I plopped down on the ground, scrubbing my face with my hands. I knew I had to go through with this—it was the only way. But just the thought of approaching him—calling him—made me want to throw up.
“Are you okay, Ian?” Lilli asked worriedly.
“I’m fi—” I started to say, then stopped. “No.” I shook my head. “I’m not fine. I’m scared,” I admitted, realizing I didn’t have to fake it anymore. I was still traumatized by what happened in Dragon Ops. But that was okay. It didn’t make me pathetic. It didn’t make me weak. And if anyone could understand that? It would be my sister. Because she’d gone through the same thing as I had. She was still scared, too. Even if she had a harder time showing it.
I gave her rueful look. “All this time, I’ve been running from Atreus. Hiding away. And now I’ve got to face him again.”
Lilli nodded slowly. She put a hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to face him again,” she clarified, looking me in the eyes. I could see fear swimming in her own pupils. But also determination. “We’re a team, remember? If we do this? We do it together.”
Starr slapped a hand on my back. “Together,” she agreed.
Yano sniffed loudly. “Aw, so beautiful,” he cooed. “Like the Avengers, coming together to save the world!”
My sister put out her hand. I laid mine on top of it. Starr put hers over mine.
“Gear up, Dragon Slayerz,” Lilli said with a small smile. “And let’s go get us a dragon.”
And that was how we found ourselves standing on top of the trash mountain again, gazing into an empty sky. Hoping (yet not hoping) to see that big bad dragon soar into view. My heart was racing a thousand miles a minute. But I stood my ground. Like Lilli said, I wasn’t alone. And maybe this would work, and maybe it wouldn’t, but either way, Ikumi deserved for us to try.
“Go on.” Lilli nudged me. “Call for him.”
Right. I turned my eyes back to the sky, my whole body trembling now. This was it. Once I opened my mouth, addressed the beast, there would be no turning back.
Ready or not, Atreus would come.
“ATREUS!” I yelled at the top of my voice. “It’s me, Ian! Are you up there?”
For a moment, there was nothing, just my voice echoing across the game. And then…
“Oh my gosh!” Starr cried. “What is that?”
I turned my head to see what she was referring to, dread sinking in my stomach at what I saw. Not Atreus at all, but rather a giant robot stomping over in our direction. And let’s just say he didn’t look friendly.
Uh-oh.
He was vaguely human shaped, wearing metal-plated armor trimmed with red. At least twenty feet tall and super heavy, judging from the way the trash mountain quaked with each of his steps. I was pretty sure it’d be no problem for him to crush us under his heel and be done with us once and for all if he wanted to.
And he really looked like he wanted to.
“What do we do?” Lilli asked. “Do you think we can fight it? We are higher level now. But still—that thing is so big!”
“The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” Yano declared, squaring his shoulders. “Just watch me crush this little gnat right under my—”
The robot’s eyes glowed red. Lasers shot from its pupils, straight at Yano.
“No!” I cried, horrified.
But the lasers met their mark, blasting through Yano’s metal hide. The dragon staggered backward, sparks dancing across his flanks, smoke pouring from all three mouths. “Blurgh!” He tried to speak. “BLURGHHHH.”
He vanished into thin air. And the robot turned its laser eyes back on us.
“Watch out!” Starr screamed, diving toward a nearby trash pile.
I joined her just in time. The robot’s eyes shot more lasers, this time directly where I had been standing. The ground sizzled on impact, literally melting away before my eyes. If I had still been standing there? Graveyard city.
I turned to my sister and Starr. Thankfully, they’d both made it to the trash pile in time. Not that it would do us much good long term. I was under no illusions that this thing couldn’t blow our hiding spot to smithereens at any moment. And us with it.
What to do? What to do?
Suddenly a shadow crossed the sky. I looked up, my heart sinking as I realized who had finally arrived.
“Oh no!” I cried in dismay. “Not now!”
As if a giant laser-beam-shooting robot wasn’t enough. Now we had a dragon on approach as well. Atreus must have heard my call—and at the worst moment, too. Why, oh why, had I thought it was a good idea to call him before making sure we were safe? Now we’d have to deal with both of them at the same time.
I watched, frozen in place, as Atreus circled above, his wingspan larger than I remembered, his scales darker, his mouth crueler. For a moment, he seemed to be searching. Then his eyes locked on me. My stomach rolled in fear.
He’s just a computer program, I tried to remind myself. He can’t hurt you in real life.
I forced myself to look back at him. “Atreus,” I said, trying to keep the fear from my voice.
You called, tiny human? he whispered in my ear. Are you finally ready to play again?
The giant robot stomped closer. His eyes locked on the trash pile in front of us. I heard the rev of his engine whirring to life. In one second, he’d be ready to fire.
“Yes!” I cried to the dragon. “I’m ready to play again!”
Same rules as last time?
I drew in a breath. “No,” I said. “New rules. This time we’re on the same team.”
For a moment, the dragon didn’t answer. I held my breath, praying it would work. That
