Silvanus dodged, his speed like a flash of light, leaving only afterimages behind.
He saw the skeletal merfolk's bone fingers pierce straight into the ground. A moment later, its body twisted violently. Its tail swept across the space and instantly coiled around the tree, its posture rising like a cobra preparing to strike. Huge pitch-black eye sockets locked onto Silvanus, filled with rage and warning.
It did not want Silvanus to touch this place.
And now that Silvanus was here, there was only one possible outcome—one of them had to die.
There was no time to breathe. The rattling crack of bone echoed once more, loud and jarring, like countless joints being forcibly snapped, the sound sharp enough to make one's teeth ache.
