The darkness before Vlad shifted. He could see something moving in front of it, vast and serpentine. A scale of shimmering black obsidian slid past, gleaming with an oily sheen, before disappearing into the darkness again.
Vlad's eyes widened, his lips parting in shock, his heart beating like war drums as he saw the creature before him.
A pair of massive crimson eyes stared down at him, each one as large as his whole body. Numerous small patterns shifted inside them, seeming almost alive, swirling like galaxies trapped in twin suns. Its pupil was in the shape of a vertical diamond slit, cold and ancient, looking at Vlad with an intensity that pierced his soul.
Beside them appeared another pair of eyes, these golden with a deep black round pupil, a flicker of golden lightning shifting inside them as they regarded Vlad with equal curiosity.
