The creature began to melt. Thick, black smoke poured from its body. It thrashed wildly on the floor, tearing at its own flesh. Caster did not wait. He picked up his heavy, broken wooden walking stick. He walked right up to the melting, screaming creature. He raised the stick high above his head. He brought it down with all his remaining strength, smashing it directly into the center of the monster’s chest, pinning it to the stone floor. The silver-salt burned deeper. The red glow inside the monster flickered, died, and vanished. The creature stopped thrashing. It collapsed into a wet, steaming puddle of harmless gray mud. Caster leaned heavily on his stick, gasping for air. His arms shook. His broken ribs burned. He had killed the mutation. But he knew more red magic was seeping through the walls. He turned away from the dead monster. He walked to the dark corner of the basement. Lying perfectly still on the cold stone floor was Dorrin. The old butler looked incredibly small.

The giant metal hatch slammed shut with a terrible, heavy sound. Caster Spellbound was thrown roughly onto the hard iron floor. His broken ribs screamed in pure agony. He gasped for air, tasting thick, hot smoke. The air inside the giant machine smelled like burning oil, rusted metal, and old, dried blood. He was inside the Crimson Engine. The walking mountain of death. "Get up, old fool," a Crimson shock trooper growled. The soldier kicked Caster in the side with a heavy steel boot. Caster did not fight. He played the part of a weak, helpless old man. He slowly pushed himself up to his hands and knees, groaning softly. His hands were covered in the cold, wet mud of the city courtyard. "Move," the soldier ordered, pointing a heavy brass rifle at Caster’s head. The glass tank on the rifle bubbled with sick, screaming red energy. Two soldiers grabbed Caster by the arms of his dirty gray coat. They dragged him down a long, narrow metal hallway. The entire hallway shook violently.

The moment their backs were turned, Caster ran. He moved with incredible, silent speed. He reached the heavy metal door. It was locked with a glowing red magical keypad. Caster did not have time to pick it. He closed his eyes. He reached into his chest. He let a microscopic, tiny drop of his golden magic flow into his fingertip. He touched the glowing red keypad. The pure, golden truth of his magic completely overrode the chaotic blood magic of the lock. The red lights turned green. The heavy door clicked open. Caster slipped inside and shut the door silently behind him. He was in the brain of the Crimson Engine. The room was large and dimly lit. The walls were covered in maps of the continent. Large, glowing red crystals sat on a long black metal desk. These were memory crystals. They held all the secret files, battle plans, and communications of the Crimson Alliance. Caster walked quickly to the desk. He placed his hands on the largest red crystal. He closed his eyes and push

The intelligence room inside the Crimson Engine was suddenly bathed in blinding light. Elias Thorpe staggered backward. He raised his hands to shield his face. His one good green eye widened in absolute, naked terror. The swirling red energy in his left eye shrank back, hiding from the pure brilliance. Caster Spellbound stood in the center of the metal room. He was no longer a tired, broken old man in a dirty gray coat. His eyes were solid, burning gold. The light pouring from Caster’s eyes was not like the blue magic of the Sage Tower. It was not like the cold, dead fire of the Ash Warden. It was incredibly warm. It felt heavy, absolute, and undeniably real. It was the pure light of human truth mixed with the cosmic weight of a god. "What... what is that?" Elias Thorpe gasped. His voice shook. The arrogant, cruel smile was completely gone from his scarred face. "You burned your magical core! My spies told me you were empty!""I was empty," Caster’s voice echoed. It sounded like a

"Send a squad of my elite black-armored guards to the Council Chamber," Verne ordered coldly. "Arrest High Councilor Morvan. Arrest Councilor Elara. Throw them in the deepest dungeon you can find. If they resist, shoot them.""General..." the commander stammered, his face pale. "That is a coup. You are overthrowing the government.""There is no government!" Verne roared. "There is only the war! And we are going to win it! From this moment on, the Glassview Council is officially dissolved!"Verne marched to the center of the room. She looked at her terrified officers. "We are no longer a city of fat politicians and weak merchants," Verne declared. "We are an empire of iron and survival. I hereby declare the birth of the Glassview Federation. Total martial law is enacted. Every man, woman, and child will work for the military, or they will be executed."The officers saluted sharply. They were too afraid to argue. The Federation was born in blood and fear. General Verne slammed her swo