The impact knocked the wind from my lungs. I lay on my back, blinking up into darkness so complete I couldn't tell if my eyes were open. My hands patted my chest, arms, and legs and found nothing broken. The cold seeped through my clothes, and damp air pressed against my skin.

"Seraphina?" My voice cracked. "Elixander? Anyone?"

I rolled over and got to my feet, and yelled again.

The silence pressed in around me. I fumbled in my pocket for the gem Elixander had given me. A faint blue glow spilled from between my fingers as I cupped it. I pointed my palm down so it illuminated the ground.

I looked around for the others, frantically, hoping no one else had fallen and was hurt. Now that I was at the bottom of the chasm things were hazy. I had fallen, but I wasn't sure if others had also been tossed off the staircase.

I lifted the light upward. There was no one nearby; as I had fallen, I remembered striking something hard that had sent me spinning away in a trajectory that had potentially taken me far from the staircase. The effects of the stone Elixander had given me had not only slowed my descent, but had also changed the direction of my fall, sending me in an arcing drop.

I continued to turn and call out for the others but my voice echoed from the stone walls. There was no response.

Smooth stone spread out beneath my feet, its surface unlike any masonry I'd seen before. The gem's light caught something metallic nearby—a tall pole rising from the ground. As I approached, a soft hum filled the air, and pale light bloomed from its tip. My footsteps triggered more poles to life, creating a path of illumination through the darkness.

"This is…" I didn't really have words for what I was seeing. If this place was as old as it was thought to be, how did it still look this remarkably clean? How was any of it still standing? How? I shook my head. Maybe I’d hit it when I’d struck the ground.

The lights revealed an entrance arch that defied natural geometry, with curves bending in ways that made my eyes strain to follow. Beyond that stretched wide roads paved with sheets of seamless stone that seemed to suck in the light. Buildings rose on either side, their surfaces rippling like frozen liquid metal. Spires twisted toward an invisible sky, connected by bridges that appeared too delicate to hold weight.

I stood in place and shouted for the others again, but my voice echoed and no one returned my call.

Strangely, my boots barely disturbed the thin layer of grit coating the ground. The city felt preserved, as if time had barely touched it. More lights flickered to life as I walked, revealing glimpses of windows filled with dark crystal and doorways that spiraled inward like shells.

Where in the hell was I?

Seraphina would search for me, assuming she’d survived the fall, if she had fallen. I was still fuzzy on who had joined me on my descent. And Elixander, whatever his feelings about me, wouldn't leave anyone behind. Unless they just plain could not find me.

I considered my options. They always say that if you are lost in the woods, you should remain where you are to make it easier to be located. But “they” didn’t have an entire lost city stretching before them. Seraphina would understand. I bent down and drew an arrow in the dust, hoping they would notice it if they came to find me. And if not, I could follow the arrows back.

I walked deeper into the city.

The buildings rose around me like frozen waves of metal and stone, their surfaces catching the light in ways that defied logic. My footsteps rang hollow against the smooth stone beneath my feet.

Something felt off about the scale of everything. I stopped at one of the doorways and placed my hand on its frame. The top of the arch barely reached my chest. The windows, too, sat lower than expected, more suited for someone of Lady Churl's height than mine.

"Seraphina! Doan! Anyone!"

No answer.

This place was genuinely creepy. I considered racing back the direction I had come and waiting for help. But I had to be realistic. I'd been carried who knew how far away and this place was so massive it was hard to reckon in the relative darkness. If not for the strange overhead lights I never would have bothered walking this far in the first place.

The street curved ahead, following a pattern I couldn't quite grasp. More poles lit up as I walked, revealing shop fronts with display windows still intact after countless years. Through the crystalline panes, I glimpsed shelves and counters sized for a race of people who must have stood no taller than my shoulders.

A cool breeze brushed past my face, carrying a sweet scent that made my eyelids droop. My knees wobbled, and I caught myself against one of the metallic walls.

"No, no." I jumped up and down, shaking my head to clear it. "Stay awake. Stay awake.”

That had to be one of the zephrinid Elixander had mentioned. A creature that could make me fall asleep and steal my belongings. The joke was on that thing, because I didn't have anything with me worth taking, except the Heart of Shadows, and that thought was chilling enough to leave me wide awake.

The breeze returned, stronger this time, invisible hands tugging at my clothes. My thoughts turned fuzzy around the edges. The urge to close my eyes, just for a moment, felt almost irresistible.

I slapped my cheeks, and the sharp sting helped to focus my mind. "Whatever you are, I'm not interested in a nap."

