I can't move. I can't breathe. I can't even think. Even so, I know how I feel. That man is dead. I have never felt such anger in my entire life! I was enraged by the IDEA of them being hurt. but seeing them like this… it's ignited a fire with me. No… its not just a fire… something else has resonated in me.

  I've never been good with mana. I'm not some prodigy like Darkness. Snowstorm knows more magic than me by a lot. Eben so, I've always been able to feel it subtly inside my body. IT used to flow through me while dormant, like a second set of veins pumping energy into me at all times and expelling into the air and being drawn in to fill the gaps. Its always felt like a subtle stream throughout my body. But now its starting to increase in speed, pooling through me. It feels wrong, but so right. I’'m barely even registering it at this point. I star to move forward, but Snowstorm grips my shoulder and stops me. I turn to see him. Thats when I see his face. He's crying. I reach up to my own face. My snout is drenched in a warm liquid. I pause, then slump against the wall.

  “Smokewind…” Is all I can say. I catch sight of that human, Evelyn. She stands beside Snowstorm, looking up at us. I can't read human expressions too easily, but it's easy to tell she's distraught right now. I realize that she could have given away our position at any time. So why hasn't she.

  “I didn't know…” She whispers to herself. She looks up to me. I look down at her. The mana has increased its pace. I turn to Snowstorm. He's feeling it too. We don't know what it is. But what does it matter?

  “Evelyn.” I say and she locks up, turning back to me.

  “Y-yes?” She responds hesitantly.

  “What did you mean by “you didn't know”?” I ask her. I assume she meant that she didn't know that they were going to kill Smokewind. But that can't be right.

  “I-I Didn't know dragons were sapient.” She responds hesitantly. We are all speaking quietly to avoid attention. We all freeze up when a MECHA looks our way. We don’t resume talking until it turns back.

  “What do you mean?” I ask, confused. “Of course dragons are sapient!” I point an accusatory finger to Smokewind's corpse. Her scales are flaking and drying up, all the liquid magma having dried up and her body turned a lifeless gray color. I've never seen her so… still.

  “SHE was sapient!” I hiss to evelyn, who stumbles back. “And your people KILLED her!”

  “I-I was taught in s-school that d-dragons are… you know, m-monsters that eat people…” She says hesitantly. I look down at her. It's so difficult to hate a pitiful little mammal like her. I open my mouth to say something. Or at least, I think I was going to say something. But we are interrupted by a large beeping noise. I whip my head around to see whats happening, and when I do, my blood runs cold.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Fu-"

  Wham!

  A MECHA, which I had sworn was over 20 meters away from me, slams into me with all the force of a tunnel collapse. I hear a cracking noise.

  {Initializing upgrade.}

  I leap back with a howl. I take a step back, and this MECHA monopolizes it. Its legs are more springy then the other ones, and covered in jets or something, from what I can see. It shoots forward to slam into me again, which this thing is definitely built for, unlike Evelyn's flimsy bot.

  Ice spear

  However, it only makes it 10 feet when a spear of ice slams into it.

  “Nice shot.” I groan. My jaw is probably broken bigen the pain in it, and my left wing is no better off then before.

  {System upgrade first stage. Establishing voice.}

  That voice again. I thought it was just my imagination, but apparently not. Actually, nows not the time for this. My body is feeling weaker and weaker as mana is syphoned away in a raging river. Its now that I realize its all going to the top of my left hand. uh oh. Dodge!

  I duck below the MECHA as it flies over me, an ice spear lodged into the glass. Then something else slams into me. Another one?! Why?! Leave us alone!

  Mana chomp!

  Clang! OW! My jaw!

  The mana in my teeth sputters out, and I cough out blood and a few teeth. Snowstorm is now fighting the springy one. Ill call that one hops, and this one brute. Because this thing is absolutely a brute! The armor is thick, and the hands are replaced by massive steel squares that knock the wind out of me, and likely would have ended my life if I weren't as durable as I am.

  {System voice established. Commencing species unlock. Commencing status unlock. Skill unsealed:Breath of time.}

  That sounds useful. Or, it would be if I weren't getting beat up by hulkbuster over here! I take a blow to the chest and hear the cracking of ribs as I'm thrown back. I land on my side and scramble up. I open my mouth. Better now then never!

  Breath of ti-

  {Skills utilizing mana can not be activated until core formation is complete.}

  Uh oh. I leap back as the brute lands and smashes its hammer-fist thing into the place my head was a moment earlier, causing stone to go flying. IItake this moment before the dust has settled to check on Snowstorm. He's covered in blood and wounds, and hir ring is definitely bent the wrong way, but the springy one is much worse for wear. It can't jump anymore since its missing a leg and the blasters on it are all bent in weird angles. These things haven't spoken once to us. Are they shy or something? Who cares!

  I leap through the dust and find the brute exactly where it was before. Idiot! You should have moved!

  I slam full force into it. it hurts a lot and makes my broken wing scream in pain, but I dont care. I'm going to kill this person, if its the last thing I do.

  “You monsters!” I roar as loud as I can.

  {Title gained:Rager. Skill gained: [locked]}

  I ignore it. The brute falls backwards and I take that chance. I think it was more surprised that I talked then anything, given how Evelyn was surprised we were sapient. I land on top of it and immediately start shredding into it with my claws. The glass breaks, the metal bends, the fists come up and slam into my side. But I keep going.

  {Warning:Health under 50%}

  {System upgrade finalizing.}

  Im beginning to feel like I might win this thing. It cant move. Its being ripped to pieces by me but I'm taking hits too. But I dont stop. I can do this. I will win! I can see the victory!

  I don't see the third MECHA that slams a fist down on my head.