BOOM!
A thunderous crash split the city as a massive figure was hurled from the sky, smashing into a towering skyscraper. Concrete and steel crumpled like paper, the building folding in on itself in a storm of debris.
The Veilwing screeched — a sound of rage and disbelief that rattled the barrier itself. Its enormous wings flared wide, scattering ash and dust as it rose from the wreckage. Crimson eyes burned with fury.
It had been certain. Certain it had vanished into perfect camouflage, unseen by any eye or machine. Yet the truth struck like a cruel revelation.
It had never disappeared.
Not once.
Instead, it had been caught — its very essence ensnared by something older, darker. Its supposed invisibility shredded like an illusion.
