Chapter 25: Shadow Dragon

I found myself in a dark place. I was alone. The floor was filled with water, dripping from the pipes on the ceiling. I can sense dark aura, but this aura was much more powerful than Mustaz's. What is this place anyway?

I heard a low growling from nearby. I walked slowly towards the sound. I made a turn to the left in front and continued walking down the corridor. The growling sound was louder and nearer. I stopped. Something in my mind told me not to continue. But there's another part of my mind, filled with curiosity, which was far greater. I continued without caring its consequences.

I reached to a huge steel bar cage. It was dark in it but I knew the dark aura was coming from inside the cage. I walked nearer until I saw a piece of purple paper with the words 'Sealed within' on it. The paper must be used to seal the thing in the cage. Whatever it is, it must be dark and evil. But I wondered what was in the cage.

I touched the steel bar and found it was very cold. I took my hand back. It was as cold as snow. Before I could know what was in the cage, I woke up.

I was back to my familiar room. Nothing changed only Silverlight stared at me in my face. He puffed air to my face. I pushed him away. I have no time to play with him. He seemed to know what I was thinking.

"What's wrong? Had a nightmare?" he asked with the usual low voice.

I wondered should I tell him about my dreams or not. I wanted to tell but something in my mind told me not to until I figured out what in the world the dream means.

"Nothing," I replied. I went to the bathroom and cleaned myself.

"Well, if that's that. You better be quick. Doc planned to go to Antarctica today," he said. "And he's taking the whole family with him,"

"I know," I wiped my face with the towel. "I'm doing the best I can. Did anyone visit me during my sleep?"

"You mean Aron? Or... your little annoying pathetic boyfriend, Butterfingers?" Butterfingers is Zak's nickname that was given by Silver. Silver and Zak had issues with each other. (Don't ask me why he was given that name. Silver won't tell)

I blushed slightly but I was pretty sure that Silver didn't see me. "Stop giving him nicknames, Silver,"

"But he gave me one, 'twinkle toes'. I don't have those,"

"Fine, suit yourself," I dressed myself in my usual clothes and took my camera and went off. I knew I was late so I ran down the hallway. I was totally careless I tripped myself and fell in a very painful way. I hit my chin hard on the floor. I noticed a pair of legs stood in front of me and pulled me up. It was Zak.

"Why in such a rush, Kim?" he asked with the sweetest voice I ever heard.

"I was late and Silver said we were going to Antarctica,"

"I didn't mean right now," Silver flew passed us. He glared at Zak (as usual). "Butterfingers," he called his nickname.

"Twinkle toes," Zak called back. I shook my head. When will they even learn that they aren't kids anymore, except for Silver.

"Come on, you better put ice on that chin," Zak said, pointing at my purple-black chin.

"It'll be fine when Aron gave me the healing oil. By the way, where is she?" I looked at my watch. "At this time of the day she should be popping up, frightening me to hell,"

"I had no idea too," he escorted me to the living hall. Doc was preparing supplies, Drew was checking coordinates on the computer, Fisk, Zon, Komodo and Nature were... playing, and Doyle and Aron were no where to be seen.

Zak took a pack of ice from the fridge and placed it on my chin. "It'll diminish the bruising," I took the ice from him and he went to get the snow suits. Doyle and Aron entered the room with wide grins on their faces. Aron came to me and smiled.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"You could just simply read my mind,"

"I don't wanted to,"

"Where have you and redhead been too?"

"The greenhouse, my room," Aron and Nature lived in the greenhouse since they loved it there.

"He has been to your room?" I looked at her with suspicion.

"Yes. He wanted to see the plants,"

"Or to see you," I murmured in a low voice. It was sooo obvious he likes her.

"I beg you pardon?"

"Nothing,"

We reached to Antarctica before we knew it. The place was chillingly cold. I felt warm when I had the snow suit on me. We climbed down the rocky cliffs with ropes and landed on a frozen lake. Zak told me this is where they found out he was the Kur. Pretty interesting right?

Doc and Drew did their research on ice. Doyle was taking Aron around. The 4 (Fisk, Komodo, Zon, Nature) were making snow angels. Silverlight was scouting on air. I sat on a huge, icy rock and stared at the sky. The sky was clear and there were no signs of snowstorms.

Zak came to me. He sat beside me and held my hand. "What's wrong?"

"I thought that this place should be snowing,"

"Well, it's summer,"

"That doesn't mean it couldn't snow,"

"You love snow very much, don't you?"

"A little,"

"Your home never snow?"

"Only winter, but I couldn't help that I love snow a lot,"

He smiled. "Zak, sweetie, could you come here for a while?" Drew called.

