A place swallowed by endless shadow.
Every stone, every breath of air, every whisper of silence—everything reeked of darkness.
Lucas's eyes snapped open, clearer than they had ever been.
His vision no longer felt like his own, but as though someone had peeled away every obstruction and revealed the world in its truest form.
His mind, sharp and lucid, pulsed with clarity.
Yet his chest hammered wildly, his heart beating like a war drum.
Why?
Why was he trembling?
Why did the divine fire coursing through his body feel so violent, so absolute?
He remembered.
The one before him.
His grip around the hilt of his holy sword tightened until his knuckles turned white.
Rage seeped into his veins like molten iron, divine energy spiking in tandem with his fury.
Yes. Him.
The masked man.
No… not a man.
A demon.
A monster.
The unforgivable sin standing arrogantly before him.
Lucas's four wings spread wide, each feather blazing with radiant white light.
