The day passed as if in a fever. Sylvana rushed through the house, packing things, artifacts, various scrolls and vials, stuffing them into bags and coat pockets with the focused speed of someone who had escaped danger at the last moment many times before. Lin helped her in silence, without unnecessary questions, and Nox could see the Abyss on her wrists pulsing faster and brighter, as if sensing the approach of something terrible and preparing for battle.
He himself stood by the window and looked out at the street. The sun slowly rolled toward sunset, painting the rooftops of the middle tier in crimson and gold, and in that light, everything seemed deceptively peaceful, calm, safe. But inside, where Shadow pulsed along his spine, the sensation of another's presence grew and swelled. It was no longer a distant echo, a vague remnant. It was here, in the city, and with every minute it drew closer. Slowly, unhurriedly, like a beast that knew its prey was not going anywhere and savored the last moments before the strike.
«Nox,» Sylvana called. He turned around. She stood in the middle of the room, already fully dressed for travel, and in her hands, she held something wrapped in dark cloth. «Come here. This is for you.»
He walked over. She unwrapped the cloth, revealing a belt. Wide, made of black leather, with many small pockets and fastenings, clearly very old but carefully preserved. The buckle was shaped like the same symbol he had seen on his father's pendant, the Shadow Dragon coiled in a ring, and a faint, barely perceptible warmth emanated from it.
«This is your father's belt,» Sylvana said. «He wore it his entire life, and it saved him in battle more than once. The pockets are enchanted: they hold more than they appear to, and what is inside neither rattles nor falls out, even if you turn head over heels. The weapon fastenings will adjust to any shape your Shadow takes. Put it on.»
Nox took the belt. The leather was soft and warm to the touch, like it was alive, and when he fastened it around his waist, he felt something inside him respond to that touch. Shadow stirred, reached toward the belt, recognizing it, claiming it as its own. He slipped his mother's dagger into one of the small pockets, and it disappeared inside, though the pocket seemed too small for such a blade. He drew it back out easily, in one motion. Convenient.
«Thank you,» he said.
«Do not thank me. It is yours by right. Now listen carefully. We need to reach the magic train alive. The Harbinger is already in the city, I can feel it as clearly as you can. It knows where we are, and it will not let us go easily. There will be a fight at the station. Possibly sooner. You must be ready.»
«I am ready.»
She looked at him with a long gaze, and in her violet eyes was something like regret. As if she wanted to say something more but hesitated.
«You are not ready,» she said finally. «But we have no choice. Lin, come here.»
Lin walked over, and Sylvana placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl stood straight, not trembling, and the Abyss on her wrists burned with a steady, calm light, like stars in the night sky.
«What I am about to say is important. Very important. You both need to know this, because it may save your lives. I will tell you about the gods. All of them, as I know them. About those who rule this world and who may stand on your side or against you.»
She sat at the table, gesturing for them to do the same. Nox and Lin sat across from her, and silence fell over the kitchen, broken only by the crackle of the magical lamp and the distant hum of the city beyond the window.
«There are more than a hundred gods,» Sylvana began. «Far more than ordinary people know. Most of them are forgotten, their names erased from the chronicles, their temples destroyed, their priests dead. But they have not disappeared. Gods do not die as long as even one living creature remembers them. They simply sleep. They withdraw into the depths of the world, into places where no mortal foot has trod, and they wait. Wait to be called upon again.»
She paused, gathering her thoughts, and continued.
«There are nine high gods. They are the strongest, the most ancient, and it is they who shape the destinies of this world. The Lord of Shadows, the true god of Shadow, imprisoned by the Moon Goddess in a place that is on no map. The God of Light, his eternal enemy, who once helped the Moon Goddess steal the Lord's divinity and now regrets it but is too proud to admit his mistake. The God of Blood, patron of all Blood bearers, my patron, who gave me power and in return demands a price I will not yet name. The God of the Abyss, father of the power that flows in you, Lin. He is neither good nor evil, he simply is, as the Abyss itself is, and he does not interfere in the affairs of mortals unless called upon directly. The God of Dragons, father of all dragonids, the oldest of the high gods, older than this world itself, according to legend. He sleeps deep beneath the earth, in halls carved into the world's heart, and his sleep is guarded by dragon spirits who once served him in life.»
Nox leaned forward.
«Dragon spirits? They exist?»
