GLASS || The Catalysts, #1 [REWRITE]

II

People are screaming as the train falls through the broken middle, the railway coming undone through the demon's jelly limbs which are definitely stronger than they seem.

The split part of the train angles downward so the two parts are inclined... towards the vortex of the enormous demon's mouth.

All passengers are trying to grab on to something, fighting gravity as they try to remain on the intact part of the train. Lena is so near to the edge she is scrambling for a hold, her hands desperately grabbing a tilted handrail as the broken train is becoming demon food.

Near her, Caelus balances precariously on the edge and doesn't fall. Instead of getting to safety, he begins to climb up the train through the broken opening with a boost of his abilities, sending a gale over both ends of the train. He's onto the train roof in no time, and when his golden-skinned friend on the other cargo tries to call out and stop him from doing anything reckless, he simply warns, "Back off, Neesha."

Both Roen and Neesha do not think twice; they back away just as Caelus steadies himself on the top of the tilting train before sending a powerful wave of air that worries Lena. In the case where the demon doesn't manage to gobble the entire train, she's pretty sure this powerful student of her age will make them fall with his dangerous powers. But when she grabs on for dear life as the train shakes violently from the forming storm meant to blast off the demon, the Aerotrain gradually to pull taut.

When Lena reopens her eyes from this real life roller coaster ride, she finds that the train is now free of the demon—which is blasted far away into one of the flying car tracks. With the demon now not as proximate, the train rights itself slightly from Caelus' efforts.

Still, despite his best efforts, the damage is done. The railway's about to give in from all the wreckage the demon has brought upon, and the Aerotrain, being this high up, is scarily no longer supported by the strong beams. Someone screams as the iron rail screeches, making the front half of the train jerk. The Aerotrain slides and then stops at a weird angle. The lights to the train are flickering, and people are trying hard not to move in fear of making things worse.

Too soon, the demon recovers itself. Instead of settling for its new surroundings, the giant creature seems to hold a grudge on both the Aerotrain that had failed to be its food, and Caelus who had prevented its feast. Through the slanted, broken glass, Lena can still see the demon clearly: its deep, swirling red eyes fix on the train still.

Outside, the clouds darken. Thunder rolls and rumbles, while lightning flashes. The crackling wave of electricity shudders the entire train. The greying sky is swirling into a funnel, and apart from lightning sizzling around it, the core is ejecting a flash of pinky-purplish light that looks about to burst. This sudden change in the weather is definitely artificial—the City of Leatia has a moderated weather system—and with horror Lena realizes that Caelus is the one controlling it.

He's about to end the demon. Lena finds herself far too invested in this entire scenario that she no longer finds herself in a fearful position; she, alongside the other passengers on the broken train, watches in awe as Caelus prepares to strike.

But all too suddenly, he stops. The churning vortex of a storm lifts and dissipates, before Caelus himself puts his hands up as if in surrender.

Lena and the other passengers are obviously slower to realize that something else is on the horizon, growing closer to the train.

Through an amplified speaker, a deep, authoritative voice booms in the air, "Stormbringer, stay right there and hold your position. Release the passengers at once and play no tricks."

The situation is as incomprehensible as Caelus' stoic expression even in this predicament. Curious, Lena braves through the shattered glass pieces and steadied herself against the glass panes, scrutinizing the situation outside. Why is Caelus now holding back, and why does it sound as if he is the one behind the Aerotrain's situation, not the demon?