Racheal steadied her breathing, every muscle taut as she prepared for whatever horror might crawl free from the chrysalis. She didn't know what kind of creature would emerge, but she wasn't going to take any chances. Her bowstring drew tighter, her arrow humming with faint tension.
Crack.
The sound rang sharp through the chamber.
Crack… crack…
The fissures spread quickly, racing across the blackened shell. Racheal narrowed her eyes, refusing to blink, refusing to drop her guard. Then, as the last of the black stone was drained completely into the chrysalis, the cracking stopped. The silence that followed was worse than the noise.
For a moment, the chamber held its breath.
Then,
Boom!
The chrysalis exploded outward. Shards of black flew in every direction, but before they could touch her, the fragments dissolved midair into dark motes, scattering like smoke in the wind.
Where the cocoon once stood, a figure emerged.
Racheal froze.
