A crackle, sharp and erratic, like live wires snapping through the air. A sizzling, popping sound, faint but distinct, coming from below.
I didn't know if it was Zivra… but at this point, anything suspicious was worth checking.
Without hesitation, I blinked downward, materializing on a thick tree branch overlooking the forest floor.
My eyes scanned the direction of the sound, following what my ears had already locked onto.
A beast.
And it was crackling.
It looked like a leopard. Sleek and powerful, its body moved with the kind of grace that didn't make sound—not even a crunch of leaves beneath its paws. Muscles coiled beneath a flawless coat of snow-white fur, broken only by black rosettes that looked less like natural patterns and more like burn scars, as though lightning itself had marked the beast.
SIZZLE.
