The tyrant's massive chest heaved, its feathers on the head bristling like daggers, like any bird ready to fight. Its claws flexed, gouging deep furrows into the stone beneath it. Every fiber of its being burned with the injustice of it.
This was the thief who had robbed it of its destiny?
This was the insect who dared claim what was rightfully its own?
Derek met its gaze, his own eyes still flickering with the fading embers of the fruit's power.
And in that moment, the monster hated him not just for the theft, but for the audacity of thinking he could take what belonged to the strong.
The air between them crackled with impending violence.
It wanted to destroy him.
Utterly.
Back in the ruins.
The fight had settled into a rhythm.
The elephant-like monster lumbered forward, slow and massive. It couldn't run. It couldn't jump. But it didn't need to.
Its hide was thick enough to ignore almost every attack and it only cared about Kaitlin.