«They exist. When a dragon dies, its body returns to the earth, but its spirit, if it was strong enough, remains in the world. It can take any form but most often appears as the shadow of a dragon, huge and majestic. These spirits serve the God of Dragons and guard his sleep. But sometimes, very rarely, they come when called by those in whose veins dragon blood flows.»
«Like in our bloodline,» Nox said. «The Shadow Dragons.»
«Yes. Your bloodline once made an alliance with the dragonids. Not just an alliance, a mingling of blood. One of your ancestors, many generations ago, underwent a ritual that forever changed your blood. You carry within you a fragment of dragon essence. It sleeps, deep within, and may never awaken. But if it awakens…»
She did not finish. At that moment, the house shuddered.
Not from an explosion, not from a blow. It simply shuddered, as if something huge and invisible had passed through the walls, through stone and wood, through reality itself, and touched them all. Lin cried out, clutching her head. Nox jumped to his feet, and Shadow in his hand condensed into a sword before he could even think about it. Sylvana froze, her face white as chalk, and horror blazed in her violet eyes.
«He is here. Quickly. Go out the back.»
They rushed to the door. Nox grabbed Lin's hand, and they ran through the narrow alley, through the courtyards, through the labyrinth of middle tier streets that Nox now knew like the back of his hand. Sylvana ran ahead, clearing the way, and Blood pulsed in her hand, ready at any moment to become a weapon.
They almost reached the station. The lights of the magic train standing on the tracks were already visible, the hum of the crowd and the sound of signal horns already audible. Nox had begun to believe they would make it, that they would slip through, that the Harbinger would not catch them.
And then the street before them emptied.
Not in the sense that people ran away. They simply vanished. Just moments ago, passersby had been walking, hurrying about their business, laughing, talking, and suddenly, no one. Empty pavement, empty sidewalks, empty windows. And silence. A deep, unnatural silence in which not even the wind could be heard.
From the alley ahead, a figure emerged.
It was tall, taller than any person Nox had ever seen, but strangely stooped, as if its owner was used to moving through tight caves or underground passages. It wore no clothes, only skin, gray and smooth as a snake's, covered in tiny scales that glowed faintly in the darkness. Its face was human but distorted, as if drawn from memory with mistakes in the proportions. Its eyes burned with dark fire, neither pupils nor whites, only endless, all consuming Shadow. And it was smiling. Widely, almost good naturedly, but that smile made Nox's insides go cold.
«Children of Endragon,» the Harbinger said. Its voice was soft, insinuating, almost gentle, which made it even more terrifying. «How long I have searched for you. How long I have waited for this meeting. Little bearers of Shadow and the Abyss. How… delicious you look.»
Sylvana stepped forward, shielding them with her body. Blood boiled around her, rising into the air in hundreds of dark drops, ready at any moment to become needles, spears, blades.
«Harbinger,» she said, her voice firm, though Nox could feel how tense she was. «You will not have them. Leave.»
The creature turned its gaze to her, and its smile widened.
«The Blood witch. Sylvana. One of the seven. I have heard of you. You are strong, for a mortal. But not strong enough to stop me. Step aside, and I may spare your life. The Mistress values strong servants.»
«I do not serve the Moon Goddess.»
«Pity.» The Harbinger sighed, almost humanly. «Then you will die with them.»
It moved.
Nox did not see the movement. One moment, the Harbinger stood ten paces away, and the next, it was right beside them, its long, unnaturally flexible hand reaching for Sylvana's throat. She managed to recoil, and the Harbinger's claws sliced through the air where her neck had just been. The blood drops around her condensed and shot at the creature in dozens of needles, but they passed right through it as if through mist, causing no harm.
«Blood does not work against me, witch,» the Harbinger said. «I am not alive in the sense you understand life. I am Shadow that has taken form. Shadow cannot be wounded by blood. Shadow can only be wounded by Shadow.»
It turned to Nox, and its dark eyes flared with interest.
«But you, boy… you can. But do you have enough strength?»
Nox did not answer. He struck.
His Shadow sword sliced through the air, aiming for the Harbinger's neck, but the creature moved out of the line of attack with the same inhuman speed as before. Nox struck again, and again, and again, changing weapons after each strike, as Sylvana had taught him. Sword, spear, chain, battle axe, paired blades. Shadow flowed in his hands, obedient and fast, but the Harbinger evaded every strike without even straining. It was playing with him. Like a cat with a mouse.
