Shadows Entwined (Shadows Descent #3)

38. Flint

38

FLINT

The moment the Crystal shatters, everything changes. Reality splinters and I feel myself being pulled in multiple directions at once. But unlike the others, I sense something else. A connection deeper than blood, older than time itself. The Crystal’s essence calls to my Dragon lineage, to the ancient power of Thraxus that flows through my veins.

Through the chaos of collapsing dimensions, I see glimpses of how things used to be - when our world was whole, before the supernatural realm split from the mortal one. Dragons soaring freely through open skies, supernatural creatures walking among humans without fear or hiding. The Crystal shows me these memories, or perhaps they’re echoes of a reality that once was.

The magick of the Fire god burns through my blood, blending with my Dragon magick in ways that should be impossible. Each heartbeat sends waves of pure power coursing through my body. Through our connection, I feel Violet and the others, but they seem distant now, as if we’re being pulled apart by the forces of the Convergence.

Then everything stops.

I’m standing in a place that isn’t quite real. A plane of existence between dimensions. The ground beneath my feet shifts between solid rock and pure energy. Above, the sky is a kaleidoscope of realities, each one bleeding into the next.

“Son.”

I turn to face my father, Glacier, his Dragon form barely contained beneath his human appearance.

“This isn’t a coincidence, is it?” I ask, though I already know the answer. “You’ve been waiting for this.”

“The worlds were never meant to be divided, Flint.” Glacier’s voice carries the weight of centuries. “We were never meant to hide in shadows, to pretend we don’t exist. The mortal realm and ours were one before the ancient mages tore reality apart.”

The air around us pops and fizzes with Dragon magick as he speaks. I can feel his power pushing against mine, testing, probing. Looking for weaknesses.

“The Old Ones’ return was supposed to restore balance,” he continues, taking a step closer. “Their power could heal the rift between worlds, make us whole again. Everything I’ve done by helping Morgan, the Academy attacks, even working against your mate - it was all to bring us back to what we should be.”

My anger rises up, clashing with the disbelief that he was working against us all along. “You helped Morgan try to kill her. Your own son’s mate.”

“I tried to help her ascend!” Glacier roars, his human form slipping slightly to reveal scales beneath his skin. “The girl was always meant to be a vessel. The Old Ones’ power would have transformed her, made her strong enough to survive the merging of worlds.”

“This is how it should be,” Glacier gestures to these visions around us, the supernatural and mortal worlds together. “Not skulking in a hidden dimension, not pretending to be less than what we are. We are Dragons, son. We should rule the skies, not hide in the Mountains in a new realm.”

“New?” I murmur. “How new?”

“Does it matter?” he spits out. “It wasn’t meant to be this way. The humans became too fearful of us and persecuted us. The mages took it upon themselves to move us when we should’ve fought.”

“And what about the cost?” I demand, feeling the Thraxus Crystal’s power in my blood, stronger now than ever before. “How many would die in this merging of worlds? How many mortals and supernaturals alike would be sacrificed for your perfect reality?”

Glacier’s laugh is cold. This isn’t the father I know and love. This is some crazed creature I don’t even recognise. “You sound like the mages who split our worlds apart. They, too, spoke of costs, of protection. But they were wrong. The separation was never natural. It was forced. The Old Ones knew this. Why do you think they chose your mate? Why do you think they’ve been trying to return?”

The air between us shimmers with heat as my anger builds. “The Old Ones are gone,” I snarl. “We destroyed them. Violet wasn’t their vessel. She conquered them. Made their power hers.”

“You’re wrong,” Glacier says, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Their consciousness may be gone, but their power remains. Even now, it flows through her veins, through yours. It seeks to restore what was lost. Every reality fracture during this Convergence attempts to merge what was wrongly divided.”

I see more visions, and this time, I see the chaos, the destruction, and the price of such freedom.

“You’re so caught up in what was, you can’t see what is,” I growl, letting my Dragon form surface slightly. Flames lick across my skin, purple and gold intertwining - the god’s power dancing with mine. Hell, it’s all mine now. “This isn’t about restoring some lost golden age. It’s about power. Your power.”