"I gotta go," he ran to Drew. I stood up and walked around. The place was covered with snow. Someone threw snow at me. It was Fisk. He grimaced at me with Komodo. So you want to play, huh? You'll regret messing with me. I rolled a huge, perfect a snowball and aimed at those two. The troublemakers ran away, screaming. I chased them but the snowball fell. I bent to pick it up but the snowball rolled. I followed it. It rolled into a cave and I followed it. The snowball rolled and rolled until it finally stopped. I picked it up and found myself in a different place. And guess what, it was the same place like in my dream. I wanted to turn back but there was no exit. I was trapped.

Meanwhile,

Zak returned. Kim wasn't there. Maybe she went playing with the others, he thought. He went to Fisk but Fisk didn't see her. He asked Aron but she said no. Silverlight shook his head. Doc and Drew didn't see her either. Where could have she been to?

"Guys, Kim's missing!" he yelled.

"What? She's missing? Are you sure?" Doyle asked.

"She was sitting on the rock. But she wasn't there now,"

"Could she have been else where?" Silver asked.

"Aron, sweetie, read her mind and find her where she is," Drew suggested. Aron tried and tried but something stopped her from doing so.

"I cannot sense her nor read her mind. Something's blocking my powers," she said.

"Something must have happened to her!"

"Try to track her, Doyle,"

"No use. No reception,"

"Where could she be?"

"She wouldn't be dumb enough to wander off,"

"Bwaratashiyitishi (I saw her entered the cave before),"

"What cave?" Fisk pointed to the cave nearby. Zak ran to there and scouted. There was no Kim. There was nothing. The gang chased up to him. The cave had nothing in it. It was empty.

"Oh no," muttered Aron. "Where could have she gone to?"

Zak reached to the wall at the end of the cave. He was finding a secret button that could open the wall. But his efforts gone waste. Aron touched the wall for a second with her fingertips but then she was pushed away by an invisible force created by the wall. She stopped herself from moving. Her eyes glowed.

"What is it?" Drew asked.

"Dark magic, embedded within the walls. Someone doesn't want us to enter," Aron replied. Her eyes stopped glowing.

Zak touched the wall and he was also pushed away. Doc examined the wall. "It was nothing but stone,"

"There's no entrance," Silverlight roared.

"Then we'll make one," Drew drawn her sword and pointed at the wall. She shot fire balls but the fire balls were bounced back.

"Apparently it's made out of hard stones," Doyle muttered.

"Fisk, hammer throw," Zak ordered. Fisk caught his arm and threw Zak to the wall but the wall bounced him back and he landed on the ground.

"Let me try," Aron offered. Her bow appeared and she pointed her arrow towards the wall. "I'll make sure this wall goes rumbling down,"

The floor was just like in my dream, covered with water. I heard a growling sound. I walked just like in my dream, but this time, I'm not hesitating. I'm determined to find out what was making that growling sound.

I reached to the steel bar cage. Like in my dream, there's a paper on the cage written 'Sealed within'. I walked nearer. My breathing was simply nervous. My heart was jumping. I touched the icy bar. Then, there's a pair of eyes staring at me. A pair of vicious and bloody eyes. I backed away. Beneath the eyes, a huge row of sharp teeth appeared. Dark aura surrounded the eyes and teeth. Whatever it is, it's evil and dangerous.

I shivered. "Who... are you?" I asked in a timid voice.

I can hear the thing was breathing evenly. It growled. "Who are YOU?" it roared. I trembled upon its scariness.

"I'm... I'm Kim Raven,"

"WHO?!"

"Kim Raven, the chosen one of... the Aurora Dragon,"

"The AURORA DRAGON?!" this time it sounded more furious. "My nemesis!"

I gulped. Oh boy. Its nemesis. I'm its nemesis. "Then... who the heck are you?"

"YOU don't know WHO I am, child?!" it howled. Its howling made the ground tremble. I held on to the wall near me.

The ground trembled. Everyone held on tight to something.

"An earthquake!" Doc yelled. "Hold on everyone!"

The earthquake slowly stopped. "What was that?" Doyle asked.

"I had no idea,"

Zak was worried about Kim's safety. He wondered how she is now.

The ground stopped trembling. It seems whatever it is, its bark is worse than its bite.

"I'm the dark one, SHADOW DRAGON!" it roared.

I shivered. The... the Shadow Dragon?! The dark one! It couldn't be! How... could it's still alive? This is impossible! I... I thought it was dead after the great battle with the Aurora Dragon. Oh no.

"You... you should be dead right now," I murmured.

"Dead?" it laughed. Even its laughter made the ground tremble. "I possess the body and incarnation of immortal! I cannot die! I'll never die!"

I gulped. This is wonderful. How could I ever let myself end up in this place anyway?

"That dragon, she thinks she's so smart, to trap me in this dead place! But I'll be freed, I'll destroy her once and for all," it growled

"Did you ever thought of being... nice? For once?"

