Vrrrmmm—!
The moment Ethan stepped through the spatial rift, a wave of nausea hit him like a punch to the gut. He staggered slightly as he emerged, blinking against the sudden brightness of the open field near Emerald Castle.
But the light didn't last.
The sky darkened in an instant, as if someone had drawn a curtain across the sun.
Thunder cracked overhead, sharp and violent. The air thickened with pressure, humming with static. Ethan's pupils dilated as he snapped his head up.
And there it was.
A massive golden Celestial Dragon coiled through the clouds, its scales gleaming like molten metal, arcs of lightning dancing across its body. The sheer force of its presence made the sky tremble.
BOOM—
BOOM-BOOM—
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—
Each thunderclap tore open swirling vortexes in the sky, as if the heavens themselves were being unraveled. The dragon's body twisted through the storm, its wings slicing the air, its roar lost beneath the crashing of thunder.
