The sky above Manhattan was no longer a part of the human world. It was a weeping eye of violet lightning and absolute darkness. Sophie stood at the center of the storm, her feet rooted into the black glass of the library steps. Every fiber of her being screamed in protest as the weight of the Iron Tomb pressed down from the upper atmosphere. The jagged, terrifying silhouette of the black tower was becoming more real by the second. It descended with a rhythmic and grinding hum that shattered the pavement for blocks.
Valerius was a furnace of amber light inside her mind. He was holding the structural integrity of the library together, his essence acting as a bridge between the shifting dimensions. Sophie could feel his exhaustion. His soul was being stretched until it was paper thin.
"Sop
