The shadow's realm had grown quiet.
Ethan had been trapped there for months, his consciousness bound to the void, his spirit merged with the darkness. The figure was contained, its power diminished. The world was safe.
But something was changing.
He felt it first as a tremor—a faint vibration in the fabric of the shadow's realm, like a stone dropped into still water. Then it grew, spreading outward, rippling through the darkness that bound him to the void.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice echoing in the silence.
The void answered, its voice cold and ancient. "The barriers are weakening. The Primordial Shadow is stirring."
Ethan felt a chill. "But Kael is holding the barriers. He's the guardian."
"The barriers are weakening. The shadow is too powerful. Even the guardian cannot hol
