AWAKENING OF THE ANCIENT DARKNESS
The night air had a chill that seemed unnatural, heavier than any ordinary cold, pressing down on the forest like a suffocating weight. Kael, Nara, Lyra, and Riven moved cautiously through the dense underbrush, senses heightened to the limits. The Queen had been contained, Selara had disappeared, and yet… something older, more powerful, more patient was stirring.
Lyra’s golden light pulsed faintly, harmonizing with the residual energies of the Bloodbound. “I can feel it,” she whispered, voice tense. “It’s… ancient. Older than the Queen, older than any of the Bloodbound line we’ve known. Something that has been waiting… waiting for this moment.”
Kael’s wolf form bristled, muscles coiling like drawn steel. “I feel it too. This presence… it’s not just powe
