The creature’s roar shattered the air, shaking the obsidian beneath their feet. Its wings—vast, skeletal, wrapped in shadow—unfurled with a horrifying grace. The abyss trembled, as if recoiling from its presence. This was no ordinary demon. No lost soul.
This was a god of shadows.
A forgotten terror.
And it was free.
Selena gripped Damian’s hand tighter, her golden aura flaring protectively around them both. “What is that thing?”
Damian’s eyes narrowed, lips bloodied. “I don’t know… but it wasn’t here before.”
The creature stepped closer, the earth buckling beneath its feet. Its voice slithered across the void like smoke. “So long… imprisoned beneath her rule. Waiting for someone foolish enough to destroy the gate.”
Selena felt her stomach drop. “The queen was the gate?”
“She wasn’
