Chapter 48: Ashes and Fang
His vision was starting to blur.
Blood trickled down his temple, warm and sticky. His grip on Revenant Fang was weak, slippery with sweat and red. Every breath was a blade in his lungs, and the air reeked of acid, smoke, and his own burnt flesh.
Across the clearing, the serpent reared again.
It was injured. Blind in one eye. Covered in cuts and burns. But it wasn’t slowing down. If anything, it looked angrier.
Noel couldn’t even lift his left arm anymore.
’Fuck me... This isn’t working.’
He stood, barely, knees trembling under his weight. The blade in his hand felt like it weighed a hundred kilos.
His heartbeat pounded louder than the beast’s hiss.
’If I miss one more step, if I trip once... I’m dead. That’s it. Game over.’
And then something clicked.
A pulse. Faint... but deep.