Heat surged through Adrian's veins as he held his ground. Even standing still, the alpha's presence seeped into the air, pressing into his chest, gnawing at the edges of his mind. I have no idea what its capabilities are, I need to know what it can do.

  The alpha's empty sockets fixated on him, twin voids in the shape of eyes. It did not breathe. It did not shift. Yet its presence radiated out in slow, crushing waves. Behind Adrian, the smaller creatures pressed forward, forming a loose, circling perimeter. Trying to trap me are we? Not a chance.

  With a sharp flick of his wrist, Adrian hurled a jet of blue fire toward the towering monstrosity. The flames tore through the darkness, searing the air as they struck the alpha’s chest in a violent explosion of heat. For an instant, the cavern howled with the furious roar of burning flesh. The fire coiled around the beast’s frame, warping the space with shimmering waves of heat.

  And yet, the attack didn't seem to do much damage. The alpha did not writhe or retreat. Flames clung to its flesh, licking up its torso in crackling streaks of blue, but the creature stood motionless, its hollow sockets locked onto him with an unreadable emptiness.

  Adrian’s pulse thundered against his ribs. Not even a flinch? This one's more durable than I thought.

  Then, the alpha shifted. It lifted its head in a slow arc. The way it moved was not instinctive but calculated, as if it knew exactly what it was doing. And then, the next time Adrian blinked, it was gone.

  Dread slammed into Adrian’s chest. The cavern walls blurred as he threw himself backward, fire bursting from his palms in a scorching barrier between them. Heat rolled outward in a furious wave, but before he could steady his footing—

  A shadow sliced through the flames. Talons lunged from the inferno, parting the fire as if it were nothing but mist. Adrian twisted, a breath from being cleaved in two. The air hissed as the claws slashed past his throat, close enough for him to feel the rush of displaced air. It's too fast.

  The alpha struck again, and this time, Adrian barely ducked in time. The beast didn’t lash out wildly like the others,it actually appeared to aim its attacks. Every swing, every strike, held purpose.

  Adrian gritted his teeth. It’s testing me. Just like I’m testing it.

  Suddenly, a blur of movement flashed to his left. One of the lesser monsters lunged, seizing the opening with gnashing fangs and gleaming claws. Adrian’s body moved before thought could catch up. His palm snapped outward as blue flames erupted in a searing torrent.

  The fire struck dead center, swallowing the creature whole. It shrieked, a high-pitched, keening sound, its body convulsing as unnatural flames devoured it from the inside out. Bones cracked, brittle under the searing heat, splintering like dry twigs in a storm.

  But another soon came. Then another.

  Adrian exhaled sharply, pivoting on his heel as his flames flared to life once more. He swept his arm in a vicious arc, fire trailing in its wake, forcing the creatures back before they could tighten the noose around him.

  But as he took action, for a split second, Adrian did not notice the Alpha's movements. That was precisely when it decided to strike.

  A crushing force plowed into his ribs, ripping the ground from beneath him. The world tilted violently as he was hurled across the cavern, weightless for a heartbeat before stone met flesh. Pain lanced through his body as his back slammed into unyielding rock, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. He hit hard, rolling over jagged stone, the bite of it cutting through his tunic as he fought to push himself upright.

  No time. The alpha was already moving.

  Its looming form eclipsed the cavern’s dim glow, a wall of muscle and malice barreling toward him. Clawed fingers stretched wide, black talons gleaming as they carved through the air. Adrian wrenched himself to the side just as they slammed into the ground where he had been, stone shattering beneath the sheer force of the blow.

  Another strike, faster this time, no room to evade. Adrian countered. His flames roared to life, surging up in a pillar of blue fire, slamming into the alpha’s outstretched arm. Just give up already!

  But the alpha did not falter. Its other arm lashed out, bypassing the fire entirely. Adrian barely threw himself backward in time, but even the near miss sent a shockwave rattling through his frame. He staggered, boots skidding against uneven stone, flames flickering violently with each ragged breath. I can’t keep doing this.

  He was fast, but the alpha was faster. His flames burned hot, but this thing refused to fall. And the others, the lesser creatures still lingered in the dark, eyes gleaming, waiting. Watching.

  Adrian needed a moment. Just one second. Need to find somewhere where I can breathe.

  Then, he saw it: a jagged stone pillar jutted from the cavern floor a few paces ahead. Not much, but enough. Adrian darted toward it, slamming into the rough surface just as the alpha lunged again. A sharp crack split the air as its talons scraped against the rock, carving deep furrows and sending shards of stone clattering to the ground.

  Adrian pressed his back against the uneven surface, chest heaving, flames curling low around his fingertips. Sweat trickled down his temple, though whether from the heat or the tension winding through his ribs, he couldn’t tell.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  The alpha did not pursue immediately. It lingered just beyond the pillar. Adrian swallowed, his mind racing. It’s watching me, possibly studying me. Perhaps part of it does fear me to an extent, should be good enough to buy me a minute or two.

  Adrian pressed himself tighter against the jagged stone, his breath steady despite the wildfire coursing through his veins. I think it would be too difficult trying to scare this thing away. But killing this thing is going to be impossible, unless…

  There was something he could use. Something stronger. A spell few could wield, one that was as much a risk to himself as it was to anything in his way. But I don’t have a choice.

