The Shadow Boy and the City of Glass

The Shadow of the Beast

The massive creature landed on the stone floor with a heavy crash that knocked the breath straight out of my lungs.

It stood taller than three grown men, with skin the color of old ash and a body shaped like a giant wolf made entirely of smoke and bone. Dozens of glowing red eyes covered its head, shifting and blinking in every direction at once. It did not have a mouth, but a deep, heavy roar came from inside its chest, shaking the heavy iron chains that held us to the floor.

That is a core beast, Evelyn said, her voice tight and strained as she pulled against the magic-sealed steel bars wrapped around her arms. "The council uses them to guard the deep vaults. If it attacks while we are locked in these chains, we are dead.

I am not planning on staying in these chains, I said.

I looked up at the platform where Elena stood. She held her hands out toward the creature, guiding its movements with the violet light shining in her eyes. She did not look at me like a brother anymore. She looked at me like a tool that had served its purpose and needed to be thrown into the fire.

Burn them, Elena said. Her voice echoed off the damp stone walls, cold and distant.

The beast turned its cluster of red eyes toward us. It lowered its massive head and charged across the stone floor with terrifying speed, its sharp claws scraping against the ground.

Arthur, break the lock! Evelyn shouted, sending a wild bolt of lightning from her fingers straight into the iron bars holding her. The electricity splashed harmlessly off the magic metal, but the bright flash made the beast swerve slightly to the left.

I did not waste a single second. I stopped fighting the iron chains with my hands and closed my eyes, focusing all my anger, my pain, and the bitter truth of my fake life into one single point inside my chest.

Uncle Marcus said I was built in a lab. He said my powers were manufactured just to keep a monster asleep. If that was true, then I was going to use those exact powers to tear their whole world down.

I opened my eyes. Black shadow energy exploded from my skin, and the air around us turned freezing cold. Instead of pulling away from the chains, I pushed my power directly into the iron.

Freezing frost raced down my arms and coated the heavy steel links. At the same time, dark shadows twisted inside the metal like sharp teeth, biting into the magic seals that held the lock together.

Crack.

The magic seal shattered with a loud pop. The iron bars snapped open, freeing my arms just as the beast reached us.

Move! I yelled, grabbing Evelyn by the arm and yanking her hard to the side.

The beast slammed its massive paw into the exact spot where we had been standing a second before. The stone floor pulverized into fine dust under the impact.

Evelyn hit the ground rolling, but she was back on her feet instantly. She raised her electric pistol and fired three rapid shots into the side of the creature's head. Bright yellow sparks bit into the ash-colored skin, causing the monster to screech and whip its tail around.

The heavy tail struck Evelyn across the shoulder, sending her crashing into the stone wall. She gasped for air, dropping her weapon as she slid down to the floor.

Evelyn!" I called out, my heart jumping into my throat.

The beast turned its dozens of red eyes back toward me, opening its chest as a ball of dark red fire began to form inside its body. It was getting ready to blast me into ash.

I did not run. I stepped forward, raising both hands as high as they could go.

I pulled every ounce of shadow and ice power I had ever kept hidden, letting the cold dark energy wrap around my arms like armor. When the beast unleashed its ball of fire, I threw my hands out and met the blast head-on.

The fire hit my shield with a blinding explosion. The heat pushed me backward, my boots sliding across the stone floor, leaving deep skid marks in the dust. My arms shook under the weight of the attack, and the skin on my face felt like it was burning.

You are just a decoy! Elena called down from the platform, her voice rising above the roar of the fire. You cannot beat the core!

Maybe I am a decoy, I shouted back, gritting my teeth as I pushed all my remaining strength into the shield. But I am done playing your game!

With a loud roar of my own, I pushed my hands forward and released the stored ice power all at once. A massive wave of freezing wind shot from my palms, freezing the beast's fire in mid-air and spreading rapidly up its front legs.

The monster shrieked as thick layers of ice covered its body, turning it into a giant frozen statue in less than three seconds.

I stood panting, my chest heaving for air, my hands trembling from the strain. The beast was trapped in ice, but the red runes on the platform were glowing brighter than ever.

I turned around and ran to where Evelyn was sitting against the wall, holding her shoulder with a grimace on her face.

Are you okay? I asked, kneeling beside her.

I have felt better, Evelyn muttered, wincing as she moved her arm. She looked past me toward the platform. The beast was just a distraction. Look at the core.

I turned my head.

The massive stone platform where Elena stood had split open down the middle. A bright column of red and violet light shot straight up through the ceiling, tearing a hole in the roof that led all the way to the surface of the city.

And from inside the glowing light, a pair of enormous, scaled hands grabbed the edges of the stone platform, pulling a massive shadow dragon out from the dark earth below.