The cavern had never felt so small.
The moment Aetherion spoke his name, the air itself seemed to grow heavier, thicker, like the mountain was struggling to breathe.
Aetherion.
The First King of Darkness.
A being older than the wolves.
Older than the dragons.
Older than the very world my ancestors had fought to protect.
And he was standing right in front of me.
Watching me.
Studying me.
Like I was something he had been waiting centuries to find.
Behind him, the ancient beast that had nearly destroyed us struggled to rise from the rubble where Aetherion had thrown it.
The creature snarled, massive wings trembling.
“You should have stayed sealed!” it roared.
Aetherion barely glanced back.
With a small flick of his fingers, invisible pressure crushed the creature back into the