Rounding the corner of what might have been a shop, or a taco stand, for all I knew, with its two foot wide lip projecting over a short wall as if set up to serve meals. Just like everything else down here, it was too short and entirely too alien.

I suddenly came to a stop. Ahead of me, lights illuminated a ghostly figure standing in the middle of the street. Its skin gleamed like polished granite, with swirls of silver and copper catching the light. Despite being shorter than me, it carried itself with dignity, its crystalline eyes sparkling like gems. What I first took for hair flowed like liquid metal down its back, and its clothes seemed carved from light itself.

"Uh-"

The creature stepped toward me. Something swirled around it. A shape that was more mist than anything else.

"I'm… uh. I'm lost. Can you help me?" I asked dumbly.

I had nothing in the way of a weapon. No way to fight back in case this strange creature attacked.

Actually, there was one thing I had. Something I had tried not to think about. I could always remove the Heart of Shadows and do a little on-the-job training in how to do death magic, but the thought was laughable.

The little humanoid figure opened its mouth, and a noise came out. It tried again.

"Are you attempting to talk to me?”

Again, there were noises like groans and clicks.

I held my hands up, palms out, and said, "Okay. I'll be going now. Take it easy."

As I took a step backward, the creature launched toward me, but it had both of its shimmering hands out, approximating my gesture, which brought me to a stop.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The creature's mimicry left me frozen in place. Each time I shifted my weight, it instantly copied the movement. As it took another step toward me, I noticed its feet didn't quite touch the ground.

"Are you a ghost? I can sometimes see them," I told the creature. It stared back impassively. “It’s weird. I know.”

The mist around it—the Zephrinid, I suddenly realized–whipped forward and struck. Before I could turn to run, it wrapped around me in a cold embrace. My knees buckled as waves of exhaustion crashed over me. I fought to keep my eyes open, but my thoughts turned to cotton.

A small, crystalline hand grabbed mine. The touch sent an icy jolt through my body.

Images flooded my mind. The creature's curiosity radiated through each one—questions about who I was and where I came from. It showed me pictures of itself learning from others, absorbing their knowledge through touch, but the creatures he had previously held in his hands were foreign to me. Wisp-like beings. Long limbed, floating, and translucent figures with elongated heads. Others defied description. A plea formed in my mind: Would I share my thoughts so it could learn my speech?

What choice did I have? I mentally nodded. The creatures obviously controlled the zephrinid and could send it to chase me down if I ran.

The flood of images intensified. My memories of English crashed against this world's common tongue, creating a chaotic swirl. The creature's confusion rippled through our connection as it tried to make sense of languages from two different worlds. It finally settled on the one I currently spoke, and it seemed content.

The thing was not greedy, and returned knowledge to me.

The dead city in which I currently found myself appeared in my mind. Not the dark, abandoned shell I stood in, but a place of great beauty. Spires of living metal reached toward a crystalline dome that sparkled with artificial stars. Streets paved with sheets of pearl-white stone wound between buildings that defied physics. Surfaces flowing like liquid mercury, windows glowing with inner light. Bridges of pure energy arced between towers.

Hovering vehicles zipped through the air on threads of light. Music filled the streets—notes that couldn't exist in nature, played on instruments that bent reality itself. The inhabitants, barely reaching my shoulders, moved with fluid grace through their shining metropolis, their metallic hair catching the light from multiple sources.

Fountains danced with painful geometric precision. Their plumes made impossible shapes before falling in perfectly calculated drops. Gardens floated on light platforms, filled with plants that bloomed in colors I had no names for. The entire city hummed with energy, every surface alive with patterns that shifted and changed like living things.

A name formed in my head.

"You're a ferrokin!" I exclaimed to the dwarf-like creature.

The ferrokin released its grip and nodded. I looked down and realized it hadn't actually been touching me. Its skin was a mirage. This was a spirit, like my ghost pals at the Shadow's Respite.

"You're not real."

"You are correct, in a sense. I am very much a live being, but I barely exist in bodily form."

The ferrokin's mouth moved smoothly around the words like it had been speaking them like a native all along.

"You can talk now. Incredible.”

"Thank you, Varix, for sharing your knowledge with me. I apologize for using the form you call a zephrinid to lull you. It was the only way to safely approach without completely spooking you. I am called Triolux," the ferrokin said. "Though my true name would make little sense to you. It speaks of attributes beyond your comprehension."

"Like what?" I asked.

"In your tongue, it would translate poorly. The closest meaning would be 'one who seeks wisdom through the crystal paths.' But that lacks the nuance of our language."