"NICE? ME being NICE?! You must be out of your mind! I was created to destroy lives, destroy homes and countries! That is WHAT I WANT!"

"Not even once?"

"You must be a FOOL to talk to me like that! Beware, child, I'll destroy you before you know it! Your Aurora Dragon could not protect you forever!"

"Let's see about that," I couldn't believe I would say so. Must be my stubborn thing. I got to stop that before it let me into more trouble.

It was more furious. It howled. "How DARE you talk to me like that! I'll destroy you for good!" it stretched its claws to reach me. I backed away in a hurry. It took back it claws. I started to run away but then Mustaz appeared. I was astonished.

"Why in such a rush, Raven?" he said. "Don't you want to see how the dark one is released?"

"Released? What do you mean?"

"See that paper up there? It's a sealing spell. I'll take it out and release the Shadow Dragon once and for all,"

"Like I let you to do so," I readied my sabre.

"You don't have a choice. Your Aurora Dragon instincts led you to here. You dug your own grave,"

"As if,"

He smiled evilly. His hands started to glow and captured me with his powers and tied me up. I struggled but it was useless. He bowed down at the dark one. "Oh mighty Shadow Dragon, my master, I'm Mustaz, you loyal servant, here to release you from your thousand curses prison,"

It growled happily. "Ahh... I knew someone would come to release me," it hissed. "You fool, release me now!"

Mustaz nodded. He flew up to the paper and pulled it out. But his actions were stopped by an arrow flying towards him. He dodged. He turned to the shooter and hissed.

It was Aron. She shot more arrows at Mustaz and Mustaz just swayed them away. The Shadow Dragon, seeing its freedom was blocked, it howled. It stretched its claws to grab me. I couldn't run or dodge. Before the claws could even touch me, someone or something pushed me away and I was rolling to the wall. I landed on something soft instead of hard. I turned around and saw the one that I was expecting.

Zak.

He freed me and pulled me up. "Are you alright?"

"Sort of. You should be here 10 minutes ago,"

"We got trouble with the entrance. But luckily twinkle toes risked his horns to make one," he replied. "What in the world is that?"

"You don't wanna know,"

The Shadow Dragon howled. "I will destroy you, KIM RAVEN!"

"Apparently, everyone wants to kill you," Zak said.

"That's why I hate my powers," I sighed.

Drew came. "Are you fine, sweetie?"

I nodded. She ran to Mustaz with her Tibetan Fire Sword. Silverlight flew to me. "Don't tell that's what I think it is," he said. It seems he had heard of the Shadow Dragon.

"Yup,"

"Great," he roared. "Hop on," I jumped onto Silver with Zak. He flew us to the flying Mustaz. Mustaz was still dodging Aron's arrows. I jumped off Silver and gave a somersault kick to Mustaz. He fell to the ground. Aron pointed her arrow at him.

"Let's not be hasty," he said.

"I'm not the hasty one, but my arrows are. They thirst for your blood and people like you," she pointed her arrows at him and was ready to shoot. The dark one continued to roar in rage. Silver roared at it. It still was in rage. It stretched its claws and push Aron away. Aron went flying to Doyle and he caught her.

"RELEASE ME YOU FOOL!" the dark one roared.

"Yes master," Mustaz flew towards the paper. I rode Silver to stop him but he just swayed me away. I landed on the ground. Silver came to me. I was too far to reach him. And it's too late. He pulled the paper and burnt it. The steel bar opened. The Shadow Dragon was released. It roared with joy.

"FREEDOM, AT LAST! THE WORLD SHALL BE MY DOMAINT!" it was finally released. It had black scales, sharp teeth, and vicious eyes, two dark horns on his head, huge wings and a long tail. And it was totally huge. Dark aura surrounded it. Oh boy.

Fisk shivered. Komodo hid. Zon howled. Silver roared. Nature whimpered. Drew got her sword. Doc put on his glove. Doyle disliked it. Aron's eyes glowed. Zak astonished. I, felt death is nearby. Mustaz was about to make an escape. He grinned evilly. "I'll leave you alone to deal with the monster," he left in dark smoke. I stammered my feet. We're dead meat. The Shadow Dragon headed for the exit. Silver blocked its way and roared at it. It backed away.

I stepped in front of it. It roared. "STAY AWAY, child, or I'LL DESTROY YOU FIRST!"

"No can do," I replied. "I just want you to meet my family. Meet, the Saturdays. They love fighting bad guys like you," my hands and eyes glowed. Zak's eyes and Claw glowed. Drew's sword glowed. Doc's glove glowed. Aron's spear appeared. Doyle got a cortex disrupters and bombs. Fisk readied his punching hand. Zon showed her wings at it to show an attack. Komodo hissed. Silver roared. Nature growled.

"And, you don't want to mess with them,"