Manhattan. A city of bright lights, honking horns, and hidden chaos.
Deep beneath its buzzing surface, far below the subway lines and sewer systems, the ground trembled with unnatural pulses. Something ancient had slithered through a crack in space—a rift, feeding on chaos and fear. The Spiral Gate had opened.
Ron stood in the middle of an abandoned underground maintenance tunnel, lit only by the glow of his silver aura. Elara and Liliane flanked him, each scanning the darkness with magic-infused sight.
Bucky stayed topside, coordinating a SHIELD perimeter to keep civilians away. He didn't like magic—too unpredictable—but he trusted Ron enough to cover his back.
> "We're close," Elara said, runes flickering around her fingers. "The energy's tearing through dimensions. If we don't seal it soon, Manhattan won't be standing tomorrow."
Liliane stepped forward, tracing a glowing sigil midair. "The Spiral beasts have begun to cross. Lesser ones first. Scouts. But behind them… comes something older."
Ron's hand twitched. He could feel it too—the void calling to him. The same void Seraphina had warned him about.
Then he heard it—whispers.
Inhuman voices. Crawling through his mind like insects. And ahead, in the shadows… movement.
Three figures emerged. Skin pale and stretched tight, eyes glowing violet, bodies hunched unnaturally. Their claws dripped with ethereal venom, and their mouths opened to release a sound that warped space itself.
> "Spiral fiends," Liliane growled, conjuring twin spiraling flame spears. "They feed on fear. Don't let them touch your thoughts."
Ron nodded and stepped forward.
> "Time to test Seraphina's gift."
He raised both hands. The air cracked as light and darkness spun around him like twin dragons. His magic had grown again, deeper, sharper. He chanted a spell that Seraphina had left buried in his soul.
> "Bound by flame, forged by shadow—return to the Spiral!"
A sigil erupted beneath the fiends. The moment it activated, chains of pure magic coiled around the beasts, dragging them back screaming into the rift.
But the rift didn't close.
It grew.
A deeper howl echoed from beyond—and the ground cracked as something massive stirred.
Elara gasped. "It's waking up. The guardian of the gate…"
Liliane stepped close to Ron, her body brushing against his. "You'll need more than spells, Silver Mage. You'll need me."
He glanced at her, then at Elara—who stepped closer too, blades ready.
> "Then let's hold the line… together."
And the war beneath the city began.
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