James stood frozen on the hovering vessel, his hands gripping the edge as the flames devoured the massive spider below. The blast had been immense and strong enough to shake the entire clearing, yet its control was surgical. The explosion never spread beyond the spider's form, as if the fire itself had been told exactly what to burn.
He could feel the heat even from up here, but what unsettled him most was the precision. Whoever that boy was, his command of flame was… unnatural.
The figure responsible descended lightly through the drifting smoke, landing before the smoldering carcass. His crimson hair caught the glow of the burning forest floor, and his eyes, sharp, red, and steady, never left the crippled spider. Floating just over his shoulder was something even stranger: a doll-sized figure with black wings unfurling from her back, feathers glinting like shards of shadow.
James and his squad stared wordlessly from their vessel. None dared speak.
