The cavern air hung heavy with the acrid stench of charred scales and spent mana, the dungeon's jagged walls slick with condensation. Pale light bled from mana crystals embedded in the stone, their glow fractured across the uneven floor.
Jae stood over the dragon's corpse, its wings crumpled at unnatural angles, its massive chest still and cold. Smoke curled from between its teeth. His chest rose and fell hard, each breath scraping through his throat. The ember Blade in his grip still hummed faintly, the blue glow dimming as the heat of the fight bled from his muscles.
Yuna stood at his side, hair matted with sweat, her grip white-knuckled. She stared at the beast like she was afraid it might move again, her breathing shallow and quick. The oppressive silence pressed in, broken only by the slow drip of water in the far dark.
Jae swiped his forearm across his brow, his shoulders aching. A grin tugged at his lips, small but certain.
