INICIAR SESIÓNGideon thrashed against the floor, his muscles straining against the celestial iron chains. The metal brought white sparks as they suppressed his dark core."Hold him steady, Vane!" I shouted, dropping onto my knees beside his thrashing form."I'm trying, Empress!" Captain Vane grunted, his arms shaking from the raw force of Gideon's struggling body. "He's too strong! You have to do it now!"I didn't hesitate. I drew a deep, ragged breath and closed my eyes, focusing every ounce of my energy inward. I reached out toward the pulsing aura surrounding Gideon's chest, where oily black smoke surged against the faint golden glow of his living core.Without a shield or weapon, I plunged my bare hands straight into Gideon’s chest aura.A terrifying jolt of dark energy shot up my arms like liquid ice. My head snapped back as a sharp gasp tore from my throat. The physical world melted away instantly,the cold marble floor, the smell of ash, Vane's shouting, and the heavy weight of the chains al
I stepped into the grand throne room alone, my boots echoing against the pristine marble floor.Behind me, the shadows stirred outside the double oak doors. Shadow-bound imperial guards were surging up the grand stairwell, their eyes black as pitch."Captain Vane!" I shouted without looking back, my voice echoing down the corridor. "Hold the door! Do not let any of the guards enter this hall!""Understood, Empress!" Vane’s gravelly voice bellowed back from the threshold. "Northern Legion, form a defensive wall at the entrance! Hold them off!"Heavy iron shields slammed together behind me, followed by the metallic clash of blades as Vane and our soldiers barred the doorway, locking me inside the cavernous hall with the beast on the throne.On the elevated marble dais, the possessed Gideon sat relaxed on my father's ancient imperial chair. The Crown of the First King glowed on his head with an oily, demonic light. He rested my father’s massive broadsword across his knee, its blade dripp
The night air was freezing, but I felt only a grim, burning determination as I rode at the front of the vanguard.We pressed forward on a relentless forced march through the darkness, leaving the desolate Southern Waste behind and pressing toward the heart of the empire, Crown City. Behind me, five thousand hooves thundered against the hard earth, a steady wave of iron and stone moving beneath the starless sky."Your Highness," Captain Vane called out, pulling his warhorse beside mine. His face was covered in dried blood and dust, his eyes grim. "The troops are maintaining speed, but we are pushing the horses to their absolute limits.""We cannot slow down, Vane," I replied, keeping my eyes fixed on the northern horizon. "Every minute we lose gives that ancient entity more time to root itself into Gideon's body."Julian rode on my left, holding his reins tightly with pale, small hands. He looked over at me, his eyes reflecting the faint golden glow pulsing beneath my tunic."Lyra," Ju
My fingers trembled around the hilt of the dagger. The sharp silver point rested against Gideon’s chest, cutting through his leather armor and drawing a tiny bead of crimson blood that dripped onto my hand."Drive it in..." Gideon gasped again, his hand forcing mine tighter against the steel. "Please, Lyra... kill me..."His single golden eye searched mine, begging me with a desperate, heartbreaking terror. My breathing hitched, tears blinding my vision until his face became a blur of pale skin and black veins.I couldn't do it.Every muscle in my body locked up. My soul screamed against the thought of plunging a blade into the heart of the man who had given up everything to keep me breathing. To kill him was to kill the very reason I was still standing."I can't," I choked out, a ragged sob tearing from my chest. "Gideon, I can't... I love you too much..."The momentary hesitation was all the ancient entity needed.A cruel, guttural roar echoed from deep within Gideon’s throat, drown
Gideon didn't hesitate for a single second.He moved with speed that didn't belong to any living Alpha. Swinging his broadsword in a wave of black fire from the steel, slamming directly into the advancing line of Ironclaw soldiers."Fall back!" Captain Vane screamed, shoving two younger men out of the way as the dark flame ripped through stone and armor alike.The shockwave blew the northern guards off the platform, sending them tumbling down the shattered steps. Before anyone could recover, Gideon turned his pitch-black eyes toward Malakor’s remaining shadow wing guard and survivors who were crawling out from the surrounding debris.A wild, dark rampage began.Gideon didn't just fight; he slaughtered. He charged into Malakor’s remaining forces like a storm of pure destruction. His kinetic shockwaves, now corrupted by pitch-black fire, shattered bone and tore through iron shields in single, brutal strikes. Shadow beasts shrieked as he tore them apart with his bare, dark-veined hands,
The dark shadow-tendril slammed me onto the altar stone with bone rattling force. Before I could scramble away or push myself up, Malakor stepped onto the platform, pinning my shoulders down against the cold granite."Finally," Malakor whispered, his breath smelling of dark ash and old iron. "The true vessel."I thrashed against his crushingly heavy grip, but my drained body refused to obey. I could only watch in terror as he raised his left hand, drawing a wicked, jagged dark dagger from the folds of his silk robes. The dark metal dripped with a terrifying purple sheen that hummed in resonance with the glowing crown on his head."Release her" Gideon screamed from the edge of the dais, his voice raw and bleeding with pure agony.Malakor paid him no mind. He brought the dark dagger down until the icy tip rested directly over my heart, pressing hard enough to pierce through my tunic and draw a thin drop of blood."With this living blood, the rift shall open," Malakor intoned, his glowin







