** The Shadow King Rises**
**1. The Breaking Point**
Mikey’s scream tore through the cavern, raw and guttural, like the sound of a soul being ripped in half.
Damian strained against the invisible force pinning him to the wall, his claws digging into stone. The air itself had turned thick, suffocating, pressing against his lungs like a living thing. Shadows coiled around Mikey’s small frame, swallowing him whole, morphing his silhouette into something monstrous—something *other*.
Zelene’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp with desperation. **"Mikey, *fight it*!"**
For a single, fleeting second, the darkness shuddered.
Then Delores raised her hands, her emerald eyes alight with triumph. **"Kneel."**
The command wasn’t for Mikey.
It was for *Damian*.
An unseen forc
