Rough Drafts

Shadows

It took a moment before she realized that the flames of the dragon had yet to consume her. She cautiously peeked out from beyond the shelter of her curled arms, to see the pillar of purple fire had been brought to a stop by a wall of ethereal light. She allowed herself a moment of confusion, gazing upon the wall's bluish form. Despite appearing to be solid, the bluish light only formed the outline of rectangles as tall as her waist and as wide as she was tall. Its structure harkening vague memories of the palaces depicted in picture books that occasionally came through town.

It took her a few moments to realize that her brother had let go of her arm. She looked to her side to see his form arched over, as his face seemed frozen in the middle of a silent scream. Just as she realized he had his right arm raised, he had brought it down in a swift swiping moment. With a thunderous crack as a giant stone structure slammed into the dragon, sending it flying into the cliff face. The wall of light faded away as soon as it had appeared, all the while a chorus of falling rocks buried the dragon's form. Her mind was only barely able to register the structure above her as an "arm."

She watched in stunned silence as her brother floated forwards of the ground, a swirl of phantom stone and wood assembling around him. The Earth began to shake as the remnants of legends long since forgotten began to walk its soil once more. The humanoid structure took moments to construct itself as the pieces meticulously flew into their positions, its form made clear by the stars it blocked. The roar of grinding stone and creaking wood heralding a god's return, Agorath the Living Castle towered over the lands once more.

For a moment, the giants form felt comforting to her, but then a low rumbling filled the air. Despite how illogical it should have been, the sound quickly drowned out the Agorath's steps. The remnants of the cliff cracked open as purple flames blazed with an unimaginable intensity that turned night into day. The dragon's black form slowly seemed from the carnage, unfurling its wings to engulf the presence of every star in the sky. Agorath's form groaned as it aimed a lumbering blow at the dragon.

The air shook with the intensity of an earthquake as Agorath's fist collided with the black abomination's torso. Yet, the dragon was entirely unphased, not a hint of injury or strain even showing upon its body. Instead, Agorath's was sent stumbling backward as its outstretched arm blasted into pieces by a flash of movement. The girl finally regained her wits enough to attempt to let out a scream, only to find a cold hand over her mouth. Agorath's colossal form regaining its footing was the last thing she saw before she was dragged into the shadows of the night.