The weight of the creature pressing against the barrier felt like the world itself was leaning on my shoulders.
My arms trembled as I held them forward, shadows pouring from every direction toward the enormous claw trapped halfway through the crack in the sky. The darkness wrapped around it like chains, twisting tighter and tighter, trying to force it back.
But the creature was strong.
Too strong.
The pier groaned beneath us as the massive claw scraped across the broken wood, splintering planks and sending debris into the water below.
Cold wind blasted from the tear in the sky, carrying with it a foul, ancient scent that made my stomach turn.
"Adrian, hold it!" Kael shouted.
"I'm trying!" I yelled back, my voice strained.
The bloodline in my chest burned like fire. I could feel it surging through every vein, every nerve, fueling the shadows that fought against the creature's advance.
But the pressure was increasing.
The crack above us widened another inch.
The creature growled again, the sound vibrating through the harbor like distant thunder.
Lyra stepped closer, her eyes fixed on the tear in the sky.
"It's forcing the barrier open," she said.
"That sounds bad!" I snapped.
"It is bad."
The creature's claw suddenly jerked forward again.
The shadows tightened instantly, pulling against it with everything I had.
For a brief moment, the claw stopped.
Then it pushed harder.
My knees buckled slightly as the strain shot through my body.
I clenched my teeth.
"Kael…"
"Yes?"
"I don't think I can hold this much longer."
Kael's eyes flicked upward toward the crack, calculating.
"You must."
"Very motivating."
Lyra crouched beside a broken section of the pier, studying the dark energy spilling from the tear.
"The crack is unstable," she said.
"That sounds like the opposite of reassuring," I muttered.
"But it also means the creature cannot fully cross yet."
Kael nodded once.
"That is our advantage."
I gritted my teeth as another surge of power slammed against the shadows binding the claw.
"I'm starting to run out of advantages!"
The creature roared again, louder this time.
The harbor water churned violently as waves slammed against the supports of the dock.
The sky darkened further, clouds swirling around the crack like they were being pulled toward it.
My chest burned as the bloodline pushed more power into the shadows.
But something else was happening.
Something strange.
The shadows around the creature weren't just restraining it anymore.
They were reacting to it.
Like they recognized it.
My eyes widened slightly.
"Kael…"
"Yes?"
"The shadows feel… different."
"What do you mean?"
"They're not just responding to me."
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"They are responding to the creature as well."
"Why would they do that?"
Lyra answered quietly.
"Because it comes from the shadow realm."
That made my stomach drop.
"So the shadows are connected to it too?"
"Yes."
"Great," I muttered. "That's just great."
The creature suddenly twisted its claw, slamming it sideways into the pier.
The impact shattered another section of wood and threw all three of us backward.
I barely managed to keep my balance as I skidded across the broken boards.
The shadows faltered for a second.
And that was all the creature needed.
The claw surged forward again, breaking through the weakening barrier another few inches.
Now part of its massive forearm was visible through the crack.
Dark scales covered the limb like armor, each one absorbing the dim light around it.
My heart sank.
"That thing is getting through."
Lyra stood quickly.
"The barrier is collapsing faster than expected."
"Why?" I asked.
She looked at me.
"Because of your bloodline."
I stared at her.
"Again?!"
Kael nodded grimly.
"The creature is being drawn to you."
"That's not my fault!"
"No," Kael said calmly. "But it is your responsibility."
I stared at him.
"You're very calm for someone watching a giant monster crawl through the sky."
"I have seen worse."
I blinked.
"Somehow that makes me feel even worse."
The creature's glowing eyes appeared again behind the crack, watching us closely.
It flexed its claw, testing the strength of the shadows binding it.
Then it pushed again.
Harder.
The shadows began to tear apart under the pressure.
I felt the backlash instantly.
Pain shot through my chest as the bloodline struggled to maintain control.
I dropped to one knee.
"Adrian!" Lyra shouted.
"I'm fine!" I gasped.
"You are not fine."
"Okay… maybe a little not fine."
The shadows flickered violently around the creature's arm.
The crack widened again.
Kael stepped in front of me.
"You must focus."
"I am focusing!"
"No," he said sharply. "You are resisting."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"You are treating the bloodline as a weapon."
"It is a weapon!"
"It is more than that."
Another surge of dark energy blasted from the crack.
The creature roared again.
The sound made the pier tremble.
Kael grabbed my shoulder and forced me to look at him.
"Listen carefully."
I nodded weakly.
"The bloodline is not simply power," he said. "It is connection."
"To what?"
"To the shadows themselves."
I looked around.
The darkness across the harbor was shifting, moving like a living tide.
"Instead of forcing them to obey," Kael continued, "let them move through you."
"That sounds very philosophical for a life-or-death situation."
"Do it."
The creature slammed its claw against the pier again.
More boards shattered.
Water surged through the broken gaps.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Fine.
If forcing the shadows wasn't working…
Maybe I needed to try something different.
I took a slow breath.
Then another.
The bloodline pulsed in my chest, warm and powerful.
Instead of pushing the shadows outward…
I let them flow.
Like water.
The darkness around me surged instantly.
Not violently this time.
Smoothly.
Calmly.
The shadows rose from every corner of the harbor—under the docks, beneath the ships, across the towering cranes of the port.
They gathered around me like a silent storm.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"It's responding."
Kael nodded slowly.
"Yes."
I lifted my hand toward the creature again.
But this time I didn't command the shadows.
I simply moved with them.
The darkness surged forward in a massive wave.
It slammed into the creature's arm like a tidal force.
The monster roared in fury.
The shadows wrapped around its limb, pulling it backward toward the crack.
For the first time since the battle began…
The creature actually moved.
Its claw began sliding back toward the tear in the sky.
My heart pounded.
"It's working!"
Lyra stepped back, stunned.
"The shadows are forcing it out!"
The creature struggled violently.
But the shadows kept pulling.
More and more darkness gathered from across the harbor, flowing into the wave.
The crack in the sky began shrinking as the creature's arm was forced back through it.
The glowing eyes narrowed in rage.
Then the monster roared one last time.
The sound shook the sky.
But the shadows didn't stop.
With one final surge, they yanked the creature's claw completely back into the crack.
The tear in the sky snapped shut instantly.
Silence fell over the harbor.
The cold wind disappeared.
The swirling clouds slowly returned to normal.
And the shadows collapsed back to their usual places.
I dropped to both knees, breathing heavily.
My body felt like it had been hit by a truck.
Lyra stared at the sky in disbelief.
"You… pushed it back."
Kael looked at me with quiet approval.
"Yes."
I wiped sweat from my face.
"Remind me never to do that again."
Lyra finally looked down at me.
"You realize what you just did, right?"
"Nearly died?"
"You forced a creature from the shadow realm back across the barrier."
I blinked.
"That sounds impressive when you say it like that."
Kael turned toward the city skyline.
"But this was only the beginning."
I groaned.
"Of course it was."
Lyra crossed her arms.
"The crack closed… but others will appear."
I slowly stood, my legs still shaking.
"Meaning?"
Kael answered calmly.
"The scouts are only the first wave."
I stared at the empty sky where the crack had been.
Then I sighed.
"Fantastic."
Because something told me that next time…
It wouldn't just be a claw trying to come through.