The weeks after the ritual battle at the Johnson ruins passed in a blur of blood, shadows, and uneasy alliances. M. City and Lisle City had never been the same. Whispers of the “Sovereign of the Eternal Night” spread through every alley, academy, and underground arena. Some called Matt a savior who protected the weak from corrupt Kai and mercenaries. Others branded him the harbinger of a new dark age that would swallow the light of Dou Qi forever.
Matt stood on the highest rooftop of the expanded Blood Veil Colosseum complex, now a fortified headquarters for the growing Night faction. The building had been reinforced with stolen Qi wards mixed with Noctaryn runes from the Codex pages. Below, the city lights flickered like distant stars, but his Essence Sight revealed the true flows — puls
