The celebration had ended hours ago.
Elias stood alone on the sanctuary's rooftop, the cool night air brushing against his face. The city sprawled below him, a sea of twinkling lights that stretched to the horizon. It was beautiful. Peaceful. Everything he had fought to protect.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
The shadow had been quiet since the purification, its presence a comforting warmth at the edge of his consciousness. But tonight, there was a tension in the air. A stillness that felt unnatural.
You feel it too, the shadow said. The world is holding its breath.
Elias nodded slowly. "Yes. Like something is about to happen."
Something is coming. Not the void. Not the chaos. Something else.
Elias felt a chill run down his spine. "What kind of something
