The shadows closed around Zaira as she ran down the steps. Zaira heard Edna walking behind her. Turning a corner, Zaira spotted blue light glowing ahead. Coming out of the tunnel, the first thing Zaira noticed was the floating stone platforms. There were multiple of them, some floating around aimlessly, some forming a moving path leading up to a hole in one of the walls. The hole looked ragged as if someone had blasted it open instead of taking time to carve it. And the books. So. Many. Books. On the shelves, scattered about on the floor platform of the area, piled on the sand dunes, they were everywhere. Edna gasped behind Zaira, seeing it too. There was an air of calm about the whole place, making Zaira just want to sit down and read.

"It is real." Zaira breathed. Zaira expected a big "I told you so", but Edna seemed as enthralled with the secret archives as Zaira was. Before Zaira knew what she was doing, she was walking forward, and off the small piece of stone they were standing on. Zaira let out a small shriek, opening her wings to make sure she didn't fall. She found out she didn't need too. The floor was made up of small floating crystals that both supported Zaira from falling (Not that she needed to worry about that, she could fly) and gave her energy. Zaira looked up to see Edna flying between the floating platforms, up to the hole in the wall. Zaira did the same, landing next to Edna. The hole stretched farther into the wall, forming a tunnel lined with books. The hall was dark, only lit by a few candles and a ghostly floating lantern.

"Here we go..." Edna muttered and took off down the long hall. They hadn't traveled far before they reached a hole in the floor. This one appeared as if it had been blown open, like the entrance. Jumping down the hole, Zaira landed in the water. She heard a familiar screech.

"Edna! There are crabs down here!" She called up the hole.

"Where?" Edna jumped down, and a Dark Crab rammed her square in the chest, knocking her hard into a wall. "There, I guess," She groaned and sat up. "I'm guessing that they're here to protect this 'Forbidden Knowledge' since you can't fit a Dark Dragon in here," The two sky children heard footsteps behind them. "I sense shadow magic," Edna hissed quietly "We need to be careful,"

Zaira gasped as a tendril of ice trailed up her spine. She whipped her head around and saw ropes of shadow weaving themselves around her and Edna. One covered her mouth, and everything sank into darkness.

✵

"Shhhh they're waking up!"

"Fine. I'll be quiet."

"For once."

Zaira opened her eyes at two children. Most likely children of shadow, considering the black magic leaking from their hands.

"AUGH! LET US GO YOU DARK DRAGONS!!" Edna shouted, straining against the shadows retaining them. One of them, smaller, hair up in a bun, was speaking.

"Told you we should have just let them pass by,"

The taller one, hair pulled up in a hat, scolded the other one.

"You know the scrolls! These are the first children of light to be in the Forbidden Library in centuries!" The other rolled their eyes, and Zaira noticed neither was wearing a mask.

"Just because their spark is golden doesn't mean we need to meet them!" The smaller one pointed at Zaira's forehead, and she realized her mask was off her head and on the floor next to her. Reaching up to her forehead, Zaira felt the small colored gem that she always forgot about. The different color signified different personalities... or so she thought. It was against the rules of the elders to take off your mask, so she had never seen anyone else's. The children of shadows were a rich purple color, and looking over, she saw that Edna's was golden, like hers. Maybe they don't mean different personalities... I think they are how you can tell the difference between children of shadows, and children of light! But why would the elders forbid us from taking off our masks then?

"They're both awake, and have been for a while! We really should question them!" The small child of shadow said.

"Yes yes, I suppose we should," The tall one turned to Edna and Zaira "I am Onyx, and this is Rea! We are scholars here! Who are you?"

"Z-Zaira and this is Edna" Zaira replied to both of them. Rea muttered something about "Not proper questioning."

"Ah, Zaira and Edna. Such fine names. Now tell me... who else besides you has gotten touched by shadows?"

✵✵✵✵

"For all things, there is a moon and a sun. Light and dark. Good and evil. Magic has two halves. The children of shadow, and the children of light."