Hey, I'm alive!

Chapter 9 - Defeating the Shadows

The skies slowly but surely grew darker as Hollander's ship flew out to the Dark Isle, and an eerie feeling constantly ran down the three passengers' backs.

"So, um—got a plan?" Denzel asked his best friend.

"Harvested Spirit Gems," Henry simply replied, referring to the satchel over his shoulder and opening it to reveal shining gem shards.

"Oh, I get it. Like a back up food supply or something, right?"

"Exactly."

"Right, well—how are a bunch of rocks gonna stop Dakota?"

"Look!" Hollander cut in loudly, pointing a claw out to the horizon; the two younger monsters followed his gaze, and their eyes widened when they saw what could only be the Dark Isle.

It was a pitch black land mass surrounded by ferocious waters, and large, dark clouds of untamed thunder storms hung overhead, showering the island with freezing rain and lightning strikes. And in the midst of it all was a grand tree.

"That must be it," Henry confirmed.

"Whoa, she has a tree fort?" Denzel sighed in awe.

"You stay here, Hollander. I'll come back with Grando, and then you need to be ready to go," Henry firmly instructed.

Henry didn't wait for Hollander or Denzel to respond, and flew out of the ship to head straight out for Dakota's lair, clutching the satchel of gems close. Once he arrived on its shores, he was greeted by a fleet of rock golems clad in blue armor.

"You must be Dakota's welcoming committee," Henry stated sarcastically, grinning and cracking his knuckles before covering them all in raging flames. All of them instantly ran in terror, and the young Dragon Monster casually walked by them until he took flight again to find a path to the tree in the far distance.

It wasn't easy to find a clear path, as the island was covered in mountains of shiny black rocks, some of which were even topped with snow; the rest of the island consisted of sandy beaches and occasional crystalline lagoons.

At the corner of Henry's eye, he caught a flash of yellow before something blasted him, causing extreme pain to surge throughout his body; the agony was overwhelming, as he plummeted and landed in a shallow lagoon.

Henry set up with a pained strain and tried to fly again, but his wings wouldn't obey him; he could barely make them flutter. It was as if they were paralyzed. He then noticed the culprits that brought him down; closing in on him was a small group of serpentine creatures, whose bodies were made of white lightning.

"I may be down, but I'm not out," Henry growled and crawled out of the frigid water, instantly spewing ice darts at the snakes until they were completely coated in ice; without thinking, he then grabbed a boulder and used it to smash the snakes to smithereens.

It wasn't until after he defeated the electric serpents that he realized how easily he could carry such a large object. Henry dropped the boulder in surprise and gaped at it, "I didn't know I could do that."

But before he could delve deeper into his new ability, he shook the thought from his head and continued down the trail, just barely able to see Dakota's lair over the tall rocks.

His only light sources were the frequent lightning strikes that lit up the sky, as the rain kept him from lighting a fire in his claws to see. He was practically flying blind.

But he finally remembered the Spirit Gems he brought, and quickly pulled out a few shards, closing his eyes and concentrating while absorbing the gems' magic. When the gems disappeared, Henry could feel every nerve in his wings again, and he wasted no time in putting them to good use.

Henry would not make his grandfather wait any longer, so he took flight and headed right for the tree. He knew Dakota wouldn't be dumb enough to hold such a valuable hostage in plain sight, so what better place to put him than a nearly unreachable place? Unfortunately, the tree was surrounded by powerful cold drafts, preventing the Dragon Monster from flying any higher.

Just as he landed, Henry was suddenly surrounded by another fleet of stone golems, accompanied by some more electric snakes this time. But they weren't a problem, as he used ice to immobilize the snakes and electricity to stun the golems.

But a single electric snake dodged Henry's attack, and snuck up on him while he was occupied with destroying the others. And when the snake reared its head up and bared its fangs, a large rock suddenly came crashing down onto it, easily crushing it to death.