"There you go. It's not beyond my comprehension at all."

The ferrokin offered a weak smile.

"Your people built all this?" I gestured at the surrounding city.

"Yes. We were the ferrokin. Masters of metal and stone, shapers of the earth's bones. This city was one of our greatest achievements."

"Was?"

"We slumbered in the great hall, near the Earthheart—our most sacred place. When the cataclysm came, we shifted into a near-ethereal state to survive. However, that survival made us live on very little energy and we were forced into hibernation. I know much about you, Varix Vel'Naris, from our shared connection moments ago."

I hoped he didn’t know too much!

"When I fell from up there," I pointed in the general direction I thought I had fallen from, "there were others with me. Are they here? Are they hurt? I'm really worried about them."

"Alas. I sense no others near the city. I will send out more zephrinid to search for them."

I glanced at the misty form hovering nearby. "You have more of those things?"

"They are helpers. Yes. I have access to many helpers. The city has no little power to activate them."

"I have so many questions…"

"And I shall be happy to answer them. In truth, I find myself glad to be once more among the living. My sleep has been so very long. I also find this mode of communication to have a certain charm. I must thank you again for sharing your knowledge with me."

Like I had a choice. Still, this little guy was fascinating.

"Some of the zephrinid have been gathering knowledge for me, helping me learn about those who dwell above. But the workers it found earlier carried little useful information. You are the first I could properly communicate with. There is a race of lupine like creatures. They were known to us long ago. They have changed much, but remain similar to their origins.”

“The gnolls. Yeah. They’ve been looking for this place.”

“Have they now?”

“I don’t get it, but I was trying to help them. Look, I'm trapped down here. I need to find a way back to my people."

"There is a way. It relates to why you were brought here. While we slumbered, great changes shook the world. Something awakened us."

"What do you mean, 'why I was brought here?’”

"I have been sending zephrinid to seek connections to those above."

"Why?"

"Because now that you are here, we can finally free the creature that has been shaking the earth."

"A creature?" I asked.

"Yes. Come with me, and I will show you."

“Show me? What? Where?”

“Follow, please.”

"But I don't want to move too far from where I landed. They might be looking for me."

"My form is not complete. I will show you how to make a signal they will not be able to miss. I would do it myself, but it may be many of your years before I am completely corporeal."

"But you touched me. I felt your hand."

"I expended much energy making that contact. It was a risk. One that paid off. We can now converse."

"So many questions…" I said again.

I didn’t have much choice but to follow Triolux through the ancient streets. If I could activate whatever signal he was referring to, the others would be able to find me. "How long have your people been down here?"

"Since long before the first human kingdoms rose," Triolux said. "We shaped metal with thought and built cities that touched the sky."

"What happened to the rest of your people?"

"Many still sleep. Others walked the long paths to the surface, and faded in the light. We were not warriors, but creators, scholars. When the world broke, we chose to wait rather than fight."

"The cataclysm, what caused it?"

"A battle between powers we barely understood. The Earthheart cracked, and reality itself warped. Our cities fell as one. The decision was made to preserve one for the future; that city is where you find yourself while the Earthheart had time to heal."

"Damn, Triolux. That is…" I trailed off, unsure what to say to this. "I'm sorry."

“Yes. It is, as you would say, a lot. Tens of thousands of your years of history compressed into a moment.”

“When you put it that way…”

Triolux led me through more twisting streets, past structures that seemed less like shops and more like research facilities, or schools, with their windows dark and strange equipment visible inside.

Another tremor rocked the ground. I stumbled, looking frantically for shelter as the metal walls around us rippled like water. "We should get under something!"

"Be at peace," Triolux said. "This city is part of the Earthheart itself. Its foundations run deeper than you can imagine. Though it cracked and bled into the depths, the Earthheart will always be here. While not completely indestructible, it would take far more than these tremors to bring it down."

"What do you mean, not completely?"

"You shall see soon. It sleeps now, but once repairs are enacted, it shall be awoken."

"Wait. What will be what?"

We rounded another corner and I stopped dead in my tracks, my mouth falling open. Before us lay a scene of devastation that stood out sharply against the pristine city. An enormous building had partially collapsed, its flowing metal walls crumpled and broken. Beneath the twisted wreckage, something massive shifted.

Scales the size of shields gleamed in the light from the poles. A muscled limb larger than a horse strained against the debris pinning it down. The creature's head alone was the size of a wagon, its closed eye bigger than my fist. Even in sleep, each breath from its nostrils sent out puffs of steam that curled in the air.

"Is that a fucking dragon?" I exclaimed.