The shattered tree groaned as the man's body slid down its splintered trunk. For a moment, nothing moved.
Dust drifted through the ruined courtyard like gray snow. The others tightened their grips on their weapons, their senses stretched thin.
Then the man stood up, slowly. A pressure rolled outward from him like a silent wave. Bahamut's pupils shrank in awareness and familiarity, while Ren's ears twitched sharply.
They both recognized the pressure in an instant.
Death Intent.
It wasn't merely killing intent. Death intent was something deeper... an oppressive presence born from creatures that had fed on life for too long. Predators that had refused to stay dead, but not living either. To normal people, it felt like drowning in a thick, cold water.
To Bahamut and Ren, it felt familiar.
The air around the man darkened as the sickly green glow in his eyes intensified. Then his body began to move.
