The air around the rift twisted violently, shadows rippling outward like liquid smoke. Aria stood at the center of the lattice, her Ember flaring brighter than ever, golden threads extending to touch every shard and mist, her heartbeat synchronized with the pulse of the Expanse itself. Yet even as the keepers formed a protective perimeter around her, all attention was drawn to the colossal shadow emerging from the rift.
Its presence pressed on her very core, a weight older than memory, older than the Veil, older than the Forgotten Lord. Every instinct screamed that this entity could unmake worlds. And yet, somehow, it seemed curious, interested in the spark within her, the fire that had already reshaped the lattice in ways no one thought possible.
Kael gripped his sword tighter, his gaze
