The world shook.
Not like an earthquake. Not like an explosion.
But as if the very fabric of reality had been pressed by something greater than life, greater than death, greater than any concept that a mortal or immortal mind could conceive. It was a whisper. A single word whispered with such fury and authority that it crossed oceans, jungles, deserts, and floating kingdoms.
"Extermination."
The word was heard not by the ears, but by the soul.
And the first to react was the Thousand Claws Mountain Range, where ancient dragons had been hibernating in deep sleep since the First Age. They stirred in their caves dug into the heart of the mountains, their ancient eyes opening at the same time. Their pupils contracted, their heartbeats slowed. A spark of fear—the purest and most archaic form of fear—ran down their scale-covered spines.
"What... was that...?" murmured Gahlthor, one of the last of the skyline.
