The void seemed to bend as the giant body, sheathed in pitch-black scales, dragged itself forward like an iron plough tearing a furrow through soil. Each plate scraped, a dry rasp like stone on bone, and the space around it puckered as if reality itself recoiled.
The snake was fast, so fast its immense size warped perception; movement blurred then stretched, every twitch registering as if time stuttered. Across the ranks, hearts hammered, a heavy drum marking each frame of the charge.
It moved with the simple intention to strike and kill. Its maw yawned wide, darkness opening into a tunnel of glistening flesh. Long, gleaming teeth caught the light, twin great swords forged with meticulous care and set in living gums, angled toward Thalira's small body.
She waited and let death draw near. No one would save her this time, and she needed no one—because she wasn't truly alone anymore.
She raised her silver rapier high. Silver cracks spidered outward.
