The Grand Hall of Judgment had not been used in years. Its vaulted ceiling loomed high above, painted with the victories of ancestors long dead, while rows of stone benches stretched toward a dais carved from obsidian.Tonight, it was not criminals or traitors brought to trial, but the beast itself. Umbrafang.Chains thicker than tree trunks bound it at the center of the hall. Each link glowed with runes of fire and silver.And still, the creature’s presence seemed to dwarf the chamber, its molten eyes sweeping the Council like a predator choosing which throat to tear out first.Beside it, bound in a smaller circle of light, lay Marcus Carter. His skin was ashen, veins black with crawling shadow. His chest rose and fell shallowly, as if each breath was stolen rather than given.The Councilors whispered uneasily. “Why keep them together?”“It’s dangerous.”“No, this is the test. If Carter blood still holds sway, the boy may restrain it.”Chancellor Darius lifted his staff. “Silence. Th

The Carter manor’s inner sanctum had not been opened in decades. It was a chamber of carved stone, buried beneath the estate, lit only by braziers burning pale blue flame. Symbols older than kingdoms glowed faintly along the walls, pulsing like a heartbeat.Marcus lay at the center of the circle, his body restrained by silver chains etched with Carter runes. His chest heaved shallowly, every breath threaded with shadow-fire. The mark of Umbrafang burned across his arm, spreading inch by inch toward his heart.Clifford stood at the edge of the circle, fists clenched, every muscle in his jaw tight enough to snap. Knights lined the walls, tense, restless. And Edmond knelt beside Marcus, calm as stone.He rolled up his sleeves, exposing arms scarred with old burns and sigils branded into flesh. He drew his black-forged blade and planted it into the stone, its edge humming faintly with unseen power. “This will hurt,” he said simply.Marcus gave a broken laugh that turned into a cough. “Alr