"What the…?" Henry pondered aloud and looked up, only to find a familiar white blur overhead, as he darted around and dug in the sand to cause more boulders to topple.

"Sorry for droppin' in on such short notice!" Denzel joked before successfully sending a rock down to knock out another golem.

"What are you doing here?!" Henry scolded, smashing another frozen snake to pieces.

"You looked like you needed some help."

"But I told you to stay back with Hollander. How did you even get here?"

"Hollander brought me. Duh!"

"So, neither of you listened to me," Henry deadpanned after finishing off the last enemy, allowing Denzel to safely jump down.

"No need to be so negative about it. You should be thankful you've got friends that'll risk their lives for you," Denzel argued with a shrug.

"I am. But I don't want them getting hurt because of me."

"Oh, hurt, schmurt. We'll be fine, now let's get your grandpa back!"

Unable to argue with his friend's sudden burst of bravery, Henry followed Denzel around the tree to find a way up. Eventually, the two came upon a grand doorway that led into a chamber, and inside was a magnificent spiraling staircase.

"I can't even see where it ends," Denzel commented, craning his neck to look straight up.

"That probably means it goes to the top," Henry simply added and started climbing the stairs, Denzel not far behind.

Just then, an aggressive screeching echoed throughout the tree, and both monsters looked down to find a much larger electric snake slithering up the stairs at alarming speeds. Without another word, Henry grabbed Denzel's shoulders and flew up, trying not to get hypnotized by the spinning stairs as he flew higher.

"It's getting closer!" Denzel warned.

Before long, they luckily reached the top and Henry quickly threw Denzel to safety, flying back down to meet the serpent with an icy blast. As soon as it was frozen, Henry grabbed the snake popsicle and wasted no time in throwing it to the bottom of the stairs, a loud crash following soon after.

"Henry," Denzel meekly called.

"What?" As Henry flew back up and landed next to his friend, he noticed the horrified gaze and shakily pointed claw, following both of them. And what his own eyes landed upon was truly disturbing.

Held up against the wall of the hollow with all limbs stretched out mercilessly by a powerful force field emitting from a large crystal, Henry's grandfather was breathing heavily and his head hung low in exhaustion. Grando barely had enough energy to notice the two young monsters, his droopy eyes widening slightly in fear.

"Henry, Denzel…get out of here…" the old Dragon Monster begged, knowing that the real danger was waiting for them.

"Ew…I suddenly felt something chilly run up my back," Denzel shuddered and glanced around nervously.

"Don't worry about it. We've gotta free him, c'mon," Henry firmly protested, hastily approaching the green crystal that grew more vibrant by the second.

But before he could get close enough, a large figure slinked out of the shadows, "As if I would let that happen."

Both Henry and Denzel's eyes widened at the sight of Dakota, the latter's fear was even more profound since it was his first real encounter.

"Ok, time to pass out," Denzel meekly informed before fainting.

"Come back for round two, Puny Child?" Dakota mocked.

"Yes, to defeat you for good this time," Henry argued with a snarl, unfolding his wings and bearing his fangs.

"Well then, it's too bad you're going to die." With a sinister hiss, Dakota's own huge wings opened, and her fangs and claws were twice as sharp. She immediately lunged at him, but Henry's significant smaller size allowed him to dodge just in time.

But when Henry lost his focus, he accidentally ran into a pillar, causing a part of the ceiling to shake and cave in. Dakota came after him again and tried to pounce with her legs, but Henry flew out of the way again and darted around to look for a weakened pillar.

He mustered all the strength he could, curling his body into a spinning ball until he crashed into another pillar; the impact was far greater than the first, and giant cracks stretched across the ceiling and caused large tree limbs to fall. One of which, by sheer luck, struck Dakota and dazed her.

And while she was busy picking herself up, Henry made his way to his grandfather. But as soon as Henry reached out for Grando, the crystal keeping him bound emitted a powerful shock, sending the younger monster back and siphoning some of his strength.

