The dining room was completely empty by the time I reached it, and the sight of the vacant chairs only increased my anxiety.
Where was everyone?
I had no choice but to race outside. I ran through the archway that led to the parlor. Something was wrong, I felt that deep in my bones. By now, I was sure that I'd heard correctly. That was my father I heard, and everyone probably ran out after him to figure out what was wrong.
I was the last one to go because I'd allowed myself to get distracted.
The first thing I saw when I looked out the open doors was a fire burning brightly where the fountain and surroundings statues stood. Everything was now burning, and although it always was, there was something strange about this fire. It seemed...cold.
Could such a thing exist? Cold fire?
These odd flames danced along the edge of the yard, licking at the firestone walls and causing them to crumble. This sight terrified me more than anything I'd ever seen before. Made me cold.
This was no ordinary fire. Fire couldn't break firestone.
I frowned. What the hell was going on?
I looked around the burning, crumbling mess for my family. My mind was racing. Where did this strange fire come from? I didn't see anyone but I could still hear the roars. At this point, I had no idea what was happening. All I knew was that I had to break this senseless trance and go looking for them.
Something terrible was happening.
I heard a scream, much like the one I'd heard earlier that made me feel unsettled. I realized that it was my sister's screams. I went running through the flames, as fast as I could, to get to where my sister was, ignoring the way my body seemed to react to this fire. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. Goosebumps formed all over my body.
When was the last time I'd shivered like this?
Never.
I spotted her on the other side of the house, right next to the Edge. My eyes bulged as I took in the horrifying scene before me. My steps slowed. My father was in his Dragon form, and he roared so loudly that it felt like my ears would burst. He was chained, and although the chains were glowing, the color was off. They glowed blue, not red. The chains seemed to be getting tighter and tighter around his body as if by magic. Nobody was holding them. Yet, they squeezed and squeezed.
I couldn't see my mother, but Raquel was screaming still, being forced to her knees by a cloaked figure. I saw her puffed face. Her eyes were defiant as she glared at this creature hovering above the ground. Her hands were also bound with the same chains, and the material of her dress was crumbling where the chain touched it, forming holes in the material.
I took all of this in numbly. How many seconds had passed? Five? Ten? Wrapping my head around all of this was impossible.
What even was this thing?
My body reacted before my mind could. I raced toward the figure, jaw clenched and fists fucking ready. It turned its dark head toward me leisurely—I couldn't see a face, only eyes which glowed unnaturally—and then raised a clawed hand.
I slammed into an invisible wall. It was like colliding with a wall made of iron.
I heard Raquel screaming my name as I fell backward, head spinning. For a moment, the world around me blurred and went silent. I looked up, blood gushing down my nose, so thick and hot that I could feel it turning my skin pink. I could even taste it in my mouth.
I made eye contact with the creature who'd invaded my home and brought my family, the powerful Dragors of Etros, to their knees.
"Silly, silly boy," it said condescendingly, but in my head. Not out loud. I couldn't see a mouth. I could barely see anything but those strange eyes. "You are no match against me, Dragor. Try, why won't you? Give me a reason to break you apart. I have been waiting years for this moment."
I looked down. Raquel was shaking, and tears were cascading down her face. I'd never seen her cry before—she had always been the epitome of strength and resilience. We had our differences. She got on my nerves because we were very much alike, she and I. But watching her get on her knees in front of this monstrosity made my blood boil.
I glanced at my father. He was struggling against the chains and I felt his strength leaving his body just looking at him. The sounds he was making were dripping with despair and hopelessness. His roars were weak. He was dying.
It was then that I felt the cold penetrating my bones.
This creature was using the cold to subdue us. The glow in its eyes was similar to the glow of the fire all around us. Just then, this helplessness claimed me, digging into me with sharp claws. The cold was making me feel disoriented. What I wanted was to run to warmth and away from this nightmare. My survival instincts were kicking in, forcing me to think only of myself.
"Raphas!" Raquel screamed.
I made eye contact with her. The faceless creature seemed to be laughing at me. For a single moment, I became painfully aware of how cowardly my thoughts were. I was only thinking about myself even though my father was dying and my sister was tied up like game. I didn't even know where my mother was. Or my uncle. Or Rhada. Were they dead?
