Claire's POV
The moment I stepped out of the cave, a faint rumble crawled up through the soles of my boots. At first, I brushed it off, thinking it was just an aftershock from the earlier quake—but the trembling didn't stop. It grew stronger, deeper, until the entire ground seemed to pulse like it was alive. Pebbles rolled down from the cave walls, dust trickled from cracks above, and then—one of the larger rocks near the entrance split clean in half.
"What the hell is Shredica doing in there?" I muttered, half worried, half annoyed.
Before I could even take another step, a deafening boom erupted from deep inside the cave. The sound was so powerful it shook the air itself. My ears rang as the entire ceiling tore open like paper, and something enormous exploded out of the darkness—launching a blast of wind so intense it almost threw me off my feet. I stumbled, shielding my face with my arm as a wave of dust and debris slammed into me.
