The moment Kael looked afraid of what was beneath us, I understood with terrifying clarity that everything until now had only been the beginning.
The realization settled heavily through the fractured space as the ground beneath our feet continued trembling with deep, violent pulses that no longer felt connected to the unstable system surrounding us. This was something older than the seal. Older than the bond. Older than the fear carried in the eyes of the figures surrounding us. And it was waking up.
The ancient markings blazing across the fractured ground spread outward rapidly, glowing brighter with every pulse erupting beneath the collapsing seal. The surrounding figures stepped backward instinctively, their discipline holding, but tension had finally broken visibly through their comp
