The sound did not come again.
The great gate stood motionless, yet every person inside the Chamber of Chains remained frozen where they stood. The echo of those enormous claws scraping against stone lingered in the silence, refusing to fade. Even the ancient guardians, who had stood watch over this prison for centuries, remained kneeling with their heads bowed.
Whatever existed beyond the gate had awakened.
Kael slowly lowered his sword, though his muscles remained tense.
“No one goes closer.”
The command was quiet but absolute.
The royal guards obeyed immediately, retreating a few cautious steps from the broken chain. The unconscious soldier who had been consumed by the black mist was carried farther back while the healers examined him, but none of them understood what they were fac
