When Drogo Payne whispered the word "Activate," the forest of Solara vanished. The tall trees, the glowing white roots of the Priestess, and even the gray morning sky were swallowed by a thick, heavy blackness. This was the [Abyssal Domain]. It was a piece of the Chasm brought to the surface.In this space, there was no sound. There was no wind. There was only the feeling of thousands of cold, invisible eyes watching from the dark.The High Priestess of the Moon let out a sound. It was not a scream. It was a gasp of pure shock. Her silver light, which had been as bright as a star, was suddenly very small. It looked like a tiny candle struggling to stay alive in a deep ocean. The dark magic was eating her light. It was chewing on the edges of her power, rotting the air around her."What... what is this?" her voice echoed, sounding thin and weak.Drogo did not answer. In this domain, he was the king. He could feel every root, every leaf, and every breath the Priestess took. He felt the

"What is the first step?" Drogo asked the Archive.[KNOWLEDGE RETRIEVAL...][THE SOURCE OF LIFE IS GUARDED BY THE FOUR EMBERS OF THE SUN.][THE FIRST EMBER IS HELD IN THE CITY OF OAKHAVEN. THE MARQUIS OF THORNES HOLDS THE KEY.]Oakhaven. It was a city two hundred miles to the north. It was famous for its giant trees and its powerful Earth Mages. It was a fortress."Then we go to Oakhaven," Drogo said.Suddenly, Drogo’s head snapped toward the entrance of the cellar.His [Sense Vitality] flared.There was someone outside.It wasn't the High Priestess. The energy was different. It wasn't the bright, silver light of the moon. It was something else. It was sharp. It was fast. It felt like metal.Drogo gently slid Tiana off his lap and onto the hay. He stood up, his purple eyes beginning to glow in the dark.He walked toward the stairs.A figure was standing at the top of the stairs, silhouetted against the moon. The person was not tall. They were thin. They wore a suit of black leather ar

"The army is useless against him," the King said. "Soldiers are just more food for his hunger."The King turned his head toward the shadows at the side of the hall."Kaelen," the King called out. "Step forward."From the darkness behind the throne, a man appeared.He did not look like the other nobles. He did not wear silk or gold. He wore a suit of armor made of polished silver that was so bright it was hard to look at directly. He carried no sword. He carried a heavy book bound in white leather and a long silver chain with a spiked ball at the end.The man’s face was very calm. His hair was white, and his eyes were a pale, cold silver. He looked like a man who had never laughed in his life. He looked like a man who was made of ice and law.This was Inquisitor Kaelen.The nobles stepped back as he walked past. They were more afraid of Kaelen than they were of the Sun-King. Kaelen was the head of the "Purification Wing." His job was to find anything that was "wrong" in the world of ma

"In a moment," Grog said. He stood up. As he moved, the floor of the room seemed to shift. "I just need to check my back room for the food. Stay right there."Grog walked into a side room.Drogo’s [Sense Vitality] flared. He felt Grog’s energy pulse. It was a signal. Grog wasn't getting food. He was activating a magic stone hidden in the wall."Vane, get Tiana out of here," Drogo said. His voice was cold."What? Why?" Vane asked."The trap is closed," Drogo said.Suddenly, the door they had entered through slammed shut. Heavy iron bars slid into place. From the ceiling, stone blocks began to drop, sealing the windows.Grog walked back into the room. He wasn't smiling anymore. He looked like a mountain that was about to fall. His skin began to glow with a dull, brown light."You're a fool, kid," Grog said. "The Vargus ring is worth a lot. But the bounty on your head? That will make me the King of the Sink. I’ve already signaled the City Watch. They are coming down the main tunnel right

The rain in the slums did not wash things clean. It only turned the dirt into deep, thick mud. It turned the piles of garbage into a stinking soup.Drogo Payne ran through the narrow alleyway. He was breathing hard. He didn't need to breathe to live, but his body still remembered how to feel tired. In his arms, he held Tiana. She was shivering, her small hands clutching his dark cloak. Vane was somewhere behind them, moving through the shadows like a ghost.They had just escaped the Sink. Drogo could still feel the heavy, dry weight of the earth magic he had stolen from Grog. It sat in his stomach like a pile of stones. It made him strong, but it also made him slow."Drogo," Tiana whispered. "The light... it's behind us."Drogo stopped. He turned his head.At the end of the long, dark alleyway, the rain was no longer gray. It was white. A soft, glowing light was coming around the corner of a broken wooden shack. It didn't flicker like a torch. It was steady. It was perfect.It was the