Eventually the tunnel curved and leveled off. As I walked along it I felt a growing urge to turn back, but I pressed on until I came out into a wider space I couldn't immediately identify.
Like the fog enshrouding my homeland, the mana here was dense and disorienting. A thick burning mist swirled throughout the space, irritating the open wounds on my arm and back.
Not far from the opening, five young dragons in their human form lay unconscious. The same five that climbed up before Lila.
Fierce rumbling and the clash of spells told me someone was fighting nearby, but I couldn't tell from which direction or how far away the commotion was.
The cavernous space looked like a giant sphere with tunnels branching away all along the outer surface. I moved toward one of them. Following my instincts to reach a less mana dense zone, I almost entered the tunnel.
Then I realized, this space was likely designed to lead away from the gem. If I wanted to reach it, I needed to go deeper into the mist.
As I pressed into the dense mana, visibility was reduced until I could no longer see my hand in front of my face. It felt as if I lost all physical form, though I knew I hadn't. I continued pressing on, forcing myself to keep moving against an overwhelming current of mana that seemed intent on sending me back the way I came.
Crushing pressure threatened to force me back, but I kept going until finally I reached a film-like barrier. Pressing lightly against it, I passed through easily and fell into another chamber. This place was peaceful—full of mana, but calm and soothing.
My skin itched with a gentle tingle as my wounds begun mending themselves.There was no mist here, just one big open area.
In front of me, Lila stood beneath a floating gem, her hand outstretched toward it. Borin was down on a knee with a claw clutching at his right eye.
The contrast between them couldn't have been greater. Lila appeared completely uninjured. Her white gown was still clean and she was breathing comfortably. There was some blood on her claws, and around her mouth, but I felt confident that it was from Borin. Blood covered his arms and torso, but aside from his bleeding eye, he only had a few scrapes that were closing quickly.
Both dragons were half transformed, wings and claws out, but otherwise appearing human save for their horns which were always present.
Both seemed startled by my appearance, Lila looked at me wide-eyed, then her expression went deadpan.
Borin glared at me bitterly with his one good eye.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Lila roared. "I told you to leave!"
My mind went blank, I wasn't sure what to say. I should've realized Lila was after the gem herself, I couldn't be sure of her aim, but likely it was to protect her sister.
Something flickered at the corner of my vision. Borin zoomed toward Lila. "Watch out!" I screamed, but too late.
Borin grabbed her wing with one hand and twisted his other arm around her waist and dug his claws into her belly.
She groaned painfully as she struggled to get free. Viciously, he bit at the place where her wing met her back and tore it free.
Lila roared in pain as Borin spun and hurled her out of the peaceful zone into the wrathful mana zone.
The black dragon turned back to face me, licking blood from the corner of his mouth. "Thanks for the distraction, vul-aé. Now watch as I take away any hope you had of a happy ever after."
It was now or never. Borin reached toward the floating gem and I activated the magic Zolmann taught me. I formed the mana tether quickly, extending it toward him, as he gripped the gem in his claws.
A victorious grin crept across his face as both the peaceful and wrathful mana zones immediately deactivated. He had the gem, but that didn't mean I couldn't take it from him.
My tether slipped around his mana core and tightened in place. I was nearly drained of mana just from making the tether, but now that I had him, there was only one way our fight could end.
His injured eye stopped healing, the cuts on his chest and arms as well. My injuries on the other hand, healed more rapidly.
Borin looked at his arms and went to touch his eye, but stopped short. "What the hell…"
Borin's smile faded, replaced by a slight frown and worry lines. I could both see and feel him trying to draw in mana. He squinted as he looked closely at one of his injuries. All he would see is a lack of mana. My tether prevented him from using any magic.
His anxiety grew into obvious panic as I pushed myself up off the floor and drew away more of his mana.
"THANE VEN TUK" he roared.
I had no idea what he was trying to say, but I didn't care. Using his own mana against him, I swung my arm to send a wind blade cutting at his chest.
As he went to dodge, I turned the earth beneath him to mud then hardened it around his feet. He could only twist to avoid the sharp wind, in the process he sacrificed both wings.
He clamped his mouth shut, letting out a muted groan as tears dropped from his eyes.
Borin tried to retaliate with some spell, opening his mouth and extending his head toward me. I assumed he was trying for a breath attack, but as soon as the mana exited his core, it flowed into my feather instead of flowing out into his mana veins.
Mana surged into my core, fueling a wave of flame that poured from my palm and raced toward him. I should've just used a fireball because the flames spread out, but I was using too much mana and it was clear I'd run out before they reached him. I cut the spell off and let the fire die.
"WHAT IS THIS!" He roared, glaring at me defiantly. "Why can't I use magic?"
I didn't answer, but took a step toward him and flung another wind blade.
Breaking free of the thin stone encasing his feet, Borin leapt into the air. He easily cleared my wind blade and was poised to strike me with his claws upon landing.
Years if MMA and karate made reading his movements easy—even if they weren't exactly what I was used to. I dodged with minimal movement letting him swing at me three times before cladding my fist in mana and iron punching his still bleeding eye.
With a scream, Borin dropped to the ground, rolling away to avoid further injury.
"How dare you, little insect!" he snarled.
I smiled grimly at him.
His form became unstable, his body twitching oddly as scales appeared then disappeared and his clothes blinked in and out of existence. He must've been trying to transform, but again my tether prevented his magic from fully activating.
"Give me the gem," I said calmly.
Borin glared at me, then glanced toward the nearest exit tunnel.
"Don't do it," I said, struggling to hold back my excitement and hoping he wouldn't head my warning.
He didn't.
