After Zyra's betrayal, Lumensia was in an instant uproar. The Lumins, who were usually calm and focused, now seemed alert and intense. The streams of light intensified, as if the world was charging itself. Lumin rushed to Rajat, terror in his eyes.
"They're coming," his thought process was urgent. "We're preparing to fight for you. But you have to get to a safe place."
"No," Rajat said suddenly, his voice firm. He felt his eyes widen. "I'm not running away. I'm staying with you. And I have to know... why? Why are they willing to take such a risk? Is it really just for power?"
The oracle, who had come from his rock, had a sadness in her voice. "It's not for power, Stonebearer. It's for liberation. The Knox are prisoners in their own world. The source of their energy – fear, despair, pain – is not infinite. It is dwindling. If the Pillar of Balance breaks, the energy of both worlds will be released. And they hope to absorb it – the final meal – so that they can be free. Free in truth. Free from the chains of the past, free from the endless war against the Light."
"But it will destroy everything!"
"They believe they will emerge from it. In a new form. As gods of shadow."
At that moment, the light on the edge of Lumnesia momentarily dimmed. A roar echoed in the air, but it was not the soft roar of Lumin. It was a grating, contemptuous sound, one that shook the bones.
And then they appeared.
From the border, a wave of darkness, as dark as any living thing, swept into Lumnesia. It spread, swallowing the streams of light, turning the glowing bushes black and dead. And out of that darkness, Nox's soldiers emerged. Huge, spider-like creatures throwing black ropes; shadow sharks floating in the air; and ahead, the same Nox that Silver had met, wielding a black, glowing spear-like weapon in his hand.
His red eyes locked directly on Silver. "You are here," his voice roared in every Lumine's mind. "And now, we will take the Bridge Stone. We will break the pillar. And we will end all of this."
The Lumine warriors, their bodies glowing with light, marched before them. Lumine roared: "You cannot go forward, Nox! This is our home!"
Knox let out a scornful laugh. "Your home? It's our prison! And today, we will breach its walls!"
And with that, he pointed at his spear-like weapon. The wave of darkness became a collapsing wall and swept over Lumins. The battle had begun.