The c***k split wider, and Vesk finally retreated toward the tunnel, soldiers scrambling ahead of him as pale light poured upward from the fracture like something breathing for the first time in years.
"Move!" Doran shouted, grabbing Bellan's arm and hauling him toward the passage.
Gad didn't move. The current in his chest had reached a pitch he couldn't ignore, pulling him toward the c***k instead of away from it, like something on the other side recognized him specifically.
"Gad!" Mira grabbed his shoulder. "We need to go."
"It's not the same thing," Gad said, voice strained. "This isn't the entity from the manor. This feels different, smaller and older."
Bellan turned back from the tunnel entrance. "Different how?"
"Quieter. Like it's been waiting a long time and doesn't have the
