Chapter 589: Lost Samira
Samira felt nothing but the dull pain throbbing in her head. It was as if an anvil had fallen on her, crushing her thoughts. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the bright light shining through her eyelids. Everything was spinning. The first thing she noticed was the sound of waves crashing against something solid, the rhythmic echo of water against stone.
She tried to move, but her body didn’t respond immediately. Only when a stronger wave pushed her against something solid did she feel the impact, and a crack of pain shot through her skull. The shock brought her back to full consciousness.
“Ahhh…” she moaned, bringing her hand to her forehead. Her skin felt damp, warm. Blood.
She felt around, finding the rough surface of a rock beneath her fingers. Only then did she realize: she was leaning against a block of stone, half of her body in the water and the other half dragged out by the waves.
Her survival instinct took over. Samira took a deep breath, even though her chest was heavy, and dragged herself up the rock, each movement a battle against the weakness that overwhelmed her. Her wings were shrunken, burned by the energy that had drained away in the storm. She couldn’t summon her dragon form again; just trying to connect with her power made her body tremble and a void opened in her chest.
Exhausted, she rolled onto her back on the rock and stared at the sky. The sun was high, bright, almost cruel in its intensity. Its heat burned her damp skin, and the brightness forced her to squint.
“Where… am I…?” she murmured, her voice hoarse, almost unrecognizable.
She tried to lift her head and, with effort, looked around. It wasn’t just an isolated rock in the sea. Farther ahead, the dark line of trees loomed, flanked by the jagged outline of cliffs. An island. At least it seemed so.
Relief and fear washed over her at the same time. She was alive. There was solid ground. But… she was alone.
Her heart raced. Fragmented memories began to bubble through her mind, like pieces of broken glass that refused to fit together. She remembered the group trip, flying alongside the others, the gathering storm clouds. Then, the darkness. Lightning, towering waves, winds that ripped away even the control of her wings. Cassandra’s scream… Strax’s roar… and then, nothing. Just chaos.
Samira pressed both hands to her head, trying to force the memory. But the harder she tried, the more blurred the memory became, like a dream about to disappear.
“Strax… Scarlet… all of you…” her voice cracked.
Her throat burned, not just from thirst, but from the sense of loss. She didn’t know where they were. Didn’t know if they were alive.
Tears threatened to spill, but Samira took a deep breath, clenching her fists. Allowing herself to cry wouldn’t help. She needed to move. She needed to understand where she had stopped.
She leaned against the rock and, with hesitant steps, began walking toward the strip of sand she could see ahead. Her body staggered, as if every muscle were about to give out. The waves crashed against her legs, making her steps difficult, but Samira didn’t stop. With each movement, she remembered who she was: not just a warrior, not just a companion. She was a survivor.
Finally, her feet touched firm sand. She fell to her knees, her toes digging into the warm grains. She took a deep breath, smelling the sea air mixed with the nearby vegetation. She stood there for a few moments, just breathing, just remembering that she was still alive.
But soon the urgency returned. She needed to check the island. She needed clean water, shelter, maybe food. And, above all, she needed to find out if anyone else had fallen there.
Stumbling, she began walking along the beach. The sun was beating down, and each step seemed to drag invisible tons of weight. Sometimes she felt the world spin, and she had to lean on dry tree trunks that the sea had dragged onto the sand.
Her eyes scanned the horizon incessantly, searching for any sign of movement. A wing, a shadow, a cry. But nothing appeared. Only the sound of the waves and the distant song of birds.
After a while, she reached the entrance to the forest. Tall, broad-leaved trees formed a natural canopy that blocked part of the sun. The air there was humid, fresh, but also heavy, laden with the scent of wet earth and unfamiliar plants. Samira hesitated before entering. The forest could hide dangers she wasn’t ready to face in this state. But it could also hold the only chance of finding fresh water.
She took the first step. The soft ground gave way beneath her bare feet. The sound of insects filled the air, a constant buzzing that accompanied her every movement.
She walked for a few minutes until she heard the most beautiful sound she could imagine: rushing water. She followed the sound, quickening her pace until she found a small stream running between moss-covered stones.
Samira fell to her knees at the edge of the stream, plunging her hands into the cold water. She drank greedily, feeling the coolness run down her dry throat. The sensation restored a modicum of clarity.
After drinking, she washed her face, wiping away the dried blood and salt. The water washed away some of the heaviness she felt. But the emptiness in her chest, the silence of the others’ absence, remained.
She sat there, watching the current. Her thoughts wandered. What if she had been the only one to survive? What if the ocean had swallowed them all? The thought was so painful that she pushed it away. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t accept it.
“Strax is alive. He always finds a way,” she thought. “And the others too. I just need to hold on until we meet.”
But how?
Her body still wasn’t fully responding. Any attempt to draw on her energy resulted in pain, as if something inside her had been ripped out. Without her dragon form, she was vulnerable. The forest could hide predators, and the ocean had already proven deadly.
Still, a spark of determination ignited within her. Samira had never been one to accept defeat. Despair could crush her, but it could also be transformed into strength.
“I will survive,” she murmured, looking out at the horizon through the trees. “I will wait for you… and I will fight to the end, if necessary.”
The wind blew through the leaves, as if answering her oath.
Samira closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. She needed to rest, but she also knew she couldn’t afford to let her guard down completely. The first step would be to explore the island, understand its resources. Then, look for signs. Anything that indicated she wasn’t alone.
For now, however, she allowed herself to lie on the damp grass, the sound of running water lulling her thoughts. Her body was crying out for respite, and she couldn’t ignore it.
Before falling asleep, the image of Strax flashed through her mind, his wings cutting through the storm, his steady voice promising he would never abandon her. She clung to that memory with all her strength, like someone clinging to a plank in a shipwreck.
And, with that memory warming her heart, Samira closed her eyes.