Buzz hit the ground harder than he expected.
Not bone-cracking hard, but enough to scrape every nerve down his spine. His breath jolted out in a raw cough as he rolled across the heated metal floor, still clutching the cracked creature to his chest like a child he couldn't drop.
The cavern hummed.
A restless, low rumble, like hundreds of living things pressed together under one skin.
Zza wasn't here.
Alma wasn't here.
The Elder wasn't here.
Just Buzz.
The broken creature in his arms.
And the figure standing in the middle of the forge like it owned air.
Buzz pushed himself upright, claws slipping on molten dust. "Okay… stay calm. Don't fall apart on me. Come on— breathe."
The cracked creature whimpered faintly, shaking hard enough to rattle Buzz's ribs.
A slow set of footsteps approached.
Measured.
Heavy.
Confident.
Buzz lifted his head.
The First Attempt stood in front of him.
Buzz expected rage.
Expected growls.
