Back at Paradise High, to the warriors' amazement, the towering abomination began to vanish bit by bit.
It looked confused and angry, but there was nothing it could do as it watched Slyvia and Ava, who stood frozen, gawking at the scene. It was almost comical—the stunned look on both girls' faces made Rose chuckle briefly despite the chaos.
The creature let out a howling sound as it perished, dissolving into a pile of dark, disgusting liquid. The same fate befell its dead minions, all of them erased from the surface of the earth. And for once, peace seemed to return to their once-treasured school.
"Wow, that was cool. Rose, look—we won!" Slyvia exclaimed, excitement blazing in her eyes.
Rose, still perched atop the horrifying dragon, smiled softly. But the smile didn't reach her eyes. Not when the beast and its fellows let out low growls, glaring at the two girls.
Ava flinched, but Slyvia stood her ground. She knew dragons were intelligent creatures; they only attacked when they sensed danger. And right now, there was none.
"It's okay, boy. We're harmless," Slyvia said gently with a small smile.
Ava blinked at her, stunned. Boy? A dragon boy? Wow. Had Slyvia finally lost her mind?
The dragons finally descended, their massive forms landing with such force that the ground vibrated. Slyvia and Ava struggled to stay on their feet.
"What a beauty he is," Slyvia breathed, pointing to the one as black as charcoal, with eyes as deadly as the pit of hell. It was the largest of them all, towering like a small building.
Ava, however, wasn't convinced the creatures were harmless—especially the smaller one that kept its eyes fixed on her. She definitely needed a vacation after this. She may be a powerful goddess, but after all they had just endured, she deserved a thousand vacations.
Then it hit her—her friends.
Ezekiel. Jeremy. Emily. And especially Asher.
Where were they?
The sunlight had returned. They had clearly won the battle, but for some reason, none of them had returned. It was already late... and still no sign of Emily.
Rose, gently patting the magnificent beast beneath her, looked up to the sky with a troubled expression.
"Something's wrong. I can feel it. Let's go to Golden Gate and see what's taking Asher and the others so long," she said, echoing what was already racing through Ava's mind.
Slyvia, who had been reaching out to touch one of the dragons, was cut short by Rose's stern voice.
"Don't provoke her, Slyvia. I'm the only one she trusts. Let her be," Rose warned. Then she leaned in, whispering something into the bigger dragon's ear as she stroked its scales. The creature spread its magnificent wings in response.
"They've agreed to give us a ride to Golden Gate," Rose explained. "But afterward, they must return. They're already considered extinct—and I can't let any harm come to them."
Slyvia stood there in disbelief. So the dragons were hers? And how the hell did Rose manage to control them?
More importantly... why was she acting so different now?
Ever since discovering she could control dragons, Rose had changed. She was colder... distant.
Ava noticed it too. She felt bad seeing how hurt Slyvia looked after Rose's caution. Something had shifted in Rose—and though neither of them knew what had caused it, they silently agreed to follow her lead.
They climbed the dragons—Slyvia and Ava mounting the smaller one, while Rose took the lead on the massive beast—and headed toward Golden Gate.
The ride was quiet.
Ava sat deep in thought, wondering what life would be like now that the enemy had been vanquished. Would things ever return to normal? Could they? Humans had already gotten wind of the supernatural world. Hiding was no longer an option.
Slyvia, meanwhile, was wide-eyed, her gaze fixed on the dragon she rode. Who would have thought she'd ever ride a dragon? Not only was she a divine child—a witch born of light—but now, she was soaring through the sky on the back of a legendary creature.
But everything changed when they reached Golden Gate.
They froze—horrified.
The destruction was far worse than anything they'd seen in Silver Hill. Everything had been reduced to ashes. Even if they rebuilt the city, there was no telling if it would ever recover its former glory.
Rose's heart pounded as she directed the dragon downward, a growing sense of dread gnawing at her. Was Asher okay?
Then she saw him.
Or rather—Jeremy McCarthy.
He was unconscious... or dead.
Without wasting a second, Rose ordered the dragons to land.
It was truly him—Jeremy—but there was no sign of Asher. Slyvia, scanning the ruins, spotted two corpses.
One was Catherine.
The other... Logan.
Her scream pierced the sky.
"Catherine! Cathy, no! Cathy—what happened?" Slyvia collapsed beside the body. "Not you too. I thought you were safe. Why... why did you come back?" she sobbed.
Ava, who didn't know Catherine well, still felt sick. Then she noticed something—Catherine's stomach.
It was torn open.
Clutching her own stomach in horror, Ava whispered, "She was pregnant…"
Slyvia wailed even louder.
"No! This isn't fair! She was happy... she was going to be a mother…"
Where was Lamia? Where was Asher? Emily?
No one was in sight.
Slyvia felt her world spinning. She had lost everyone close to her. Her cries grew desperate, uncontrolled.
Rose, trembling, dropped to her knees beside Jeremy and took his cold hand in hers, trying to rub warmth into it.
"Jeremy… are you still there? Please, Jimmy, wake up…" she whispered through her tears.
Then—his lips moved.
"Please… don't be gone, Asher… just come back to me… please…"
Rose's heart shattered.
Her brother… he wasn't gone. He was alive somewhere.
She stood there, her head pounding, and then—like a broken doll—collapsed beside Jeremy, sobbing uncontrollably.
None of them would ever recover from the war.
Not in this lifetime.