«Not bad,» the creature said, dodging another strike. «For a boy who learned of his power only a few weeks ago. Your Shadow is strong, very strong. I can feel your father's blood in it. Bloodshadow. It sleeps within you, waiting for its time. A pity that time will never come.»
It stopped evading. It simply stood still, and when Nox struck again, his Shadow sword halted an inch from the gray skin, stopped by an invisible barrier. The Harbinger looked at the sword, then at Nox, and smiled.
«Enough. I have seen what I wanted. Now it is time to finish this.»
It waved its hand, and Nox was thrown back like a rag doll. He crashed into the wall of a building, the air left his lungs in a rasping exhale, and dark circles swam before his eyes. Shadow in his hand dissipated, unable to withstand the blow. He tried to get up, but his body would not obey.
And then Lin stepped forward.
She stood between her brother and the Harbinger, a small figure in a dark blue shirt, her light hair scattered over her shoulders. The Abyss on her wrists no longer burned with a steady light but with a furious, pulsing one, and waves of cold radiated from it in all directions, making frost form on the pavement.
«Step away from my brother,» she said. Her voice was quiet, but there was a ringing in it that Nox had never heard before. Not rage. Not fear. Something much deeper and more ancient. As if not only Lin were speaking, but the Abyss itself, awakened within her.
The Harbinger looked at her, and for the first time, something like interest flickered in its dark eyes. Real interest, not the lazy curiosity of a sated predator.
«The Abyss,» it said. «Pure, uncorrupted, wild Abyss. I have not seen such power since your mother died. You have no idea what you carry inside you, girl.»
«I do,» Lin answered. «And I will show you.»
She raised her hands, and the Abyss poured from them in a torrent.
It was not like what Nox had seen before. Not the careful, controlled streams she had learned to hold in the basement. Not the neat bracelets on her wrists. This was a true waterfall of Darkness, pure, all consuming Abyss that burst from her like a beast from a cage and rushed toward the Harbinger, devouring everything in its path. The stone of the pavement beneath her feet disappeared, turning into nothing. The air around her trembled and distorted, like over a scorching desert. And the cold, unbearable, bone piercing cold, spread in all directions, forcing even the Harbinger to step back.
«Impressive,» it said, and for the first time, something other than mockery sounded in its voice. «But not enough.»
It extended its hand, and Shadow poured from its palm. Not like Nox's Shadow, alive and obedient. Ancient, cold, hungry Shadow that had existed long before the first bearers appeared in this world. It met Lin's Abyss, and the two forces froze in a deadlock, unable to overcome each other. The street around them became a battlefield of two elements: Shadow and the Abyss intertwined, tore at each other, devoured and were reborn again, and in that chaos, there was no room for anything living.
Sylvana grabbed Nox and dragged him aside, under the cover of a wall. He still could not stand, but he did not lose consciousness and could see his sister, an eight year old girl, fighting an ancient creature on equal terms. Her face was pale, sweat streaming down it, but she stood. She held the Abyss that tore from her like a wild beast and directed it at her enemy.
«She will not last long,» Sylvana whispered. «The Abyss is too strong for her. She will burn herself out if she does not stop.»
«Help her,» Nox wheezed.
«I cannot. Blood is useless against the Harbinger. Only Shadow or the Abyss can wound it. And your Shadow… you are not ready yet.»
And at that moment, Nox felt it.
Something inside him. Deep, beneath Shadow, beneath everything he knew about himself. Something ancient, hot, powerful. It had slept, dormant for centuries, passed down from generation to generation, waiting for someone who could awaken it. And now, watching his sister dying to protect him, he reached for that feeling. He called to it.
And it answered.
The world around him disappeared. He found himself in a vast hall carved into rock, lit not by torches but by some inner, crimson light emanating from the walls. In the center of the hall, on a raised platform, lay a dragon. Huge, majestic, with scales shimmering dark silver, and eyes in which burned an ancient, all knowing fire. It looked at Nox, and in that gaze was everything: the wisdom of millennia, power capable of moving mountains, and boundless, infinite patience.
«I greet you, descendant,» the dragon said. Its voice was like thunder, like an earthquake, like the roar of ocean waves crashing against cliffs. «I greet you, Nox Endragon, last of the Shadow Dragon bloodline. I have waited for you for a very, very long time.»
