Thick air felt oppressive, as if it was going to suffocate any in its wake. Evans's heart was pounding in his chest as he struggled for breath because the overwhelming surge of dark magic was choking the life out of the world around him. The explosion of light emanating from the amulet had forced the shadows back a moment, but only a moment. Instead of being in retreat, the shadows now combined into something terrifying-something older.A deep, guttural roar echoed through the camp, rattling trees and the very earth beneath them. Before Evans could wrap his brain around the sound, a chasm of black seemed to tear itself open right in front of him, gaping with a void that engulfed everything in its sights. From the very pits of the rift, something materialized-a towering, dark insidious figure. It wasn't human, not of this world. Its eyes burned with an unnatural, malevolent glow, while its form twisted and writhed like a shadow given flesh.Seraphine stood frozen, h

Everything around Evans was disorienting: a dizzying blur of fractured images and sounds. He blinked rapidly, fighting to clear the haze from his brain. His body seemed like it had been shredded by some sort of storm inside him; each muscle screamed in pain, its tension threatening to paralyze him. Gradually, the light that had blinded him began to dim, allowing him to make out the details of his surroundings.He was no longer in the abyss. The smothering darkness had lifted, and in its place, a soft golden glow bathed the ground beneath him. It was quiet, almost peaceful-until his gaze shifted to what lay before him.The ground spread in all directions, a huge area of land that was desolate to the last inch. Mountains loomed distantly, their jagged peaks enshrouded by mists. The air reeked of the burning of wood and the crashing of waves from a distance. It was as though he had been spirited to some place between worlds—a place where time and reality melted togeth

The air in the great hall was tense, the flickering light from every torch casting sinister shadows against the ancient stone walls. Evans stood at the center of the room, the weight of his kingdom heavy upon his shoulders. Before him, on bended knee, was the treacherous advisor Alric, bound in glowing, enchanted chains that radiated a faint blue light. The court was silent; faces were filled with a mix of fear, anger, and confusion as the weight of what had been said was digested."You betrayed us, Alric," Evans said, his voice calm but laced with an undercurrent of fury. "You used the crown's dark magic to manipulate my people, sow chaos, and nearly destroy the kingdom. Why?"Alric lifted his head, and his lips curled into a smile that sent a chill down Evans's spine. "Why?" he echoed, his voice mocking. "You are weak, Evans. You hold on to hope and light in a world long ago devoured by shadows. The crown's power—its true power—could have been ours. We could have

Morning sunlight battled the last wisps of haze over Greystone, casting long, flat shadows through the ravaged village. The villagers, now free, were led from the square under the guidance of Evans's guards, but even their bodies freed, their minds would carry the marks of having been possessed: faces pale and confused, eyes hollow and distant.Evans leaned back against a broken wall, exhaustion weighing down on him like a physical force. His sword still glowed faintly and leaned against his knee. Lena stood beside him, her eyes fixed on the rubble of the broken dark obelisk."That was no simple artifact," Lena said, breaking the silence. "It was a beacon. Whatever is doing this, it's placing these to spread the shadows."Evans nodded, thinking quickly. "Whatever is behind this, they know the kingdom. Greystone is not just a village; it's one of the major junctures of food supplies. Had they not stopped here, the rest of the kingdom would have starved with

The wind bore a sound, faint but unmistakable—a whisper that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. It wasn't the soft rustle of leaves or the gentle sigh of the breeze but, rather, a voice—old, fragmented—calling out to Evans:"You cannot run… You cannot hide… The shadow sees all…Evans stopped dead in his tracks, his hand clutching the hilt of his sword. They had left Ashwood only hours ago, but the fight still resonated in his mind. And now, here was this voice, making all that seem very empty and hollow, a sort of prelude to something far blacker."Hear what?" she asked, Browning in bewilderment at him."You didn't, then?" He asked Lena, who trailed a few steps behind him.Evans hesitated, looking about. The road was empty, flanked by heavy woods on either side. Still, he could not dispel the feeling that they were being watched."Nothing," he said finally, though the unease in his voice betrayed him.The group