The chamber smelled of blood, burned stone, and fear. Every surface bore cracks from the battle, and the crimson chains binding the Horror glowed faintly, still humming with power. Kael stood at the center, chest rising and falling, his aura pulsing in sync with the monster’s slow, shuddering breaths.
He had done it. The impossible.
The Horror lay chained, pinned to the floor and wall by bonds carved from his will and the shard’s command. The runes etched into the ground glimmered faintly, like embers refusing to die.
But silence never lasted long around power.
The shard beat inside Kael’s chest like a second heart, each pulse whispering insistently. Test it. Stretch the chains. See if it kneels when you command it.
He raised his hand. The crimson bindings tightened with a creak like
