The creature’s wings stretched wide, blotting out what remained of the crumbling sky. Each flap sent tremors rippling through the ground, dust and shadow swirling in violent spirals. The air turned thick—suffocating—like breathing ash and ice at once.
Selena couldn’t move.
Not because she was weak, but because the thing in front of her defied every rule she’d ever known. The way it breathed, slow and deliberate, made the entire abyss pulse. It was as though the world itself had been holding its breath… and now it exhaled something ancient, wrong, and alive.
Damian’s grip tightened around hers.
His voice was hoarse. “That’s not just another demon.”
Selena nodded, her golden light flaring instinctively. “No. It’s something that shouldn’t exist.”
The creature’s eyes opened—slits of molt