I didn't bother stopping him, instead I watched and waited patiently as he tried to escape. He reached the mouth of the tunnel before stopping dead in his tracks. I could only imagine the pain strangling his core as my tether pulled tighter and tighter.
I couldn't hold back any longer. Taking a step backwards I laughed as he hollered a harrowing scream. With another step, I felt his core crack and he fell back twitching in agony.
"Alright," I said, now done playing games. "Give. Me. The. Gem."
Borin was completely silent as I crossed the distance between us. Drawing closer I realized he still looked defiant. It seemed he couldn't move, but his face was tuned up, glaring at the stone above.
"You've lost Borin, just hand it over."
He refused so I iron punched his chest, pressing him to the ground and sending cracks across the floor.
"The gem," I commanded, extending my hand.
Again Borin shook his head.
Three iron punches later, he finally fell unconscious and I grabbed the gem from his clenched claw myself.
I severed the tether, assuming he'd recover eventually. I didn't plan to be here when that happened.
I found Lila lying on the ground, bleeding and not healing. I wasn't sure why, but I channeled mana into her wound. I wasn't able to regrow a wing, but I could close the injury and stop the bleeding.
Her breathing stabilized and she frowned, biting her lip as she squeezed her eyes shut. Opening them again, she began, "How did you…" then she trailed off.
"An old mage taught me." I answered with an extended hand to help her up.
She stared at my hand for a second then reached for it with shaky fingers. Her grasp was weak at first, then she gripped my wrist with surprising strength, pulling herself up onto her feet.
"Thank you Silv, but you should've listened to my warning…we had a plan, you know."
I shook my head. "Lumia never told me. She probably knew I'd have done the same anyway. I didn't want to just sit by and leave everything to her."
Lila nodded. We shared a gaze of understanding and sorrow. Then we headed out of the chamber.
Rumbling shook the entire mountain, rocking Lila and I into the rock wall. The wall gave way; stone pulled apart and the cavern floor split beneath us. We fell into another chamber, a space mostly filled with lava.
We landed on a circular platform in the middle of a lava lake. The hot liquid popped and splattered about, splashing onto the edges of the stone that seemed to be sinking.
A series of crashes—both above and below—shook the chamber. It was clear this space wouldn't last and I didn't want to meet my end in lava. Several holes opened in the walls around the space, some dipping low enough that molten liquid drained into them.
The platform we stood split into multiple parts, pulling us apart. Then my side started to sink into the lava, as Lila's was elevated and tilted further. An enormous slab of rock fell from the ceiling, splashing into the lava a few yards from us. I shuddered as it sent the liquid flying.
My part of the platform continued to sink and Lila's had tilted at least seventy degrees, she was starting to slide down and soon it would fall entirely into the lava. A third part of the platform, one that was now in front and between both of ours, did just that.
It crashed through the wall and opened a path back to the heart chamber. Exchanging a glance, we both leapt onto it and raced through the opening. It was a long drop down, but jumping down here was better than melting in a pit of lava. We jumped as the makeshift bridge sank and crumbled beneath us.
The fall was long but brief. We plunged into a lake, sinking far under the surface then got sucked into a whirlpool.
The water was draining through a huge hole that was getting wider by the second. Through it, we were ejected out into a dark chamber, but our feet landed on unstable ground. In the next instant, the whole room brightened as large stones rained down and crashed through the floor. The walls fell away and for a brief moment, time slowed.
The floor collapsed completely. Before I could take a step, or reach for Lila's hand, we were in a free fall.
I took in the scene in disbelief as I witnessed the entire mountain crumbling like sand above me.
I lost track of Lila, distracted by the massive stone dragon, as it fell in thousands of tiny pieces.
The floating rivers rippled then let their waters rain down, dropping the many fish and other marine creatures inhabiting them.
I wondered if this was all because I took them gem, but that didn't make much sense. There must have been something else, something I missed.
I put the thought aside, realizing I had bigger things to worry about. I was falling free among boulders, most at least three times my size. If I were a dragon, I could simply transform and fly away, but I wasn't. I thought of Lumia, wondering if she was safe.
Then I thought of Lila. As other dragons were flying away from the wreck, she wouldn't be able to. Borin had taken one of her wings. There was some comfort in knowing he wouldn't be flying anywhere either, but wasn't going to save Lila.
I maneuvered clear of one boulder, and destroyed another with a fireball just before it hit me. It bust into a spray of small sediments, forcing me to turn toward the ground. It was then that the reality of my situation really set in. I was falling headfirst toward the tundra at least a hundred thousand feet below.
My stomach lurched and I squeezed my eyes shut tight.
The wind whipping past my ears was deafening as I plummeted toward the unforgiving surface, then my stomach flipped again as something yanked me sideways and the direction of the wind changed.
I felt myself lifted up and there was gentle pressure around my body. My tattered shirt pulled tight around me and I heard a sound like powerful wings flapping.
Cautiously, I opened my eyes to see that I was no longer falling, instead Lumia held the back of my shirt in her claw, carrying me to safety as she swooped around debris.
"Lumia, your sister can't fly. She lost a wing." I called out, unsure if my bond could hear me over the noise of wind and crumbling stone.
Luma flew even faster, banking right around a boulder and heading straight for the center of the wreckage. I scanned around, but Lumia found Lila before I did.
Her speed increased as she dove after her sister. Lumia folded her wings and our speed increased until I thought my shirt would rip apart, leaving me to plummet again. Lumia caught her sister by her dress then navigated safely away from the falling rocks.
Once we were safe, she hovered in the air a moment looking toward the crumbling mountains. I sensed her sadness and regret at the destruction. The severity of her emotions overshadowed my own, bringing tears to my eyes as we turned away and drifted to the ground.