The ringing in Seris's ears was deafening. Every breath sent a sharp, wet grind through her jaw, but she couldn't focus on the pain.
She lay half-buried in the ground. Thick, dark blood filled her throat, forcing a sudden, violent cough that sprayed red over the cracked stone beneath her. Her throat burned like fire with the taste of blood.
She tried to take a steady breath, but her lungs hitched with a sharp, ragged gasp. The purple mist from the monster's open mouth had shattered her Lunar barrier instantly, leaving her pathways raw and frozen.
Blood dripped steadily from her nose, pooling on her hands as she dug her nails into the dirt to push herself up.
Through the thick haze of dust, she couldn't see the full street, but she could see the shape. The huge, fourteen-foot grey horror stood in the center of the road. And directly under its raised clawed foot lay a familiar white coat, torn and stained with blood.
Leo.
