Blackstone Fortress ritual chamber was a tempest of warring energies. At the epicenter, Kai stood before the massive, pulsing tear in reality, his small frame radiating a cold, desperate power.
Jin, spear firmly in hand, fought the last ragged wave of cultists at the choke point, but his focus was repeatedly drawn back to the scene at the altar. Jin watches Kai perform the counter-ritual, witnessing a power that defied every known law of the Northern Empire.
Kai was channeling every filament of his 6th Circle mana, forcing the complex, reversed energy flow. The illusion magic masking his identity had vanished under the strain of the counter-ritual. Kai's power was fully on display; no more hiding. His hair, stark white, was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and his eyes—his true, bri
