Chapter 72 : The Eclipse Rite
Al's POV
Vharok’s claws gripped my shoulders like iron vices, and before I could even brace myself, my back met the ground with a bone-jarring CRASH. The breath tore from my lungs. Pain flared hot across my ribs. He didn’t give me a second to recover—he hoisted me up again, and the world tilted before another slam rattled through my spine.
The ground was cold, but the air was burning with the stench of blood, smoke, and fury. My vision blurred, the edges fading in and out with each violent impact. I could taste iron on my tongue. Somewhere far away, I could hear the battle still raging—snarls, roars, steel on bone—but here, in this brutal rhythm, it felt like it was just me and him.
And then… it was as if the world itself slowed.
Through the haze, my eyes
