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The mirrored lake bulged outward like a membrane stretched from below. A serpentine skeletal head surfaced. It has teeth of raw ore, and twin globes of swirling plasma eyes. Lightning flickered inside its translucent neck, illuminating a segmented body that shifted between solid metal and liquid quicksilver.
The creature hissed with a sound like solid hitting water. Kai's spear slid to his hand.
Predator's Instinct mapped weak points: joint seams where metal plates overlapped; a pulsing core of molten ore behind the skull.
The Tesseral Seraphim lunged at him.
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the sun drenched canopy of the southern forest, far below the chatter of birds and the scent of blooming fungi, a nest breathed.
It was not large. It was not grand. It was hidden by design.
