Chapter 487: I’ll Take It All

Gill watched Wincent dissolve into dust. He let out a long breath, then let out a small, tired laugh.

"Haha... seems we were worried for nothing..."

But the laugh died in his throat.

Ignis suddenly dropped to one knee. Her whole body trembled violently, and the golden fire across her skin began to twist out of control. A raw, agonized scream tore from her throat.

"AAAGHHHGGG!!"

The fire spread. It exploded outward in every direction without control.

Garrick staggered back, fur-covered arms raised to shield his face from the searing air.

"This is bad! That dragon is going to burn everything around her! We have to stop her!"

Selena was already moving, but the fire was too fast. She shouted through the wave of heat.

"She can’t control her flames!"

The fire crawled. It spread across the rubble, the stone, the air itself. And then it reached the bodies of Azrynn and Alice, still lying unconscious at the bottom of the crater.

The flames began to consume them.

Then the sky split open.

Adam descended from above, wings spread wide, cutting through the wave of heat like it was nothing. He landed in the middle of the inferno, and in one swift motion, he scooped up both Alice and Azrynn from the ground.

He handed them off to Lilith, who was already waiting at the edge of the crater.

"I was gone for a moment," Adam said flatly, his eyes sweeping across the ruined city. "And the city’s already destroyed again. Guess I’m not as destructive as I thought."

Isolde, standing beside Lilith with one hand pressed against her wounded side, let out a sharp breath.

"Enough talking. Help Ignis. She’s losing control of her flames."

Adam handed the last of his burden to Lilith and stepped forward. The heat washed over him, intense enough to make the air shimmer, but he didn’t slow. His scales absorbed the warmth.

"Isolde," he said without turning. "Keep everyone back."

Isolde nodded once and raised her hand. A thin barrier of blood mist coiled around the group, a weak but necessary shield against the spreading heat.

Adam walked toward Ignis. The golden fire parted around him because his own aura pressed it back. He stopped a few paces away and crouched down to her level.

"Ignis."

She didn’t respond. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Her fingers dug into the melted stone, scraping, trembling.

Adam reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The fire flared. It surged up his arm, hot enough to blister steel, but Adam didn’t pull back. He held her steady, his voice low and calm.

"Hey. Look at me."

Slowly, her eyes shifted. The golden glow flickered, and for a moment, something vulnerable surfaced beneath the blaze. Her voice came out cracked, barely a whisper.

"Adam... I can’t... I can’t stop it..."

"Yes, you can."

She shook her head, tears hissing into steam before they could fall.

"I’m burning everything. I almost... I almost killed them... Alice... Azrynn... I almost..."

Adam’s grip tightened, he felt the pain in Ignis’s words and tried to calm her down.

"You didn’t do anything wrong, they’re alive, and you saved them"

Her breath came in ragged gasps, and she felt a sharp pain in her chest, then the fire trembled.

"I don’t know how to stop..."

Adam watched her calmly, then spoke in a casual, simple tone.

"You don’t stop fire by fighting it. You stop it by giving it somewhere to go."

He released her shoulder and stood. He spread his arms wide, his wings unfurling behind him.

"Give it to me."

Ignis stared up at him, her eyes widening, because what he said made no sense, her fire was too dangerous, it could erase anything in an instant, and she didn’t want him to be hurt by it.

"What...?"

"Give me all of it, the fire, the rage, the pain, I’ll take it from you."

She hesitated. The flames around her surged, then pulled back, as if uncertain.

"I’ll hurt you..."

Adam let out a quiet laugh, because he didn’t want Ignis to bear that burden herself.

"You think you’re the first thing that’s tried to burn me alive?"

He took a step closer, his voice dropping.

"Trust me."

For a long moment, Ignis didn’t move. The fire roared around her, wild and uncontrollable. Then, slowly, she reached out and placed her hand in his.

The golden fire surged.

It poured from her body into his, a torrent of heat and light that should have turned him to ash.

Adam’s body trembled. The golden fire was spreading faster than his regeneration could keep up. Scales blackened and cracked along his arms, hissing as new flesh tried to knit itself back together only to burn again. His veins glowed gold beneath his skin, pulsing with a heat that was slowly consuming him from the inside.

He gritted his teeth. A thin trail of smoke curled from the corner of his mouth.

’Shit... this is hotter than I thought.’

Ignis’s eyes fluttered open. Her vision was blurred, but she could see him standing there, holding her fire, his body burning... for her.

"Adam...!"

Adam forced his expression to stay calm. He wouldn’t let her see the pain.

"It’s fine. Leave it to me, Ignis."

But she saw. She saw the scales peeling off his arms. She saw the smoke rising from his shoulders. She saw the way his hands trembled as he held the fire that was meant for her.

Tears welled in her eyes, hissing into steam before they could fall.

"But... but... I always burden you all..." Her voice cracked. "I’m a dragon... and I can’t even do anything... I’m useless..."

Adam’s chest tightened. Not from the pain, but from her words that sank deep into his heart.

He took a step closer, the fire still raging around them, his hands now fully engulfed in golden flame. His regeneration fought desperately to keep up, new scales forming and burning away in the same breath.

He reached out and placed a burning hand on her cheek.

"You’re not useless."

His voice was low, steady, cutting through the roar of the flames.

"You saved Alice and Azrynn. You stopped the one who hurt them." His thumb brushed a streak of soot from her face, his own skin cracking as he did. "You’re not a burden. You’re one of us."

Ignis stared at him, her lips trembling.

"But I—"

"I don’t want to hear it."

Adam’s knees buckled for just a moment. He caught himself, forcing his body to stay upright. The fire was eating through him faster now. His regeneration was slowing. But he didn’t let go of her.

"I’m your mate, remember?" He managed a faint, pained smile. "So let me carry this for you."

Ignis’s breath hitched. The golden fire around her flickered, then began to dim, drawn toward Adam like a tide pulled by the moon. She watched his body burn, watched his scales turn to ash and reform, watched him stand there and take what should have killed him.

And she cried.

"Adam... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry..."

Adam could only smile. Then he just held her, his burning arms wrapped around her trembling form, and let the fire consume him.