And very, very close.
Si Hon wasn't the only one who heard it.
The moment that heavy sound rolled across the rooftop again—
Flap.
Flap.
Flap.
—everyone turned toward the sky almost instinctively.
And there it was.
The dragon.
.
Its enormous body dragged itself across the side of the ruined school building, black scales grinding against shattered concrete as chunks of debris rained endlessly from above. Up close, the thing looked even worse somehow. Bigger. Realer. Its claws alone were large enough to crush entire classrooms flat, digging deep grooves into the structure while smoke curled faintly from between its jagged teeth.
It wasn't merely "large."
That thing looked like it could wrap itself around the entire third floor if it wanted to.
The rooftop fell quiet for half a second.
Not calm.
Just stunned.
Because seeing it directly across the school was something else entirely.
Even the air felt heavier now.
Then Si Hon's thoughts immediately derailed.
(Wait.)
