"Stay close. I'll deal with them," Eyrx said coldly, his voice flat, unreadable. His massive tail slowly uncurled from around Thalina like a serpent preparing for war.
Thalina tensed instantly, breath hitching. Without thinking, her handkerchief shimmered into her palm—glowing faintly like it sensed danger.
The scraping halted.
Silence.
A thick, eerie quiet swallowed the cave. No wind. No birds. Not even the faint dripping of water. Just… stillness. The kind that made your skin crawl.
Her eyes narrowed. Something's wrong.
"Book", she called in her mind, gripping the scarf tighter. "What's the limit of this weapon?"
The book's voice echoed back coolly, "It's always at full limit. You only have to learn how to use it the right way."
"Helpful", she thought with a mental eye roll.
But before she could complain further—
Something lunged.
A massive black shape burst from behind the cave, shrieking like metal against bone. It moved fast, far too fast.
Eyrx barely turned.