Did this creature kill them?
"You are no match for me," the faceless figure repeated. "I am a god. I have waited a long time for this moment."
My thoughts were still running wild. I couldn't run, though. I refused to do it. It didn't matter that the cold was getting to me. I had to fight through this.
Shifting was the only option I had left.
"Where's my family?" I asked with a trembling voice as I stood. I eyed it squarely, showing it that I didn't fear it even though I did. I'd never encountered anything like this in my life and the cold…I hadn't known what it was like to be cold.
Now I did.
"Leave now or you'll regret it!" I warned.
The creature laughed again, the sound grating on my nerves. "Dragon pride. There is nothing quite like it. You will learn."
I shifted before the chain he shot my way could touch me. I was a fast shifter, and that proved to be a great advantage today. I spat fire at it, rage consuming me. It blocked my fire swiftly, with a mere flick of its hand.
It said to me. "You beat me once. Not again."
Another chain was shot at me. They materialized from thin air, which made me wonder what creature I was dealing with here. It mentioned being a god. What god? The gods were all dead. Everyone knew that.
I beat my wings once, hovering above the ground. It missed me, and I spat even more fire, hoping to eliminate this cold fire somehow. It was working, but only somehow.
The creature laughed again. "You sent me to the cold pits of Etros not thinking I would return. Yet, I have. And now I have that which you do not. Everyone has a weakness. The cold was yours, but not mine."
I blew more fire at it. It merely laughed and evaded my attacks. Hopelessness swelled within me. I didn't even understand what this creature wanted, or what it even was.
I spared a single glance at Raquel. She fell over, and her lips were a dark shade of blue. No. I blew fire all around her, hoping to warm her sufficiently. She closed her eyes, shivering. The chains moved up her arm like serpents, almost like they were marking their territory.
This momentary distraction cost me, and before I knew it, something that burned like fire but hurt a thousand times more was wrapped around my throat. I growled, flames leaving my tongue and disappearing into the frigid air around us.
I fell to the ground, cracks forming concentric circles around me. The creature hovered above me, its arms raised triumphantly. "Behold, the last of the Dragors have been defeated!"
I glanced at my father and saw that his black scales had turned gray with the cold. His eyes were vacant. A howl of pain and despair left my lips.
My father was dead.
I attempted to rise, but the chain around my neck tightened significantly, cracking the scales around my neck and getting closer to the flesh.
This would kill me. I was certain of it.
"Herdeos has returned!" the creature announced. "He has returned! He will now rule Etros the way it should always have been!"
I looked at my sister next. Her eyes were wide and turning a pale color. Black veins covered the surface of her skin, skin that was once tanned with hot blood coursing beneath it.
Raquel. Dead. It couldn't be.
I tried to blow more fire at it, but I found that I had no more fire inside of me. It was like it had dried up. I coughed as the chains tightened.
I glared at the creature, whose back was facing me. I clenched my jaw, realization sinking in quickly, quicker than I could grasp it. I would die if I didn't act. And it would win.
I couldn't fathom that.
Shift. It was all I could do. Quickly, I was shifting back to my other form. The chain hit the ground with a thud, making a sound that reverberated through me. The creature turned its head and fixed me a look. It happened impossibly fast. It held out its hand, and it was like hitting that wall all over again.
It impeded my shifting. I'd only shifted halfway.
It clicked its horrid tongue. "You never learn, do you? Well, if that is the case, then I will gladly teach you the ways of the world, Dragor."
It curved its hand and I felt something inside of me snap. The pain was excruciating. I let out a piercing scream. It happened again, and again, and again, like my bones were breaking into tiny pieces.
"No more Dragon," it said.
I was being pulled apart, irreversibly stretched. In the very last moment before I lost consciousness, I became aware of what it was doing.
It was taking my Dragon. Ripping it from me like plucking the feathers from a Blacktail. I howled in pain as I sank to my knees, feeling inexplicably naked.
And then, it was finally over.
I looked up, the cold penetrating my bones. The creature raised its hand, and I felt myself rising. Hovering above the air. Only this time, I had no wings.
"Away with you," it simply said before throwing me into the crack, where I fell into the bottomless darkness for what felt like eons.