Darkness was all that XueYa could see. Oppressive, all-consuming.
His limbs were heavy. Breath ragged. The black mass around his body kept him still, rooting him in place with nowhere to run.
"LiangLin?" XueYa's voice echoed in complete stillness. No answer. His skin prickled from the damp air, hair clinging to his cheeks. "Zhou? Sheng Hai you asshole, if you are out there, answer me!"
The black mass around him gained life, brushing against his back and abdomen like it had a life of its own.
His breath hitched, muscles tense.
Only then did XueYa see it, his breath stifling in his throat from fear.
Obsidian scales lay flat against the streamlined body, massive in their size as they moved around him, so large XueYa couldn't reach over the creature with his armw. Far ahead, two flaming red eyes gleamed in the darkness like rubies, studying him intently.