The ground split open with a deafening roar. The light pouring from the fracture wasn’t silver anymore, it was black fire mixed with faint threads of red, twisting like it was alive. The earth trembled beneath my boots, the vibration crawling up my legs like a warning.
Everyone froze as the air filled with pressure so heavy it made it hard to breathe. It wasn’t just magic. It was something older. Something that didn’t belong in our world anymore.
Eryx moved first, stepping between me and the glowing crack. His voice was low, steady, but the power rolling off him made the trees shudder. “Stay back. All of you.”
The fracture widened.
And something crawled out.
At first, it looked like smoke. Dark shapes twisting together until they formed a body. Long claws. A tall frame. Eyes like burn
