Shattering Reality - COLLAB WITH @AtomicDaDragon

Chapter 24

3rd Person

  The companions slowly made their way to the inner arctic circle, or Ragafulst. Apollo was the best suited to cold out of all of them, but even his wings were frozen. Winds blew strongly. Sera had a fur parka wrapped around herself. Atomic was bluish. Ella was hiding under a thick, grey jacket.

  Alex and Rikka were just fine, because Rikka's body heat was radiating. They all surrounded the tiny dragonling. Tzarr was next to Atomic, fur bristling. The De'lor mountains had loomed in front of them for days now. Now, the bases were in sight. 

  Sera started running as fast as she could. So did the others. "How to get in?" Tzarr asked Alex. She walked to the base of one. The base was at least seven miles wide. There were no apparent openings. "Lovely!" Ella said. "We are stuck in the cold, about to die, and oh look! Whoops, no door!" she grumbled.

  "Alex knows the way in." Sera said gently. Ella growled at her, scales bristling. Ella's eyes, normally bluish copper, were now stormy, burning silver, like iron. Sera took a step back from the half-dragon, eyed wide. 

  "Argsad Rof Orth Nigk!" Alex shouted. A doorway appeared, glowing. It opened, and the group walked in, rejoicing in the warmth of the tunnel. Puddles formed where they had been standing. Atomic flew to the roof of the tunnel, stretching. Ella sulked behind the rest.

  "Something's wrong." Alex said. No light illuminated the tunnels, no voices greeted them, no warm, hearty mugs of drink and feasting was to be seen. Atomic made a ball of green fire, lighting the tunnel. Sera gasped, and clenched her fists.

  Dragon and human skeletons littered the floor, and blood painted the stone crimson. There were bows, swords and guns strewn across the floor. It was not only Rider dragons that lie dead there. There were others. All type dragons. Ice, frostbite, and storm to name a few. Apollo stops dead, and picked up what looks to be a human. The skin was still on her body, but icy white and stiff. It looked to be human, yes, but it was not. Broken wings hung off er back, dried blood still staining the inflamed wound. Horns, black and silver, protrude from her head of molten white hair. And her eyes, Sera had seen those eyes before. Then it hit her. The high cheekbones, red lips, smooth skin. It was Apollo's mother.   

  Apollo let out a cry of grief. It echoed off the walls, bounced into their ears, and back to Apollo. Such a horrific sound had never been heard in the Halls of Haliros, and would never be heard again. Apollo stopped dead in his tracks as the hand from the body touched his face. She was still alive, but barely. Apollo looked in shock, and in fear. "Mother!" he cried. Her face was trying to smile. Even in near death, she was beautiful. "My son." she whispered. "So brave." The words were hard to say. A large gash was cut across her stomach, and had started bleeding again. It stained her hands, and Apollo's. She held his hand. He was fighting tears. "You need to stay." His words were stuttered. "I wrecked your life." she said sadly. Apollo shook his head. "No, you didn't. You made me who I am today." His mother smiled, saying only, "Yes." And she closed her eyes for the last time.

  Apollo didn't even look at the others. He pulled his black cloak over his face, and stormed away, sword in hand. Sera did not run to him. He'll kill me, she thought. They continued, shaken. Tzarr hissed at every shadow. Not even a small bug was to be seen, no air blew. It smelt of death. The air felt tight. Sera wanted to claw free and escape, to fight through stone and wing, until she got to space and could see the entire earth. A thought was still on all their minds. It was on Sera's, for sure.

  Who attacked these Riders? There are human bodies and weapons here, but they could not have orchestrated this. It must've been Elyssia. But there are no elves here. Nor are there dwarves, which is odd, seeing as this is their home.

  She fell back to talk to Ella. "I didn't mean to annoy you earlier. Look, really, it was not intentional." Ella glared at her. "Shut up! What do you know? I'm fine! It's the rest you that's crazy!" Sera had shied away, angry. "What did I do?" Ella was weird today. Something was wrong. With a jolt, Sera remembered.

  Then, massive stone doors blocked the way. Rikka pushed with her nose, and the door creaked open. As they stepped in, Apollo thought he had experienced all the pain he possibly could. But how wrong he was.

  Galaxy dragons. Thousands of them. Slaughtered. Piled in a mountain in the center of the massive room. Purple, deep blue, turquoise, black, yellow and white bodies, regal, massive, and shining, murdered. Blood trickled down the bodies like water down a garden fountain. Apollo stared weakly. Then collapsed. Sera ran to him. She held him as he wept. This was his species, these were his people. One room designed to torture him with his mother's side, now with his father's. A galaxy half dragon ran at them from across the room. He had floppy sandy blonde hair, black eyes and his tail and wings had iridescent galaxy print. It was Tobias, Apollo's father.

  "Apollo!" he yelled. "Get to safety! Take them! Run!" Then, a black crossbow arrow shot through the air, missing Tobias by a hair's breadth. Sera looked around. Where was Ella? Her heart froze with fear. No, no no!

  Tobias ran to Apollo, and hugged him. "This is not the time for hugs, dad." Apollo said. They all ran and hid behind some rubble as another arrow shot at them. Apollo held Sera's hand.

  "Dad! What happened! Tell me everything!" Apollo said as he hurled rocks at the arrows. Tzarr roared, and acid fire scorched everything around him. "Who are these people?" Tobias asked. "Half dragons! They. Are. Going. Prophecy. Can't. Talk. Anonymous. Homicidal. Maniac." Apollo chucked more rocks at the arrows. All the others did the same. Rikka breathed fire. An evil laugh sounded from the shadows. One they knew far too well.

  "Fools!" Elyssia shrieked. She held no crossbow. "You are soft-hearted children! Where is the read-head? Oh, she's...around."

  "That is the homicidal maniac." Atomic told Tobias sardonically. They all stepped out of hiding.

Sera's Perspective

  We step out of hiding. I hold mu throwing knives ready. Elyssia comes back out of the shadows. My knife, charged with Atomic's power, is thrown at her. But it stops dead midair. The air around her shimmers, and Ella comes into view, struggling against her grasp. "Careful, child. Reckless move. You could have killed your friend. Then what would the prophecy be?"

  "No one freaking cared about the prophecy anymore!" I shout. "Give us Ella! You kept me, tortured me. I will not let that happen to Ella."

  "Oh, child," she laughs. "It already has." Ella is let go. A maniacal light enters her eyes. She smiles savagely. "All I had to do was tap into her beast inside. Remember, her village was slaughtered in front of her eyes. Alone since age thirteen. What would that do to a person? It's not me, it's Ella."

  Ella leaps at me, ready to kill. She has her axe. I dodge, and stab at her, but she twirls away, lithe as a panther. Atomic fires bullets at her, but Ella stops them, catching them one by one. Atomic is flung against the wall. Apollo leaps to block her axe stroke. It comes right for his head.

  But that never happens.

  Quick as a flash, Tobias leaps between Apollo and Ella, and the axe catches him under the chin, and he falls to the floor. Ella uses magic to lift me high onto the roof. Then, the ceiling breaks. We fly through. I am on the top of the tallest mountain on Earth, in front of my former friend, who is ready to kill me, as an army of humans and elves crashes in on my friends below.