slamming together midair. "Got you," she hissed. He clutched her arm, jaw clenched. "You shouldn't have-" "Don't even finish that sentence." Blood slicked her gloves. His leg was worse than she'd realized - torn, trailing, bone maybe fractured. His eyes rolled, breath shallow. "If I fall-" His voice was faint, barely a breath. "Mira-" "You're not falling," she snapped, rage blazing through the fear in her throat. "Not while I'm here." "You'll drop us both," he muttered, eyes unfocused. "Trust me to do the impossible. You do it all the time." Her muscles screamed. Liorith fought to steady beneath them, wings struggling against the draft. Bastian dangled from her arm, leg bleeding badly, face pale. "You're heavier than you look," she gritted out, arms shaking. "Maybe ease up on the smug next time." "I knew you liked me strong," he murmured weakly. "Shut up and hold on!" Liorith twisted beneath them, trying to find purchase in the open sky. "Steady-steady, come on-" Mira's grip slipped for a second. Bastian dropped an inch, just enough to make her curse. "Don't let go. Don't you dare," she growled. "I wasn't planning to," he breathed. With one final yank, she got him onto Liorith's back behind her. He groaned, clutching her waist. "You idiot," she muttered, half laughing, half crying. "Next time, dodge faster." "Next time, remind me not to trust gravity," he rasped. "You always have a way of catching me off guard." "Try not to make a habit of it." Below them, lava surged. Above, the peak still burned - a goal they hadn't reached yet. And then Liorith snapped her wi