'It's not.'
Eli's breath hitched as his eyes locked on the creature's massive body. The serpent was still twitching—its movements weak but unmistakably alive.
Its scales rippled with every shallow breath, a low hiss spilling from deep within its throat, rattling through the air like distant thunder.
"Damn it," Punzo spat, the sharp curse slicing through the momentary silence.
The proud fire user's shoulders sagged, his flame sputtering out at his fingertips as the team's brief celebration died in an instant.
The serpent wasn't dead.
Far from it.
Even from where Eli was standing, he could see the burn marks etched across its side — blackened, cracked, and steaming.
There was no blood, not even a wound deep enough to reveal flesh, but the damage was clear.
Its scales shimmered faintly, each one fractured like tempered glass under too much heat.
And yet… it lived.
