But then, the water stirred—swirling with unnatural purpose, coiling around Lizarius like a serpent of its own. His golden eyes narrowed, tail twitching with unease.
"What is this?" he thought, instincts screaming.
The water surged, rising with a will of its own, closing in from every side. In mere seconds, it formed a perfect sphere—a floating orb of liquid, imprisoning him within.
Panic gripped him.
"I didn't know It could do this—wait, I can't breathe—"
He thrashed violently, wings beating against the liquid prison, claws slashing, tail whipping. But the sphere held firm. No cracks. No escape. The air in his lungs was running out.
Outside, the snake slithered forward—slow, deliberate. Its scaled form coiling beneath the sphere, blue eyes glowing like twin stars, unblinking and cold.
Lizarius felt his strength fading. His limbs slackened. The world dimmed.
"Am I going to die…?"
But just as the snake launched—its jaws yawning wide—something snapped.
Lizarius's eyes flew open, blazing gold, alive with fury.
"No. I will not die. I will destroy you."
Arcs of lightning exploded from his body, illuminating the watery prison in blinding flashes. The orb crackled as electricity danced across its surface. The water itself glowed from within, trembling under the sudden surge of power.
Then—
A thin beam of golden light lanced from Lizarius's eyes, piercing the sphere and striking the snake square in the head.
The serpent froze mid-lunge. Its glow vanished. It collapsed, lifeless.
The orb, now flickering with residual light, plummeted from the sky.
It struck the ground with a wet crash. Lizarius spilled out, coughing and sputtering, water streaming from his lungs. He lay still, chest heaving, energy spent.
Moments passed. Then, slowly, he rose—each step labored as he approached the snake's corpse.
He stared down at it.
"It's dead… But how?"
He tilted his head, confused. His claws hovered near the body.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
> [SYSTEM] Soul-based attack detected. Target deceased.
Lizarius blinked.
"Soul attack…?" he repeated in his mind, confused. And then the thought came:
"It must be the gene of the owl."