The Shadow Within Me

Chapter Twenty Five - Disaster

Calyx Nyxerian Paraiso

After Flash took that woman home, he immediately came back to me and stared at my presence, I'm already wearing my combat outfit.

"Are you going to that disaster? Have you told your sister about this?" Flash asked while licking his feet, but I didn't mind him as I finished tying my sword on my waist.

"Why are you in that outfit? Shouldn't you be using your dragon?" Flash's inquisitiveness is rising again, but I just shook my head at him.

"My element is fire, I can't be helpful if I summon my dragon in a freaking lava," I stated the obvious, so Flash just shook his scaly dragon head at me.

"You really don't want it because of that or there are other reasons why you don't want to summon it?" Flash asked once more, so I stopped at his statement.

"Will you quit it, Flash? Just take me there to help other people," I gritted my teeth, but he didn't mind me as he paced towards me.

"Fine, and you're now calling me Flash, plus you were different a while ago, you're apologizing, that's a sight to see," I could feel this small red dragon smirking at me.

"That lady must be really special to you," he added, so he ran when he felt that I was going to smack my fist at him.

That dragon sometimes really gets to my nerves! I huffed before staring right into my arms where she held me a while ago.

Her hands felt so warm and soft, they woke up every single vein that has been sleeping inside of my body. Her sapphire-like eyes felt like she was reading what's going on in my mind with that beautiful bright smile plastered on her peach-like lips.

I can't erase that image of my mind, that's something I think I won't ever forget. It's really embedded in my mind right now.

"See, you're even fantasizing about her right now," Flash claimed, so I hissed before glaring at that gossip dragon.

"Shut up or I'll burn you," I threatened, but he didn't mind me as he positioned himself for me to mount him.

"Let's go and save some lives," he finally stated, so I just nodded before deciding to mount him as he carried.

He flew up into the sky and swiftly dashed between the clouds, "The disaster is almost eating up half of the Diamond District," Flash claimed, so I peeked from below.

He was not lying, that lava flow really ate up almost half of the district, "Take me down there," I ordered, so Flash didn't hesitate to fly lower.

"Look for survivors," I added, so he just flew above the lava flow while I became attentive watching every corner of our way, looking for possible survivors.

"Calyx!" I glanced from behind and saw Ash Flynn Lux in his other dragon form, he must be helping here right now.

"How's Hailey?" I worriedly asked, he's just matching the flying of Flash who looks like he's trembling with fear.

"Someone's scared of the Alpha of all Dragons," I claimed, so Flash complained in my mind before I glanced at Ash's dragon.

"She wants to go and help, but of course, I didn't let her go, she's stubborn ever since she got pregnant," I heard Ash sighed, so I nodded at him.

"You did a good job, her tummy is bigger than a ball right now," I honestly said, so he chuckled, even if he's in his dragon form, I could feel him shaking his head.

"If she heard you, she would not give you breakfast, lunch, or even dinner," Ash assumed, so I just sighed while scratching the back of my head.

"I know, but this is for her safety and her twins, she has to be more careful, for the sake of those kids inside of her," I firmly stated and Ash agreed with me.

"You're right, if only I could tell her off, she's really terrifying when I'm not agreeing with her statements," Ash sounded so stressed out about it, good for him, he has to take good care of her.

"Do you know what's the cause of this?" I wanted some information, but surprisingly, Ash shook his head at me.

"No, even the Leaders of the District don't know the cause of it, even the alarms about the disaster didn't make a sound, so it's really unusual," Ash explained, so I gripped the handle on the saddle.

It's really unusual, but my nightmares may have been the cause of this, that voice inside of my mind, most especially in my nightmares, kept talking about lava. I just sighed as I became alert when I heard voices on the east and the west.

"Ash," I looked at him, so he roared before nodding his scaly dragon head at me. He immediately flew on the west while Flash and I focused on the east.

"Let's save as many people as we can," I told Flash, so he roared at me as he zoomed to where we heard those voices.

It didn't take us a while to arrive there and noticed that a man up in a building was saving a woman standing on a rock that's about to melt.

"Martha! Reach out to my hand!" I heard the man scream, their eyes full of unshed tears. I flew towards that woman and offered my hand.

"Come, I'll take you to safety," I informed, the woman recognized me for a moment and hesitated. I swiftly grabbed her hand and easily pulled her up.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you," I whispered, so the woman just whimpered before thanking me.

I'm used to people judging me for what I did before, Hailey did everything she could to make people change their opinion of me.

But I don't mind people seeing me that way, if the people I care about know who I truly am, I'll be fine.

"You, wait for me here, I'll be right back," I told that guy, so he just nodded at me but a strange dragon appeared and grabbed that guy as he screamed.

"Theo!" The woman on my back screamed, so I casually gazed from above and noticed a woman with sapphire-like eyes that had a very threatening aura while riding that blue-scaled dragon. She looks the same age as the Leaders of the District.

I was about to come after them when I felt a presence beside me, "Don't, they're Crystal's parents, the mighty defenders of people from natural disasters," Katherine Tales appeared on my side in her combat outfit, she's riding Draven Woods.