Nox stood, unable to move, and stared at the creature that was older than the world itself. A dragon. A real, living dragon, or rather its spirit, but no less real for that.
«Who are you?» he asked.
«My name has long been forgotten by mortals. I was one of those who made an alliance with your ancestor, mingling my blood with his, forever binding our bloodlines. I served the God of Dragons, father of all dragonids, and by his will, I became the guardian of your bloodline. When the Moon Goddess destroyed your family, I could not intervene. My power was too weak in that world. But now that you have awakened the dragon blood, I can speak with you. And I can help.»
«Help her,» Nox said. «My sister. She is dying out there, fighting the Harbinger. I cannot… I am not ready…»
«You are not ready,» the dragon agreed. «Your power is only beginning to awaken. If you face the Harbinger now, you will die. And your sister will die with you. But there is another way.»
«What way?»
«Run. Leave this city. Become stronger. Find other bearers of dragon blood, awaken them, gather an army. And when you are ready, when your Shadow and your dragon essence have merged into one, you will return and destroy the Harbinger. And after it, the Moon Goddess.»
Nox wanted to object, wanted to say that he could not abandon Lin, that she was out there alone against a monster, and that every second of delay could cost her life. But the dragon had already read his thoughts.
«Your sister is stronger than you think. She will hold on. And I will help you escape. That is all I can do for now. Later, when you are ready, I will come again. And then we will talk about how to defeat your enemies. For now… farewell, Nox Endragon. Good luck to you. You will need it.»
The dragon beat its wing, and the world around Nox exploded in crimson light.
He opened his eyes on the pavement, feeling something new flowing through his veins. Not Shadow. Not the Abyss. Something third, hot and powerful, singing an ancient dragon song in his blood. He stood up, and his body obeyed him as never before. The pain was gone. The weakness had vanished. He was ready to fight.
But the dragon was right. He was not ready to win. Not yet.
«Lin!» he shouted. «Fall back! To the train!»
Lin turned to him, and he saw blood streaming from her nose, her eyes burning no longer with silver sparks but with a solid, all consuming blackness. The Abyss was devouring her from within. She was holding on by her last strength.
«I cannot… it will not let me…»
And then Sylvana intervened. She stepped forward, spread her arms, and Blood poured from her palms. Not attacking, not defending. Something else. Sacrificial. She was giving her life force to create a barrier between the Harbinger and the children, and this barrier, fed by the blood of one of the seven strongest witches, made the creature stop.
«Go!» she shouted. «Quickly! I will hold it off!»
Nox grabbed Lin's hand and ran. Behind them, the battle thundered: Sylvana's Blood clashed with the Harbinger's Shadow, and the street shook with each impact. They flew into the station, pushed through the crowd that noticed nothing, for them the battle on the neighboring street was simply invisible and inaudible, and jumped into the last car of the departing magic train.
The doors closed. The train moved. Outside the window, the lights of the evening city drifted by, peaceful and calm, unaware of what had just happened on one of its streets.
Lin collapsed onto a seat, and the Abyss on her arms slowly faded, drawing back in, leaving behind only a pale, trembling girl with bloody streaks beneath her nose. Nox sat down beside her, wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close.
«We survived,» he whispered. «We survived, Lin. Do you hear me? We survived.»
She did not answer. She had lost consciousness.
The train raced through the night, carrying them away from the city, away from the Harbinger, away from Sylvana, who remained there on the empty street, fighting the ancient creature alone. Nox stared out the window at the passing lights and felt something inside him change. He had lost. They had lost. They had fled like animals with their tails between their legs, leaving the witch to cover their retreat.
But the dragon had said: «Become stronger. Return. Destroy.» And he would become stronger. He would return. He would destroy.
Somewhere far away, on an empty street in the middle tier, the Harbinger stood over Sylvana's body, sprawled on the pavement. She was breathing but unconscious, and her Blood, spent to the last drop, no longer pulsed in her veins. The creature looked at her, and in its dark eyes was something like respect.
«Strong,» it said. «Very strong. The Mistress will be pleased when I bring you to her. But the children… the children can wait. They are not going anywhere. I will find them. I always find them.»
It bent down, picked up the witch's limp body, and dissolved into the shadows.
And the magic train raced into the night, carrying two children toward an unknown future. Ahead lay Noxspire. The academy. New enemies and, perhaps, new friends. Ahead lay a long path of becoming, pain, and growth.
But today, they had survived. And that was what mattered.