“You dare—” Glacier begins, but I cut him off.

“I dare because I finally see you clearly,” I say, standing taller. “You don’t want to restore balance. You want to rule. To let Dragons dominate both realms.”

“We are meant to rule!” Glacier roars. “We are creatures of power and majesty, not these pathetic shadows of ourselves!” His Dragon form breaks through completely now. His massive silver-white form towers over me, ice crystals forming in the air around him.

I meet his gaze steadily, feeling the weight of every choice, every moment that has led to this. “No, Dad. We are what we choose to be, and I choose to protect both worlds as they are.”

“Then you choose to be weak,” he snarls, snow swirling around him.

The shock that he can speak in his Dragon form wears off quickly. Maybe this is one of the things he says was lost.

He leaves me no choice but to shift, to show him who I really am now.

I let my transformation take hold, feeling my body expand and change. Scales erupt across my skin, hardening into armour. Wings unfurl from my back, stretching out to their full impressive span. But as I shift, I realise something is different.

My usual white and burnt orange colouring has changed. Now, my scales shimmer with an iridescent purple sheen intertwined with deep gold. Fire god and Dragon magick combined into something new, something more potent than either alone.

Glacier’s eyes widen as he takes in my new form.

We circle each other, two massive Dragons in this space between realities. The ground beneath our claws shifts between solid rock and pure energy. Above us, the sky continues its kaleidoscope display of colliding dimensions.

Glacier roars and launches himself at me, all pretence of diplomacy and fatherhood gone in that second. His massive jaws snap shut inches from my neck as I dodge.

We clash in a fury of teeth and claws. The fabric of this between-space shudders with the impact. His snow magick tries to freeze my wings, but the Crystal’s power flows through me, melting them before it can take hold.

He roars, his tail whipping around to catch me off guard.

I dodge his attack, remembering all those brutal training sessions, all the times he pushed me to be harder, colder. I snarl back, letting loose a blast of fire that combines all my magick. The attack catches him in the chest, sending him reeling backwards. For a moment, surprise flashes across his Dragon features. He hadn’t expected this level of power from his son.

Glacier recovers quickly, his wings creating sheets of ice in the air as he launches himself at me. Our forces collide in a catastrophic blast. Ice meets fire, ancient magick crashes against ancient magick.

But I’m wasting time. I have to get back to Violet and the others before they are lost to me forever. I growl, gathering my power for one final attack. Thraxus’s ancient bloodline, that of the Old One, and my own power are forces to be reckoned with, and I think Dad is starting to see that.

Our final clash tears through the dimensional space. My fire meets his ice in an explosion that would level mountains in the physical realm. But this time, I’m not fighting to destroy. I’m fighting to protect.

“You’re no son of mine,” Glacier snarls, his deep Dragon voice sounding strange to my ears.

I try it on for size. “You’re right,” I respond, sounding like gravel in a blender. “I’m Thraxus’s son.”

He roars in fury and attacks. The explosion throws us apart. I scramble for purchase, taking flight as I watch my dad hurtle towards a tear in the veils. For one second, I let him go, but then, huffing out a stream of smoke, I dive towards him, ready to save him even after all this.

But it’s too late.

He is sucked through the tear, which slams shut behind him, lost to me forever.

Before I even have time to grieve what once was, I’m yanked back through the dimensional tear, crashing back into my human form in the Crystal chamber. The sensation is like being thrown into a frozen lake and set on fire simultaneously. Reality snaps back into focus around me, and I find myself back in the circle with the others.

“Where the fuck did you go?” she bellows.

“The Crystal’s about to blow,” Blackthorn shouts over the dimensional chaos.

Nodding determinedly, I turn away from Violet and place my hands back on the Crystal. This time, it responds to me. I’ve settled the battle of magicks in my soul, accepting they are mine and that I belong to Thraxus. This is what the power wants. It just wants to belong like everyone else.

It’s the key to understanding how this works now, and I can see it taking effect.

With a serene smile despite the chaos around me, I close my eyes, and I focus.