The poison river bubbled.
It was subtle at first, a faint hiss, a wisp of steam rising from the dark liquid. But those who knew the Coliseum of Ancients understood what it meant.
The poison was rising.
It would burn.
It would consume.
And everyone had to move.
Suho felt it before he saw it.
The heat.
It crept up from the edges of the stage, a warmth that wasn't comforting, wasn't welcoming. It was the heat of something dangerous.
Something hungry.
Something that wanted to eat through flesh and bone and leave nothing behind.
He looked down.
The poison river was closer than it had been.
It had risen, only inches, but inches mattered when the stage was surrounded on all sides. The black liquid lapped at the stone edges, hissing softly as it touched the ancient rock. Thin tendrils of steam curled upward, carrying a smell that made Suho's eyes water.
It's rising.
Faster than I thought.
I need to—
He didn't finish the thought.
Because Muscle Bender was still frozen.
