The ground shook as the mammoth and sabretooth tore into each other.
Tusks collided with claws. Flesh ripped. Trees shattered like dry bones beneath their weight. The jungle trembled under their fury.
This was my only chance.
I staggered toward the cracked temple gate and slammed my shoulder against the stone. Pain flared across my chest, but I hit it again.
And again.
The ancient rock didn't move.
"Move…" I growled under my breath.
Nothing.
Then the fighting stopped.
A sudden, unnatural pause.
I turned slowly.
The mammoth was staring at me.
Steam rose from its corrupted hide. Black veins pulsed along its tusks. Its red eyes locked onto mine with terrifying clarity.
I wasn't prey anymore.
I was a threat to its claim.
Before I could react, it swung its trunk.
The air detonated.
The shockwave struck like a divine hammer. My body lifted off the ground and slammed into the cracked entrance. Something inside my chest snapped. My lungs emptied in a silent scream.
Jagged stone tore into my back as I became wedged between the slabs.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't move.
Rain blurred into darkness.
Then I heard it.
The sabretooth.
It had seen its chance.
Through fading vision, I saw its shadow rushing toward me, jaws wide, fangs gleaming in stormlight.
Trapped.
My legs were pinned. My arms wouldn't respond.
This was it.
No power.
No revenge.
No rewriting fate.
Just death.
"No."
The word barely left my lips.
With shaking hands, I grabbed my right arm and forced it backward.
The socket tore free with a sickening crack.
Pain exploded through me. My vision turned white. I nearly blacked out.
But my arm went limp.
Through blood and rain, I raised my free hand and showed the beast my middle finger.
"Missed me," I rasped.
And my body slipped free.
The sabretooth's jaws snapped shut inches from my face as I rolled backward into the darkness of the temple.
Its claws scraped against stone, sparks flashing in the rain.
But it couldn't reach me.
Outside, the mammoth roared again. The fractured pillars groaned under the strain.
Then—
With a grinding, ancient thunder—
The entrance collapsed completely.
Stone sealed the world away.
Silence fell.
I lay on the cold temple floor, bleeding into dust untouched for centuries.
The jungle was gone.
The beasts were gone.
It was dark.
Too dark.
The pain in my chest throbbed with every heartbeat. My shoulder hung useless at my side. I tried to push myself up, but my arms trembled and gave out.
The silence inside the ruins felt heavier than the storm outside.
Not empty.
Watching.
I forced myself to breathe slowly.
In.
Out.
Stay awake.
The darkness here felt different. Thicker. Older. It pressed against my thoughts like something alive.
Not like this… I thought faintly.
Not before I change everything.
Cold stone met my cheek.
And everything went black.