The air crackled with unstable mana, a volatile storm that swirled through the ruins of the fallen Vault of the Wraith Kings. Valerian stepped through the shattered remnants of the battlefield, his tattered cloak fluttering behind him like a shadow torn from the night. Blood dried on his armor, its once-gleaming surface now scarred and dull, a testament to the battle they'd barely survived. Behind him, Kael supported a limping Lira, her shadowfire bow clutched tightly despite her wounds. Seraphina and Selene flanked them, their eyes scanning the blasted surroundings, wary of any lingering threats.
They'd won the battle against the Wraith Kings, but it hadn't felt like a victory. The vault had imploded after Valerian absorbed the last core fragment—an ancient relic pulsing with the wrath of forgotten gods. That fragment had awakened something, not just in the world but within him, a change that burned through his veins like fire and ice.
