The sky above the Temple of the Primordial Shadow had turned an unnatural shade of crimson.
Ethan felt it before he saw it—a disturbance in the balance, a cold presence that seeped through the barriers like water through cracks in a dam. His consciousness reached out, touching the edges of the world, searching for the source. He found it in the Temple, where Kael had been bound for years, his spirit the guardian of the barriers.
The shadow was stirring.
"I can feel it," Ethan said, his voice echoing in the Nexus chamber. "The Primordial Shadow is awakening. Kael is losing control."
Ava was beside him, her hand resting on the crystal at the heart of the Nexus. "What do we do?"
Ethan was silent for a long moment. Then he said: "We go to the Temple. We help Kael hold the barriers."
"Tha
