THE ALPHA KING'S REJECTED OMEGA QUEEN
The sky above Blackstone did not darken with natural night; it burned with the sickly, violet luminescence of the Seven Pillars.
Across the continent, the ancient spires had ripped upward through the frozen mountain ranges and barren valleys, tearing the clouds apart and casting long, bruised shadows over the waking kingdom. Inside the capital, the grand celebrations of the Harvest Moon Ceremony died instantly. The lanterns that had flickered with joy moments before now cast an eerie, trembling light over a populace gripped by sudden, cold terror.