The bronze coin pulsed with a sickly, irregular rhythm.
Clek stood in the garden, his hand pressed against his chest, feeling the coin's desperate beat. Something was wrong. The corruption was gone, the source destroyed, the heart of the darkness shattered. But the darkness was still there, lurking at the edge of his awareness, waiting.
And now, it was inside him.
He had felt it for days—a cold whisper at the back of his mind, a shadow that seemed to cling to his thoughts. At first, he had dismissed it as exhaustion, the weight of the battles taking their toll. But it had grown stronger, more insistent, a presence that seemed to have a will of its own.
Aria's presence flickered in his mind, sharp with concern. "Clek. What's happening? I can feel something wrong."
"I don't know." His v
