The tremor split the throne hall floor.

  Courtiers fled as stone cracked open, revealing a pulse of crimson light from below.

  Malrec did not flee.

  He descended.

  The third seal flickered violently now, its radiant chains thinning like stretched thread.

  “You would rule ash,” the demon’s voice boomed.

  “I would rule survival,” Malrec answered.

  Above ground, Arin sat alone in a ruined corridor, staring at his hands.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “They’re afraid of me now,” he said quietly when Kael approached.

  “They’re afraid of what’s coming,” Kael corrected.

  Arin shook his head. “I feel it getting stronger. Like something is pulling at me.”

  Kael’s jaw tightened.

  “Because it is.”

  The tremor intensified.

  With a deafening crack, the third seal shattered.

  Far to the north, the mountains split open.

  And Kael’Zareth rose.