I clutch Jesse tighter.
“He’s not doing it for them,” I whisper.
Jesse tilts his head.
“For who?”
“For us,” I say softly.
For you.
For me.
For everyone.
The realization settles deep in my chest.
This isn’t performance.
This isn’t reckless bravado.
This is choice.
The proto-beast roars again as another volley of energy blasts slams into its flank.
It staggers.
Just a little.
More units move in, surrounding it, coordinating their fire.
“Stay down,” I murmur. “Stay down?—”
The creature thrashes violently, tail lashing, jaws snapping.
Then—
Something shifts.
A coordinated strike.
Multiple blasts hitting the same point along its side.
The beast lets out a deafening roar?—
And collapses.
The ground shakes with the impact.
Dust billows upward in a massive cloud.
For a moment, everything goes still.
Then the roar fades.
The movement stops.
Silence spreads outward in a slow, disbelieving wave.
