Lord Volen stood on the floating red boulder. His white hair spiked up into the air like static electricity. His glowing blue eyes looked down at Han Feng. He pointed his crackling blue lightning spear directly at Han Feng’s chest. "You drink my dirt very greedily, little boy," Lord Volen boomed. The sound echoed off the high, dark walls of the canyon. "I am the master of the magnetic rocks. Who comes to steal the Canyon's heart?"Grim stepped forward. The heavy iron of his armor was pulling him down to the magnetic floor, but he refused to kneel. He gripped his heavy iron hunting knife. His scarred face was twisted in anger. "We are not thieves!" Grim yelled back. His loud voice bounced around the canyon walls. "The boy is dying. He needs the power of the earth to live. Let him take a little dirt, old man, or I will cut that floating rock out from under your feet!"Lord Volen laughed. It was a cold, sharp sound. "A man dressed in heavy iron threatens the master of magnets? How fool

"It burns! Sister Su Yan, the fire hurts!" Kael’s voice echoed down the tunnel, followed by terrible, agonizing sobbing. "Kael?" Su Yan whispered. Tears instantly flooded her eyes. "He... he survived the crash? He is in here?""Su Yan, wait!" Han Feng yelled. But Su Yan did not wait. The motherly instinct in her heart completely overrode her logic. She remembered the fifty children trapped on the falling mountain. The guilt of leaving them behind had been secretly eating her alive. She broke away from Han Feng and ran blindly down the dark tunnel to the right. "I am coming, Kael! Keep talking!""Su Yan, stop!" Han Feng shouted. He tried to chase her, but his new leg was stiff, and the wild energy in his veins made him clumsy. As Han Feng ran after her, the canyon shifted its attack to him. RUUUUUMBLE. The ground beneath Han Feng’s feet did not shake, but the sound in the air was so massive it made his teeth hurt. It was the deep, terrible groan of ancient rock splitting in half

The dark water of the underground pool rippled softly. Swoosh... swoosh... The giant green crystal, shaped like two massive human lungs, pulsed with a slow, steady light. It lit up the dark cavern, casting long, spooky shadows on the wet stone walls. But Han Feng, Su Yan, and Grim were not looking at the beautiful crystal. They were looking at the figure standing in front of it. The figure had risen from the black water. It was tall and thin. It wore a mask made of twisted, dark green seaweed and sharp white coral. In its hands, it held a long, deadly trident. The trident was made of solid, dark blue ice. White freezing mist fell from the sharp tips of the weapon. "Wait," Han Feng said. He held up his dark, scarred hands. "We are not enemies. I carry the Stone Heart. We are looking for the Ocean Lung."The figure in the coral mask did not speak. It did not lower the ice trident. Instead, the figure moved. It moved faster than a normal human. It darted across the surface of the da

A few hours later, Su Yan slowly opened her eyes. She groaned softly. Her mouth was dry. She reached down to touch her side. She expected to feel wet blood and terrible, freezing pain. Instead, she felt smooth, warm metal. She looked down. She saw the silver scar. She remembered the blinding heat and Han Feng’s terrible scream. "You are awake," a deep voice said. Su Yan turned her head. Grim was sitting near her. He looked very tired. "Where is Han Feng?" Su Yan asked immediately. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her side ached, but it did not bleed. "I am here," Han Feng said. He stepped out of the deep shadows of the cave. He walked slowly. He kept his right hand hidden behind his back. "You saved me," Su Yan said. She smiled at him. Her eyes were full of deep gratitude. "Thank you, Han Feng.""Do not thank me," Han Feng said. His voice was very serious. It was cold. Su Yan’s smile faded. "What is wrong?"Han Feng stopped a few feet away from them. He looked at

"Grim, no!" Han Feng shouted. A Sound-Eater lunged at the giant gladiator. Its giant, toothless mouth opened wide. Grim swung a massive right hook. His iron fist hit the creature right in the center of its pale face. But there was no crunch of bone. There was no thud. The creature's skin was spongy and soft. It absorbed the entire kinetic force of Grim’s punch. The creature swallowed the kinetic energy of the hit, digesting the power instantly. The monster’s skin glowed brighter. The creature did not even flinch. It swung its long, skinny arm. The sharp hook on its hand slashed across Grim’s chest plate. SCREEECH! The hook tore through the thick iron armor like paper. It sliced into Grim’s chest. Grim yelled in pain and fell backward into the dirt. Blood poured from a shallow cut on his chest. "They eat physical impact!" Han Feng yelled, pulling Grim up by his collar. "You cannot punch them! You make them stronger!""Then what do we do?!" Su Yan cried. "We have to use the Gho