"To Nayra getting rid of every last Vessel in the world!"
Swathed in reddish-black energy, a pair of monstrous hands emerge out of the darkness. Covered in gruesome amber scales and clumps of mud-brown fur, they inch closer and closer towards the woman's neck. Grazing her skin are the tips of the fingernails on those hands, which are fitted like nails—long, thin obsidian claws ready to plunge into her and make sure she never wakes up again.
Nayra looks at the woman, reduced to nothing more than tears.
Looking at her expression, Shiran realizes with a start that it must be her mother. Seconds away from being mauled by that vicious Vessel.
Determined to stop it from happening, Shiran lifts his hands towards the woman. He's about to push her out of the way when Dhaishu's scream pierces through the thickening silence.
"Shiran Da, you're killing Ma!"
Waking up with a start, Shiran's head rolls down in panic—eyes landing on a pair of clawed hands in his lap, staining his vision with a reddish-black haze.
Blinking it away, he inhales.
His hands — now human, with fingers and nails and palm-lines he recognizes — tremble uncontrollably.
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