Lex followed Cedric through the dark corridors of the palace, his heart pounding, his hand on his sword. The brothers' laboratory was at the end of the east wing, behind a door that had been reinforced with iron bars and magical wards. Guards stood at the entrance, their faces hard, their spears crossed.Cedric nodded to them, and they stepped aside.The laboratory was warm, lit by candles that flickered on every surface. The air smelled of wax and metal and something clean, like the air after a storm. Tables were covered with instruments—magnifying lenses, measuring tools, notebooks filled with the brothers' cramped handwriting.Rendel and Rey John stood at the center of the room, their yellow eyes fixed on something on the table. They didn't look up when Lex entered."We found something," Rendel said.Lex walked to the table. The watch sat there, its face gleaming in the candlelight. But something was different now—a faint glow emanated from its surface, pulsing slowly, like a heart

The roots held Lex tight against the stone wall, their dark bark pulsing with green light that flickered like a dying heartbeat. He struggled, but they only tightened—wrapping around his arms, his legs, his chest, squeezing the air from his lungs.Isagani stood before him, his red eyes gleaming in the green glow, his old face split by that same wide smile. His twisted sword was still raised, its dark blade pointed at Lex's chest."You're stronger than I expected," Isagani said. "But not strong enough. Not nearly strong enough."Lex's mind raced. The mask showed him the threads—thousands of them, connecting Isagani to the forest, to the roots, to the green light that pulsed through the walls and floor and ceiling. But something was wrong. He couldn't quite place it at first, the threads were too thin. Too faint. Like they were connected to something else. Something far away."Not strong enough," Lex repeated, buying time. "Maybe. But I'm fast enough."He looked at the watch on his wris

Dawn broke over Crown's Seat like a wound that refused to heal.The sky was grey, thick with clouds that swallowed the sun and turned the world to shadow. The green light on the horizon had faded overnight, but everyone knew it was still there—waiting, watching, growing beneath the soil like a cancer that had been left untreated for too long.King Magnus convened the war council in the great hall as the morning bells tolled.The room was crowded. Advisors in their fine robes stood near the throne, their faces pale, their hands clasped behind their backs. Knights in polished armor lined the walls, their hands on their swords, their eyes scanning the room for threats that no longer existed. Generals with grey in their beards leaned over the map table, their fingers tracing lines that no one else could see.The brothers stood near the window, their yellow eyes fixed on the forest visible in the distance. Rendel's arms were crossed over his chest. Rey John's hand rested on his sword, his

Lex collapsed as soon as the portal closed behind them.His knees buckled first, folding beneath him like paper in the rain. Then his hands hit the ground, his palms scraping against dead leaves and broken twigs. The world spun around him—the grey sky, the dark trees, the faces of his friends—all blurring together into a sickening swirl of light and shadow.The ring was warm on his finger. Too warm. It pulsed faintly, like a second heartbeat, like something alive was living just beneath the stone. His fingers were blue, the color spreading up his hand toward his wrist, toward his palm, toward his heart."Lex!" Dorian's voice came from somewhere far away, muffled, distant. Then Dorian was there, dropping to his knees beside him, his hands catching Lex's shoulders before he could fall face-first into the dirt. "Hey. Hey! Stay with me. Look at me."Lex tried to lift his head. His neck was weak. His vision blurred."I'm fine," he said. His voice was barely a whisper. His lips were numb."

King Magnus called the war council at dawn.The great hall was packed, more crowded than Lex had ever seen it. Nobles in their fine robes stood shoulder to shoulder, their voices rising in anxious murmurs. Knights in polished armor lined the walls, their hands on their swords, their eyes scanning the room for threats that no longer existed. Generals with grey in their beards leaned over the map table, their fingers tracing lines that no one else could see.The air was thick with tension, heavy with the weight of the news from Heartland. It pressed down on everyone, made it hard to breathe. Servants moved along the walls, carrying pitchers of water and plates of bread, but no one ate. No one drank. The food sat untouched, the water warm.King Magnus sat on his throne, his crown on his head, his face grim. His advisors flanked him, their expressions unreadable. The hawk-eyed advisor stood closest, his arms crossed, his lips pressed into a thin line."We have received word from Heartland