This cannot be how I die

As I plummeted through the sky, spinning wildly and with no control over my body, one singular thought dominated my mind: This cannot be how I die.

I hadn't gotten nearly enough time in this new life to die like this! It was cruel, too cruel. I'd just met Princess Xyra.

The Xyra Eldarion and that alone should have earned me more time! The universe owed me more! But no, here I was, plummeting toward certain death because some insane dragon woman thought this was an appropriate way to test me. 

"Elira, you absolute lunatic!" I screamed internally, the wind stealing the breath from my lungs before it could escape my mouth. "What kind of twisted mentor sends someone to a place like this with a dragon woman who thinks throwing people from the sky is a reasonable first lesson?!" 

I knew she was sadistic, but this was a new level of crazy. 

The ground was still impossibly far away, but I was falling fast. Too fast. I had no idea how high we were, but it felt like I'd been falling for an eternity.

Maybe I was trapped in some sort of magical limbo, destined to keep falling forever, never hitting the ground. Would that be worse than splattering on the ground? 

"Okay, Ren, calm down," I muttered to myself, even though no one could hear me but the wind rushing past. "There has to be something you can do. You have magic, right? Fire magic? Shouldn't that be kicking in right about now?"

Nothing. Not a spark. Not a flicker of flame to save me.

"Typical. The one time I actually need this stupid magic, and it does absolutely nothing! I swear, Elira and that dragon woman are laughing somewhere, plotting how to torment me even more." 

The ground was getting closer now. Panic set in fully, turning my stomach inside out. This is it. This is how it ends. I barely got to live this life.

Barely got to learn anything. Why didn't I read more books? Why didn't I make more friends? Why did I waste so much time worrying about what the princess thought of me?

Oh, Princess Xyra. I didn't even get to apologize for that ridiculous duel. She probably hates me for life now. I sighed internally.

Maybe in my next life, I'd be reincarnated into something less stressful. Like a houseplant. Or a very lazy cat. Something where I could nap all day and not have to worry about dragon women throwing me from ridiculous heights.

Just when I started mentally planning my next life's hobbies, I noticed the ground was rushing toward me faster than ever. Panic squeezed my chest. I had mere seconds before I became a human pancake. This is it. Goodbye, cruel world.

But just as I was bracing for impact, something unexpected happened.

A surge of heat exploded from within me. Red flames erupted from my body, swirling around me in a protective cocoon.

The heat was intense, but it didn't burn me. Instead, the flames cushioned my fall, slowing me down until I landed softly miraculously unharmed on the forest floor.

For a moment, I just lay there, staring up at the sky, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to escape my chest. I couldn't believe it. I was alive. I had survived.

I sat up slowly, staring at my hands. Red flames still flickered around my fingers, warm and vibrant, but they felt like they belonged to me, like they had been a part of me all along, just waiting for the right moment to appear. 

"I…I did it," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. I had somehow managed to survive this insane fall, and all thanks to some crazy fire magic that decided to show up at the very last second. I almost wanted to cry with relief.

But before I could fully process what had just happened, the dragon woman descended from the sky, her purple wings flaring as she landed effortlessly in front of me.

Her golden eyes gleamed with amusement, and she crossed her arms, looking down at me with a smirk.

"Red flames, huh?" she said, her voice rich with approval. "Well, it seems you're worth my training after all."

I stared at her, still catching my breath, unable to form coherent words. She just laughed, the sound sharp and predatory, like she enjoyed watching me squirm.

"Well, now that you've survived the easy part," she added, her smirk widening, "follow me."

Easy part? That was the easy part?!

She didn't wait for a response, turning on her heel and striding off into the dense forest. Her wings folded neatly behind her, vanishing as if they had never been there. I scrambled to my feet, still shaky from the fall, and hurried after her.

The forest was thick and chaotic, full of gnarled trees and vines that seemed to twist in every direction. The air was humid and heavy with the scent of moss and damp earth.

As we moved deeper into the forest, the atmosphere grew darker, the canopy above blocking out most of the light.

Strange sounds echoed around us growls, hisses, the occasional flap of wings none of it comforting. This place was alive in a way that felt dangerous, like the island itself was watching, waiting for a misstep.

I struggled to keep up with the dragon woman. She moved with an effortless grace, darting through the underbrush as if the chaotic landscape posed no challenge to her.

Meanwhile, I tripped over roots, stumbled into thorny bushes, and nearly face-planted into a tree more than once.

"Are you trying to get me killed again?" I muttered under my breath, swiping at a branch that nearly took my eye out. She didn't slow down or even acknowledge that I had spoken, which only added to my frustration.

As if the island wasn't dangerous enough, creatures started appearing out of the shadows. One moment, it was a snake the size of a tree, slithering through the undergrowth with scales that shimmered like oil in the dim light.

The next, it was a giant bird-like beast with feathers made of fire, watching us from the treetops with glowing red eyes.

And then there were the wolves. Not ordinary wolves, of course because that would have been too easy.

These were massive, black-furred beasts with eyes that glowed an eerie green and fangs as long as my forearm. They stalked us through the trees, their growls low and menacing, their eyes never leaving me. 

"Uh, we have company," I said nervously, glancing over my shoulder at the wolves. They were keeping their distance for now, but I didn't like the way they were watching us. Like they were waiting for something. 

The dragon woman didn't even look back. "If they attack, deal with them," she said flatly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"Sure, no problem," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "I'll just fight off a pack of giant magic wolves. Why not? I've already survived falling from the sky today."

I stumbled over another root and barely caught myself before falling face-first into the dirt. Meanwhile, the dragon woman was already several paces ahead, moving faster than any human should be able to. How was I supposed to keep up with her at this pace?

Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, we broke through the dense forest and into a small clearing.

At the center of the clearing stood a small house if you could even call it that. It was more of a stone cabin, built into the side of a rocky hill, with smoke curling lazily from the chimney. It looked old, weathered by time and the elements, but sturdy.

The dragon woman stopped in front of the house, finally turning to look at me with that same amused expression.

"Welcome to your new home," she said with a smirk. "You'll be staying here for the next two months."