The air crackled with energy as the battle raged on, each clash of weapons and surge of magic echoing through the vast throne room.
Zoe clenched her jaw, her gaze fixed on Aden.
He moved with unnatural grace, even with his grotesque, twisted form.
The dark energy around him seemed to pulse with each movement, as though feeding off his anger.
"Keep him busy!" Zoe shouted, her voice strained with effort.
Gavin lunged forward, his sword a flash of steel as he struck at Aden.
His movements were swift and deliberate, but Aden twisted away with serpentine grace, avoiding the strike.
Snacks was already darting around Aden's legs, his small, waist-high form proving to be an elusive target.
The little dragon leaped in, sinking his teeth into Aden's ankle, his sharp fangs finding purchase in the tattered remnants of Aden's attire.
Thank you for sticking with Zoe and the gang through this intense chapter! I had a lot of fun writing the ups and downs of Zoe's mana struggle and her hilariously desperate move with the soda can. Sometimes, even in a life-and-death battle, absurdity finds a way to sneak in—and that’s what I love about Zoe’s approach to all this chaos. She's flawed, a bit lazy, and a little too snack-obsessed, but she cares deeply about her friends and finds creative (and sometimes ridiculous) ways to push through.
The fight isn’t over yet, as Aden refuses to stay down. The next chapter will continue to test our heroes' limits, and I can't wait to see how they'll rally to finish this once and for all. Stay tuned, and don’t forget to stock up on snacks—you might need them as much as Zoe does!
Working on new SPM content #75 scheduled for 2/1. See Tumblr!