The roar lingered in the forest long after the sound itself had faded.
For several seconds, the clearing remained perfectly still, as if the entire woodland had paused to listen.
Even the wind seemed to hesitate among the tall branches above.
Leaves hung motionless in the air where they had been shaken loose by the earlier battle, drifting slowly toward the ground like silent witnesses to what had just happened.
Broken trees lay scattered around the clearing.
The earth itself had been torn apart during the fight.
Claw marks gouged deep trenches across the soil, and splintered wood littered the area where massive bodies had collided.
At the center of it all stood John.
The black dragon's massive frame cast a long shadow over the ruined clearing.
His scales reflected faint rays of sunlight filtering through the forest canopy above, giving his body a faint metallic sheen.
His golden eyes remained fixed on the dark wall of trees ahead.
