The world tilts.
Everything shifts.
Kael lies sprawled on the battlefield, barely conscious.
Blood seeps through his torn armor, streaking his fur and the earth beneath him.
Aria’s eyes widen as she stumbles toward him, panic surging in her chest.
“Kael!” she screams, her voice cutting through the war cries, the howls, the screams.
He tries to sit up, but pain pins him down.
His wolf snarls weakly, fangs bared at Malrik’s looming presence.
“Enough!” Malrik’s voice booms across the battlefield, calm, terrifying.
The air vibrates with his power—dark, suffocating, unnatural.
Aria trembles—not from fear, but from rage.
She leaps forward, silver energy rippling around her, claws extended.
“Stay back!” she screams.
Malrik steps lightly toward her, almost casual.
And then—
A shockw
