Once the Sky Reaches the Flames

Chapter 7: Isolation...

The dragon slayers had crashed through the surface of the river, feeling the water slap them on impact. Air was forced out of Wendy's lungs as she sank slowly into the dark, icy water around her. The water's temperature was too tough for Wendy to handle. She felt her strength draining. She felt her body was freezing over... but something else passed by her mind. She frantically clenched her fists, expecting to hold the hand of the other dragon slayer. Instead, she was holding on to water and nothingness. She looked around, panic and dread rising in her chest. Natsu! She was holding on to him as they fell, but now she couldn't find him anywhere. She tried to stay afloat and keep her head above the surface, but she couldn't. None of her limbs moved, no matter how much she pushed herself. Her mind was too fixated on Natsu. She darted her eyes everywhere, hoping to see his pink hair anywhere. She was too worried about him to notice the river was carrying her with its powerful current. She felt helpless and powerless, unable to do anything.

I need to snap out of it! I need air!

Wendy gasped for air, taking in as much as her lungs could contain. Slowly, she felt energy return to her body. She willed her body into motion. Slowly, her limbs began responding faintly. Wendy sighed in relief. With the newfound strength, she pushed herself upwards and opened her eyes, trying to figure out where she was. There was no sunlight illuminating her surroundings. The environment was shrouded in an ominous black. Darkness had enveloped the icy waters surrounding her.

It was already nighttime.

She couldn't make sense of her surroundings. She couldn't even tell which direction the river was flowing. The current was too powerful, rendering her efforts to move useless. She surrendered herself to the river's wrath, hoping it wouldn't be that bad. She turned her head around, trying to see where the river flowed. Moments later, her eyes widened. The river was carrying her to a path filled with rocks. Rocks of varying sizes were spread throughout the river. Painful anticipation rose in her chest. She mustered every ounce of her energy into her legs and tried to push herself against the raging current, but it was futile. The distance between her and the rocks was closing in. The current was too strong to fight against. She shut her eyes and braced herself for impact.

Her body crashed against one of the rocks, forcing the air out of her lungs. She gasped for air, but the current continued on its violent course. Immediately, her legs slammed against a rock underneath her. She felt the bone in her left leg snap in half, sending her an excruciating wave of pain. She screamed and breathed rapidly, trying to avoid the rocks, but the violent current pulled her in to another one. Her head smashed against the rock, nearly knocking her out unconscious.

I need to... stay awake.

Wendy knew she couldn't close her eyes or else the river was going to claim her life soon. She forced herself to keep on fighting. To keep on moving. To keep on breathing. Again, the river violently pulled her into another rock, sending her entire body an intense wave of pain.

I can't... keep going...can't take much more.

She was afraid. If she collided with another rock, she feared she would slip into darkness permanently.

I'm not... going to make it...

Her vision was starting to get blurry, her head starting to be filled with silence. Her body stopped showing any signs of movement, sinking her into the dark surface. She couldn't bear the continuous waves of pain any longer. Her vision started fading into black.

Natsu... please... save me...

Before her vision caved in, she caught a glimpse of a faint outline of a hand reaching out to her through the surface.