The Shadow Boy and the City of Glass

Blood Red Sky

The crimson light from the dome flooded the safe house, turning my uncle's face into a mask of cruel satisfaction.

The final phase has started, Marcus said, his voice dripping with arrogance as he looked up from the floor. You can beat me up all you want, Arthur, but you cannot stop what is coming. The central tower is already open, and your sister is finishing the work your father started.

I kept my hand pressed against his collar, the dark shadows coiling tighter around my fingers. For a second, I wanted to let the cold rage take over and end everything right there. But the red light outside grew brighter, casting long, bloody reflections across the walls, reminding me that thousands of people were trapped under the shield with us.

Evelyn did not hesitate. She reached down, grabbed Marcus by the arm, and pulled him hard to his feet. Without a single word, she drove the heavy butt of her electric pistol squarely into the side of his head. Marcus went limp instantly, dropping to the floor in a silent heap.

We do not have time to listen to him gloat, Evelyn said, her blue eyes flashing with urgency as she turned toward me. The dome turned red. That means the council just bypassed the safety protocols. If we do not get to the central tower right now, the entire city will collapse.

He said Elena is already there, I answered, my chest tightening with a deep, sharp pain. Every memory of taking care of her in the hospital felt like a joke designed to keep me blind. But she was still my sister, even if she was being used as a living weapon. "We have to move.

We did not waste another second. We ran out the back exit of the safe house, leaving the unconscious guards and Marcus behind in the dark rooms.

Outside, the streets of New York looked like a nightmare. The sky above was no longer normal; it was a swirling mass of deep crimson energy that pulsed in time with a low, heavy heartbeat felt right inside our chests. Sirens wailed in the distance, but they were cut short as blocks of the city lost all power.

The normal people, the ones who did not know about magic, the council, or the hidden monsters, were panicking. People ran down the sidewalks, shouting and trying to find shelter beneath the tall glass buildings that now looked like giant prison bars.

Evelyn led the way toward the subway entrance on the corner, her trench coat flying behind her.

The streets are blocked by council patrols, Evelyn said over the rising roar of the wind. "We take the old underground lines. They lead straight to the base of the central tower.

How do you know about the secret tunnels? I asked, dodging a fallen street sign as we ran.

Federal Magic Bureau files, Evelyn replied without slowing down. I spent three years tracking the council's illegal transport routes before they shut my department down. Trust me, it is the only way we get inside without walking into an army.

We reached the subway stairs and hurried down into the dark, damp station below. The air down here smelled of old dust and stagnant water. The emergency lights flickered with a weak, dying yellow glow, casting long, twisted shadows across the concrete tracks.

As we moved deeper into the tunnel, the ground beneath our feet began to vibrate again. This time, the shaking was stronger, making loose gravel bounce off the rails.

Look, I said, pointing ahead into the darkness.

A hundred feet down the tracks, a massive steel security gate had been ripped completely off its hinges. The thick metal bars were twisted like paper, and deep claw marks gouged into the stone walls around the opening.

Evelyn stopped, her hand flying to her pocket as blue sparks of electricity danced across her knuckles. She looked at the destroyed gate with a grim expression.

That was not done by a normal shadow monster, Evelyn whispered. "The council uses heavy breach magic for those gates.

Or something else let itself out, I replied, raising my hand. Dark shadow energy and freezing frost pooled in my palm, shedding a cold, pale light in the dark tunnel.

We crept forward slowly, keeping our backs to the slimy concrete wall. Every step we took brought us closer to the opening of the inner sanctum. The low heartbeat sound grew louder, shaking the air in our lungs until it felt hard to breathe.

When we reached the broken gate, I peered cautiously around the edge of the stone pillar.

The underground station opened into a massive hidden chamber directly beneath the central tower. In the center of the room stood a towering stone platform covered in glowing runes that pulsed with the same blood-red light as the dome above.

And standing right in the middle of the platform was Elena.

She wore her hospital gown, but her hair floated around her face as if caught in a fierce wind. Her eyes burned with a bright, solid violet light, and her hands were raised toward the ceiling where a massive energy beam connected her directly to the core of the city.

Surrounding the platform were a dozen council enforcers in black tactical gear, kneeling on the ground in total silence, watching her with looks of pure worship.

She is drawing power from the entire grid, Evelyn whispered, her voice tight with fear. If she reaches full capacity, the seal will break and the monster underneath the city will wake up.

I stepped through the broken gate, ignoring the danger, my eyes locked on my sister.

Elena! I shouted over the hum of the magic grid.

Elena stopped. Slowly, she lowered her hands and turned her head to look down from the platform. Her violet eyes fixed on me, completely cold and empty of any warmth.

You are late, Arthur, Elena spoke, her voice echoing through the massive chamber like thunder. The shield is locked. You cannot save anyone now.

Before I could take another step forward, the shadows behind us in the dark tunnel shifted. A low, wet growl echoed from the way we had just come, blocking our only exit.

Evelyn spun around instantly, her lightning flaring bright in the dark.

From the ceiling of the tunnel, a dozen glowing red eyes opened in the darkness, looking straight at us with hunger.