Alice stepped forward.
Each step echoed sharply across the ice, deliberate and heavy.
The Snow Lion leader snapped its gaze to her—its primal fury reigniting the moment she entered its range.
Her boots crunched frozen shards beneath them. Her breath fogged the air in slow puffs. The temperature around her dropped with each movement, the ground crackling beneath a thin film of ice spreading from her aura.
She wasn't rushing.
She didn't need to.
The lion let out a low, guttural grrrrrrrr, a warning deep in its throat—then exploded into motion.
RRRRAAAAAAAAAWWWRRR!
The roar slammed into the walls, vibrating through the stone like thunder. I winced, even from where I lay.
The beast charged, claws outstretched, weight barreling forward.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—!
Alice pivoted sharply.
whoosh!
And slipped just outside the path of the lunge.
SLLLASH!
Her sword came up in a blur—cutting across the beast's shoulder. Blood sprayed against the cave wall.
