The giant eye stared down at him.
Kael could not move.
Not because his body refused to obey him, but because, for a moment, it felt like his body had forgotten how to move at all.
His entire existence was being crushed beneath an invisible mountain, a pressure so overwhelming that even breathing felt like a struggle.
His legs finally gave out.
His knees hit the ground with a heavy thud, but he barely reacted. His trembling hands pressed against the cold ground as he tried to push himself back up, yet his muscles refused to respond. A warm sensation slowly slid down his face. When he touched it, his fingers came away stained with blood. A drop fell from his nose onto the ground, followed by another. Kael stared at the blood beneath him, his expression blank as he struggled to understand what was happening.
For some reason, that small drop of blood felt more terrifying than the demon attacks he had faced before.
Because this time...
He wasn't injured.
He was being overwhelmed.