  Adrian's heart pounded as he inhaled sharply, tasting the damp earth and stone, feeling the raw energy seething beneath his skin. This is going to hurt.

  A sharp scrape of talons against rock shattered the heavy silence. Adrian stiffened, heat surging through his body in waves. Every muscle screamed to move, but he forced himself still. It found me.

  Then, a breath. Deep, guttural, deliberate. It filled the cavern, reverberating through the walls.

  Adrian clenched his jaw, forcing himself to wait. He could feel it, the thing lurking in the darkness, waiting just as he was, measuring the moment between predator and prey. And then— Crack.

  The rock behind him groaned, splintering as something immense slammed into it. A spray of jagged shards exploded outward, slicing through the stale air. Adrian lunged forward as another devastating strike carved through the space he had just occupied, razor-edged claws shearing through the stone pillar.

  He landed in a sprint, boots striking against the cavern floor. Behind him, the alpha closed in, its presence a looming shadow at his back. He didn’t need to look to know how close it was. I need time. Just a little longer.

  Heat built beneath his ribs, rising, demanding release. It clawed at his skin, unshaped and untamed, a storm writhing just beneath the surface. Adrian parted his lips, his voice barely above a whisper. "The gods have abandoned you, but I shall not."

  When the chant was finished, the air thickened, shifting with something unseen but undeniable. A pulse rippled outward, invisible yet suffocating, like the breath of a sleeping giant stirring in the deep.

  Seemingly ignoring the change of pressure in the air, the alpha lunged. Meanwhile, a searing light ignited across Adrian’s left hand, carving itself into his flesh and branding him with an ancient sigil.

  He clenched his teeth, barely swallowing the cry that threatened to escape. It burned, not like fire, but like something far deeper, something etched into his very being.

  The cavern trembled, reality bending under the weight of an unseen force. From the shadows above, something took shape. A ribcage of monstrous proportions rose from the abyss, half-formed yet undeniable, its sheer scale eclipsing the cavern itself. Hollow sockets, vast and lifeless, gazed from the darkness above, their unearthly scrutiny pressing down upon the world below.

  The alpha had no time to react. Its momentum carried it forward, straight into the titan’s ribs. The impact struck like a mountain crashing against another, the sound of it a deafening crack that echoed through the cavern. The lesser creatures shrieked, their voices a discordant chorus of fear. Naturally, the alpha staggered, its talons scraping wildly for purchase as it recoiled. Adrian’s breath came in sharp, uneven gasps, his left hand still ablaze with the sigil’s glow. He lifted his arm, and the titan moved.

  Its skeletal hand descended, fingers curling into an open palm, its motion echoing Adrian’s own. He twisted his wrist, guiding the force with unyielding intent.

  The titan obeyed. Bone met flesh.

  The alpha barely had time to snarl before the titan’s palm struck, crushing it into the cavern floor with a force that sent a tremor rolling through the ground. The sheer weight of the impact cracked stone, sent debris shooting into the air in a plume of dust and splintered rock.

  Silence followed. The lesser creatures froze, their empty sockets fixed on the destruction before them. They did not rage. They did not hunger. They feared.

  A low groan, deep and shuddering, vibrated through the chamber. The ceiling split. Adrian’s gaze snapped upward. The titan’s strike had done more than shatter the alpha’s body, it had fractured the foundations of the cavern. A trickle of dust fell, then larger fragments, tumbling like grains of sand heralding a landslide.

  It didn't take long for the cavern to collapse. Adrian ducked, flames bursting to life around him, flickering in desperate defiance, shielding him from the worst of the cascading wreckage. The titan loomed above, its form flickering, its presence struggling to hold against the chaos it had unleashed.

  Dust choked the air as countless rocks fell, obscuring everything in a dull haze. Adrian lifted an arm over his face, steadying his breath as he pressed his back against an outcropping of rock.

  His body ached. His vision swam with fading embers of power, the sigil on his hand dimming. But as he exhaled, he felt it, the cavern had stopped rumbling. I… I'm alive.

  Dust swirled in sluggish currents, settling over the remains of the cavern. Adrian exhaled, steady but ragged, feeling the tension coiled in his limbs refuse to unspool.

  Above him, the skeletal titan loomed for a moment longer, its vast, towering form flickering at the edges like a dying flame. Then, with a soundless exhale, it dissolved, vanishing completely.

  Adrian's body sagged as exhaustion claimed his body. Unlike before, his muscles did not seize, but each breath dragged through him as if his very bones had turned to lead. He stumbled, scraping against loose debris, and caught himself against the nearest boulder. Damn it.

  He dragged himself into a sitting position, back resting against the rock as he forced his breathing into a steady rhythm. Just need a break.

  Fortunately for Adrian, after summoning the titan, not even the scavengers that had lurked in the tunnels dared to approach. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, resting against the stone with his head tipped back, staring into the fractured darkness above. The weight in his limbs refused to ease, though his breathing evened out, the sharp ache in his ribs dulling into something more manageable.

  Even still, Adrian knew he couldn’t stay here forever. Move.

  He exhaled sharply through his nose and pushed himself up. His legs protested, exhaustion sinking into his very bones, but he forced himself forward, step by step, breath by breath. I need to find a way out.