I raised my eyebrows for a moment, I didn't know that woman has a history of defenders. Plus, they look nothing like her aside from their eyes, their aura is very different from hers. That woman has a warm aura yet that blue dragon and the woman who just grabbed that guy were cold.

"If that is so, they could've warned me because I won't hesitate to fight them myself," I claimed, so Katherine just laughed while tapping my shoulders.

"You're being too serious, Cal," she assumed when the hell I have not been serious about something?

"Oh, by the way, the ice dragons from the Sapphire District are stopping the flow of the lava in the center of the Diamond District, so we can focus on saving survivors here," she informed.

"Good, they're finally doing their jobs and they should make that quick, there's still lava's here," I gazed at our bright yellow, orange, and red surroundings.

"So, how's Crystal in her training?" she asked as we continued to roam on the lava flow to save others.

"Not worse than before," I answered her question, so Katherine looks relieved before staring at the vast night sky.

"I'm glad to hear that, thank you for teaching her, Calyx, I heard it from Nyx," she informed me, so I just nodded.

"You see, she had a hard time adjusting with her physical strength because of the pressure she's been receiving from her parents, I'm glad she's adjusting," she smiled, so I wondered for a moment.

Does she not tell them about the bullies that are almost ruining her life? I shook my head for a moment.

"She's barely keeping up, but she'll get better in time," I flew past them before glancing at her one last time.

"You better ask her if she's really alright, if I'm not mistaken, I think she's having a hard time at school," I informed her and left to continue saving other people.

Crystal Raine Meadows

After Ate Kathy left with Kuya Draven last night, I did my duty to take care of their firstborn and let little Trevy sleep early. 

Little Trevy was also exhausted from playing with his toys, he even wanted us to play dress up, good thing I managed to lure his imagination away from it.

I know I was planning to wait for them on the sofa, but I didn't realize that I dozed off while waiting for them to come back.

A faint shrug on my shoulders was to be felt, so I immediately opened the lids of my eyes and noticed Ate Kathy staring at me from above.

"Y-You're back," I mumbled before yawning, some parts of my body were sore again.

"You must be exhausted, you can rest in your room now if you want," Ate Kathy softly said, so I smiled before stretching my joints as I stood up.

My eyes peered at the outside and noticed that it's already morning, what the? I really slept that long?

"W-What happened last night? Are you guys alright?" I curiously asked before glancing at her presence.

She has no scratch or anything like that, I'm just so glad that they're safe, "We just evacuated people, Crystal, we won't gain wounds from it unless we have contact with the lava flow," she informed.

"Oh um, are you alright Crystal?" she suddenly asked, so I was really surprised that I almost backed away from her.

"W-What do you mean? O-Of course, I'm alright Ate Kathy," I reassured her and got nervous because she's staring at me intently. Did she hear what happened to me? Oh no! She'll be really furious!

She looked like she was wondering for a moment before shaking her head at me as she gave me a bright smile. Phew.

"Nothing and also, classes are canceled today, people from the Diamond District need to recover from what happened," she added, so my eyes widened. That's right, a lot of students live in Diamond District either.

A friend of mine lives in Diamond District! "A-Ate Kathy, I have to go out!" I told her before running upstairs to take a bath.

"Where are you going? Be sure to come back early!" she yelled downstairs, but I didn't mind her as I swiftly did my morning rituals and dressed into casual clothes. I just really need to go out today.

Jenny must be so worried right now, Rowen lives in Diamond District, so I need to be there for her.

After I thread my bag lightly on my right shoulders, I bid the Woods family goodbye and left their residence.

I sprinted and almost tripped again because of the uneven trails on the ground, crap! Why am I always tripping on random things?!

"N-Not now please, I can't have a sprain while going to Jenny again," I mumbled to myself before deciding to run again.

It didn't take me a while to arrive at the center part of the Ruby District. Luckily, I didn't take the enchanted forest route, or else I'll be lost again. I have to finalize my maps there and also finish studying the book I borrowed from our legends.

Jenny's house is a little bit far from mine, but you can walk to our house from there if you want. Though the shortcut would be much faster but never mind.

My eyes gazed around our surroundings and everyone seemed so busy and panicking, the evacuation centers must be placed all around the different districts.

"Please just allow me to leave and go there! My mate is there!" A familiar voice was rising in the middle of the streets, so my eyes peered over there and saw her hazelnut eyes that are full of overwhelming emotions.

I haven't mentioned this, but Jenny is really beautiful, her hair was bright cherry red, her skin tone was fair, and her hazelnut glinting eyes almost mesmerized me for a moment.

"J-Jenny!" I screamed, so she flinched before glancing at me. She teared up before running towards me to give me a tight hug.

"C-Crys, he's not responding to me, I-I have to check him myself," I heard her mumble, but I shook my head at her.

"He'll be more worried if you come there, let's sit down and talk okay?" I combed her hair, so she remained crying on my back.

To be continued...