The coordinated strikes were merely the prelude.
Scouts brought urgent word the next morning: a massive veil rift had torn open in the contested neutral valley between Shadowveil and Frostfang territories. From it emerged a colossal entity—a swirling nightmare of tentacles, eyes, and whispering mouths that fed directly on fear and doubt. It had already engulfed two patrols, leaving survivors babbling about betrayals and inevitable defeat.
Liora insisted on leading the response. “This thing thrives on division,” she told the war council. “If we hesitate, it grows stronger.”
Her belly was unmistakably rounded now, the child’s presence a constant, vibrant spark. Riven rode beside her, his expression grim but resolved. Their enhanced mate bond thrummed steadily between them, a lifeline in t