Dakota chuckled darkly, "You're no match for that crystal. It sucks out any and all light magic. And once it's finished, I will finally have enough power to free my master—but just in case you get a sudden burst of courage…"

The dark monster jumped over to Denzel, and picked up his limp body while holding up a claw to his neck.

"No…don't…" Henry begged meekly.

"I knew it. This is what serving good and light will do—nothing but fail you," Dakota hissed while approaching Henry, and she picked him up as well before throwing both of them across the room, sending them crashing into a wall.

Dakota grinned and dusted her hands off in confidence, and she then hastily made her way to the now red crystal holding back Grando. She grasped the crystal and pulled it from its pedestal, freeing Grando and causing him to plop down to the floor with a thud.

"If you're smart, you'll give up and let death come for you," Dakota informed mockingly, taking flight and disappearing through the twisting branches and dark skies.

"Ugh…Grando…are you ok?" Henry groaned as he dragged himself over to his grandfather.

"I'm afraid…all hope is lost…I'm sorry, Henry," Grando sighed in sorrow.

"Don't be…I'm not giving up." To prove his point, Henry reached into his satchel and pulled out a gem shard, crushing it in his fist until it shattered and radiated with healing magic.

"There is far more at stake than you realize," Grando warned and finally started to stand up, albeit very weakly, "With the power Dakota has gained from tricking you, she finally has enough to free our greatest enemy—the Dark Monster."

"Who's the 'Dark Monster'?" Denzel asked groggily when he finally woke up.

"He's a powerful sorcerer who only seeks to destroy and conquer. And if Dakota frees him, he will do just that."

"Not if I have anything to say about it. I won't let Dakota or the Dark Monster succeed, I promise," Henry began firmly while taking flight, "Denzel, help Grando get to Hollander's ship!"

"But…"

"Now!"

Despite his short-lived protests, Denzel could do nothing when Henry flew out of sight. So, he hastily did what his best friend asked of him, and helped Grando begin their journey back to Hollander.

Meanwhile, the young Dragon Monster flew up to the very top of the tree to find Dakota. He knew that the final battle was coming, and that he would have to put the lives of friends, family, and even countless strangers before his own if he was going to win.

When he reached the top, there was a great stone platform, which was supported by the tree's giant branches, and in the center of the platform was a large beacon. The beacon emitted straight up into the dark and foreboding storm clouds, as four pillars of darkness powered what seemed to be a portal at the base of the beacon.

Dakota hadn't noticed Henry at first, especially when she focused on placing the four powerful crystals all around the portal. Not long after they were placed, the power within them began to glow brightly as they were levitated by an unseen force.

"My master returns," Dakota hissed with delight.

"He's not coming into this world, or any other world!" Henry barked in anger, clenching his teeth and snarling when Dakota finally faced him, "Not while I'm here."

"You're very tenacious, I'll give you that. But tenacity can be easily mistaken for stupidity," Dakota growled while bearing her fangs, "No more mercy for you."

Henry continued to growl as he landed, "Right back at you."

Dakota let out a shill as she lunged at Henry, the latter just barely dodging a swipe of her razor sharp claws. She tried to blindside him by whipping him with one of her equally sharp wings, but he threw a fireball at it in the nick of time. Her wing coiled back in pain, even burning a few small holes in it. He did the same thing to the other, except he breathed ice onto it until it was covered with a thick coat. Dakota flapped her wing hard and hit it against the ground to break the ice, but her plan backfired when the ice broke away a few pieces of the wing, creating gashes in it similar to the other.

"You little insect! I will destroy you!" Dakota roared in agony. And despite the new holes in her wings, it didn't stop her from taking flight and flying around the portal like a hungry hawk. Even though her injuries were severe, she ignored them to achieve her new goal of eradicating Henry.

Said young monster remained on the ground, for he knew that she would still be able to out-fly him. It was best to remain grounded in order to keep a better visual of her. Dakota soon proved to have elemental powers of her own, throwing arrows and spears of darkness at Henry that whipped through the air.

