Fred's mind raced, panic warring with confusion. Why was a teenager—gifted or not—engaging a beast that had easily defeated a team of trained EVA agents?
Fred tried to speak, tried to warn Jayden, to tell him to get out of there. But his throat was too damaged, his lungs too full of blood. Only a wet, choking sound emerged.
Jayden didn't look back again. His attention was entirely on the Ancient Flare as it rose from the debris, shaking its head to clear it. The beast's eyes locked onto this new threat, and a deep, rumbling snarl emanated from its chest. It was really pissed.
Jayden didn't flinch. He didn't even take a combat stance. Instead, he calmly reached into thin air—accessing his inventory—and pulled out two glass vials. One contained a liquid that glowed soft green in the moonlight. The other shimmered with a deep purple hue.
