Mike was on his knees, panting, the remains of his clothes a scorched, blood-soaked ruin. All around him, the ground was scarred by the imp’s rampage, patches of earth left lifeless and drained. He realized the creature's fire didn't burn like a normal flame; it had consumed life-force, cosmic energy itself. His own burns were not charred but a pallid grey, the moisture seemingly vacuumed from his skin. Those parts of his body looked as if they
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