The sanctuary was bathed in the soft glow of the Primordial Light, its gentle rhythm pulsing like a heartbeat through the chamber. Elias sat at the center of the room, his eyes closed, his breathing slow and measured. The shadow was quiet inside him, at peace for the first time in what felt like forever. The Rite of Separation had worked. The connection to the void was severed. The shadow was free.
But something was wrong.
He could feel it in his bones. A nagging sensation, a whisper at the edge of his consciousness that refused to be ignored. The void was still out there, and it was still coming. The Rite of Separation had freed the shadow, but it hadn't stopped the void's advance. If anything, it seemed to have made things worse.
You feel it too, the shadow said. The void is angry. It
