Then another trio, identical, glistening with malice, just below the first. And a third, lower still, gleaming with primordial hunger. They belonged to a creature of nightmare: a colossal, three-headed serpent, its scales the colour of ancient rust, its immense body coiled around the Demon Blood Flower, acting as its formidable guardian. Each head, massive and adorned with sharp, venomous fangs, slowly turned towards Jian, its collective gaze fixed on the intruder. A low, guttural hiss, thick with ancient power and territorial fury, vibrated through the very ground.
Jian Vareth, his blood-red hair stirring in the heavy air, met the multi-headed gaze, his own crimson eyes burning with a fierce, unwavering resolve. A guardian, he thought, a cold, predatory smile slowly spreading across his
