Zayn PoV
I grunted as his claws began to crumple my chest plate. He snickered, his four dog eyes glimmering like a wolf locked onto dying prey.
Staring directly into those four burning golden orbs, an unnatural, paralyzing chill seized my core. It wasn't the ordinary terror of a soldier facing a mortal blow—it was vast, ancient, and utterly bottomless. Looking into those eyes felt like stepping off the edge of creation, falling endlessly into a suffocating, starless abyss where no warmth, no sound, and no light could ever reach.
My breath caught, the sensation of endless falling dragging at my soul, threatening to pull my consciousness down into the dark. Every instinct screamed that this was the end of all things. That Taahid, my son, and the sovereign I lived to protect would all be swallowed by this creeping void.
No.
I gritted my teeth until they nearly cracked, forcing the paralyzing vertigo back with pure, stubborn defiance. I wasn't just going to drown in the dark.
