The Shadow Boy and the City of Glass

The Dragon of the Core

The ground split open with a deafening roar, and a giant shadow dragon pulled itself out from the deep earth.

Its dark scales looked like thick sheets of iron, and smoke poured from its open mouth, filling the underground chamber with a heavy, choking heat. The creature spread its massive wings, brushing against the stone walls and sending heavy chunks of rock raining down around us.

I stood frozen for a single second, my boots glued to the dusty floor. The monster was bigger than any building I had ever seen, and the pure power radiating from its body made the air feel heavy like lead.

Arthur, move! Evelyn shouted, grabbing my arm and pulling me hard out of the way just as a massive tail swept across the space where we stood.

The tail slammed into the stone wall with a brutal crash, turning the rock into fine powder. Evelyn stumbled and caught herself against a fallen pillar, wincing as she pressed a hand against her injured shoulder. Her face was pale, but her blue eyes stayed sharp and fixed on the beast.

We cannot fight that thing with ice and shadows, Evelyn said, her voice strained as she scanned the room. "The dragon is tied directly to the core. As long as Elena is standing on that platform feeding it power, it is invincible.

I looked up toward the center of the chamber.

Elena stood tall amidst the swirling red and violet light, her arms raised high toward the ceiling. Her violet eyes shone like twin stars, completely empty of any human emotion. She was not my little sister anymore. She was the key holding open the cage that trapped all of New York City.

I have to get up to that platform, I said, my voice dropping into a hard, cold tone.

You will never make it, Evelyn replied, shaking her head. The dragon is guarding the base. If you try to run across that open floor, it will turn you into ash before you take three steps.

Then I will not run across it, I answered.

I raised both hands, letting dark shadow energy pool around my fingers while the air around my boots turned freezing cold. I did not wait for Evelyn to argue. I sprinted toward the edge of the stone platform, keeping my body low to the ground.

The shadow dragon whipped its massive head around the second I moved. It let out a piercing screech that vibrated in my teeth and opened its jaws, unleashing a torrent of black fire straight at my path.

The flames raced across the floor, burning away the stone and turning everything in their path into glowing embers.

I threw my hands forward, building a thick wall of solid ice right in front of me. The fire hit the ice wall instantly, creating a towering wall of boiling steam that blinded me with white fog. The heat was so intense that my suit jacket scorched, and the barrier began to melt down into water within seconds.

Using the steam as cover, I leaped forward off a broken pillar, letting the shadow energy lift my weight as I scrambled up the side of the stone platform.

The dragon swung its massive claw, aiming to swipe me right out of the air.

I snapped my fingers, sending a sharp spike of dark ice directly into the joint of its front leg. The creature roared in pain, its claw missing my back by less than an inch as I hit the top of the platform and rolled across the stone.

I scrambled to my feet, shaking the dust from my shoulders, and stepped right in front of Elena.

She did not flinch. She slowly lowered her hands, turning her glowing violet eyes to look down at me.

You are very stubborn, Arthur, Elena spoke, her double voice echoing in my ears like thunder. Just like the program designed you to be. But a shield cannot stop a storm.

You are not the storm, Elena, I said, my chest heaving as I raised my hands. Dark shadows and sharp frost danced across my fingers. "You are just a cage. And I am breaking you out.

Before Elena could raise her hands to strike, I rushed forward and tackled her hard to the side, knocking her away from the central core pillar.

The moment Elena broke contact with the runes, the massive red beam connecting her to the ceiling flickered and died. The shadow dragon let out a loud, pained screech, its massive body shaking violently as the extra power cut off.

Evelyn, seeing her chance from down below, picked up a discarded energy sword from a fallen guard. She channeled all her remaining electrical power into the weapon, glowing bright yellow, and threw the sword straight into the dragon's chest.

The blade sank deep into the beast's heart. A blinding flash of yellow lightning erupted from the inside out, shattering the dragon's dark scales into a million pieces of black smoke that vanished into the air.

The chamber went dead silent, save for the heavy sound of our breathing.

Elena lay on the stone floor near the edge of the platform. The bright violet light in her eyes flickered out, and she let out a soft gasp as her normal color returned to her skin. She blinked twice, looking up at me with wide, confused eyes.

Arthur? she whispered, her voice sounding small and fragile, the real voice of my little sister. What... what is happening? Where are we?

I knelt beside her, a wave of relief washing over me, though my guard remained fully up. You are safe, Elena. I got you.

Before she could answer, the floor beneath us tilted violently to the left.

The massive red dome outside the tower did not just fade away; it cracked right down the middle like a broken eggshell. A blinding flash of pure white light filled the entire underground room, so bright that I had to shield my eyes with my arm.

Through the white light, a tall figure stepped out from the shadows near the back of the chamber.

He wore a long dark coat, and his face was hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat, but the silver ring on his right hand flashed with the crest of the council's inner circle.

You ruined three years of careful planning, boy, a smooth, cold voice echoed through the room. And now, the real trial begins.