Flames. Flames everywhere.
They were engulfing him—everything around him. He couldn't breathe.
"Aaaagh!"
His voice cracked through the inferno. Every inch of his skin felt like it was peeling off. The air, thick with heat and smoke, clawed its way down his throat like fire itself. He coughed violently, each gasp only pulling more searing agony into his lungs. His eyes, wide and frantic, darted around for anything—anything—to grab onto. A hand, a rope, even a scrap of fabric.
Nothing. Just endless, dancing crimson flames, licking higher and higher like they were laughing at him.
"Aaaaaaah!"
He screamed again, but there was no answer. No response. No savior. Just the roar of fire, consuming all.
Then—
Something moved.
Through the haze and pain, his blurred gaze caught a shadow. No... not a shadow. Eyes. A pair of eyes, steady and unblinking, watching him. Amused. Distantly amused. Cold.
