Kael felt it instantly. That cold, piercing focus.
(He's after the shard… after me.)
"I'm wasting too much time here," Kael muttered under his breath. "I should leave it to them… and get out while I still can."
He turned to slip away quietly — but then, shouts erupted from the forest.
"RUN! RUN—!!"
Everyone turned.
Dozens of students came stumbling through the trees, eyes wide with terror, some bleeding, some covered in dirt and ash.
"What the—?" Jin muttered, wiping blood from his mouth.
One of the students tripped and fell, crawling on the ground. "There's—there's a madman! He's killing us!"
Cecelia's face went pale. "What?! Who?"
A deep, guttural rumble echoed, trees cracking, birds scattering into the sky.
And then it appeared.
From between the shattered trunks, a giant demon stepped out. Its skin was gray and molten, its arms dragging across the ground, claws sharp enough to carve stone.