While Henry was able to continue dodging and blocking her attacks, Dakota had eventually lost too much energy to keep flying and using projectiles to strike at him. She knew she had to make what little power she had left count. So, she stopped and hovered in mid-air, curling her wings tightly before unleashing her own elemental fury of shadows. A ring of shadows burst forth from her, effectively hitting Henry and dazing him for a moment.

Dakota then began to strike at Henry while hovering effortlessly in mid-air, all while the latter struggled to pick himself back up and avoid her attacks. He knew that if he was going to defeat her, he would have to use even more power than her. He would have to tap into an all new power. Just like Dakota, Henry channeled all of his abilities into one while floating a few feet off the ground without flapping his wings.

Henry opened his eyes, revealing brilliantly glowing white orbs of pure light magic. The exact magic needed to defeat Dakota's dark magic. Whenever Dakota aimed to strike him down, Henry would effortlessly deflect her attacks with a simple wave of his hand, conjuring a shield of light magic. The more Dakota failed to hit him, the more unsure and frightened she became. Eventually, she became too scared to continue attacking, allowing Henry to cup his hands together and form a clear orb of magic that encased her.

All she could do was stare in awe and fear, as the walls of the orb began to glow brighter and siphon the darkness from her very being. She felt herself grow weaker, as the shadows that had once giver her power and strength were being taken away. As more of the corruption within her was drained, the smaller she became until she was no longer the big and intimidating monster she once was.

Henry opened a gap in the orb, allowing Dakota's now limp body to fall outside, and he focused on destroying the darkness still trapped inside. The glow grew brighter and brighter until it was blinding, and suddenly expanded in a beautiful array of light and purity that evaporated the shadows. With the darkness defeated, Henry's eyes glowing and he finally dropped back onto his feet. He suddenly felt very weak, but he paid it no mind when he saw Dakota.

Laying there was not the evil being and great enemy he had faced a few moments ago. Now, there was only a small, harmless child around the same age as Henry; her skin was no longer ebony, and instead light blue while her horns and wings were a dark navy blue.

"She's just a kid…like me…" Henry breathed in realization, but had no time to stand in shock when the portal suddenly began to suck inward with a powerful gust of wind.

Henry couldn't tell if Dakota's plan to free the Dark Monster worked, but he knew he couldn't leave her behind because she was being sucked in, too. Whatever waited on the other side of the portal would only turn her into that evil creature again, and he didn't want that to happen for her. He had to protect her. He had to save her.

Just as Dakota's unconscious body was starting to slide up to the portal's entrance, Henry used his remained strength to swoop in and grab her. He didn't care what Denzel or the other would say, he was going to bring her back to Hollander's ship. It was the only way to make sure she was safe.

But as Henry flew against the winds and avoided flying debris, his nerves chilled when he heard a ghastly whisper call his name.

"Henry…Henry…"

Henry couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, but he risked a glance back at the portal. There was still nothing but a powerful radiation of darkness that sucked everything in. Whatever remained trapped on the Dark Isle would undoubtedly be destroyed by morning.

The ride back to Roarsville was silent, so much so that the air felt like it could have been cut with a knife. Hollander was lucky that he could take his mind off of his special passenger by having to focus on piloting, but Denzel and Grando could do nothing but stare.

"Are you insane?! Why would you save the monster that tried to kill us?!" Denzel shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Because she's just a kid like us. Everything she did was against her will. She was being used by the Dark Monster," Henry argued with a growl.

"Oh, and that just magically justifies every horrible thing she's done?!"

"Easy, Boys!" Grando snapped and approached, glaring at the two boys before averting his gaze to a still-sleeping Dakota, "True, she has done some bad things in the past. But like Henry said, she was forced to commit those crimes. Now that she has been cleansed of the darkness that corrupted her, she deserves a chance to redeem herself. Understood?"

The two nodded. Henry was much more accepting of Dakota's stay at Roarsville, but Denzel was still very uncertain. He had a bad feeling about this.