"What the hell is that?" Max's voice cracked as the words left his mouth.
The air itself trembled, thick with sulfur and ancient malice. From the shattered heart of the volcano, the golden titan had fully emerged, towering far beyond the mountain peaks, its colossal frame blotting out the crimson sky.
Its eyes locked onto them: molten gold, ancient, furious, and starved with a hunger that had waited thousands of years for something worth devouring. Scales like liquid sunlight gleamed wet with fresh lava, and every shift of its massive shoulders sent fresh geysers roaring into the air.
Max's stomach dropped. Beside him, Rosalia clutched her waist, trembling so violently her teeth chattered. Her eyes had gone glassy and slightly unfocused, as if the mere presence of the creature was pressing down on her dragon blood like a physical weight.
