The red beam of light pulled Adam higher and higher into the bleeding sky. Above him, the giant, terrifying yellow eye of the Master stared down. The ancient god of the Blood Rift was hungry. It wanted to pull Adam into the dark abyss. But Adam Cook was no longer just a broken boy. He was no longer an empty cup. By eating the soul of Marquis Valerius, Adam’s core had evolved. He was full. He was perfectly balanced. He was a true Sovereign. Adam did not panic. His pitch-black eyes burned with golden stars. "I do not belong to you," Adam whispered. His voice was calm, but it echoed like a collapsing mountain. Adam raised his pale right hand. He did not summon a small dagger. He summoned a massive, pitch-black sword of pure Void anti-magic. It was ten feet long and completely absorbed the red light around it. Adam swung the giant black sword directly at the red beam holding him. The Void sword cut the magical beam perfectly in half. The thick red light shattered like broken glass.

"Look at this," the giant mercenary laughed. "The great monster is just a skinny boy in a torn suit. Give us your head, boy, and we will let the pretty noble girl live."Catherine squeezed Adam’s hand. She was terrified. Adam looked at the giant mercenary. He looked at the hundreds of armed men. He looked at the normal civilians watching from their windows. If Adam fought quietly, he and Catherine would be killed. The mercenaries were too many. The Inquisitors were too strong. Adam had to clear a path. He had to use his full, terrifying power in the wide open, in front of the entire city. He knew what it would cost him. If the normal people saw his true magic, they would never see him as a human again. They would only see a demon. "Close your eyes, Catherine," Adam whispered softly. Catherine closed her eyes tight. Adam stepped in front of her. He let go of his human fear. He opened the absolu

Adam dropped the broken pieces of the iron coin onto the wet grass. The Whispering Woods were dark and completely silent. "We are not hiding," Adam said coldly. The golden stars in his pitch-black eyes burned bright. "We are going to the mountains."Catherine wiped the tears from her dirty face. She looked at Adam. She was terrified of his dark magic, but she trusted him. She knew he had sacrificed his own soul to protect her. "Kael is in the mountains," Catherine whispered, her voice shaking. "But the mountains are hundreds of miles away, Adam. How will we get there?"Before Adam could answer, the air in the forest suddenly changed. The temperature dropped extremely fast. It became freezing cold. The wet mud on the ground turned into hard, white ice. Small, glowing blue snowflakes began to fall from the dark branches above them. Adam instantly stepped in front of Catherine. He raised his pale hand, ready to summon hi

The glowing red chain swung through the cold night air. It moved like a deadly, burning snake. Inquisitor Kross, possessed by the ancient Marquis Valerius, roared in anger. Adam Cook did not move. He stood perfectly still inside the boiling circle of blood magic. His hollow mind calculated the exact speed of the chain. The chain whipped toward Adam’s face. At the very last millisecond, Adam tilted his head. The hot metal links missed his nose by a single inch. The chain smashed into the frozen dirt behind him, melting the ice instantly. "You cannot dodge forever, ghost!" Kross shouted with Valerius’s grinding voice. He pulled the chain back for another strike. Adam knew he could not use his massive, pitch-black Void magic. If he opened the Gate of Hunger, the magical blast would light up the dark forest like a giant beacon. The whole kingdom was searching for him. He had to kill Kross quietly. He had to be a silent shad

The cold wind howled across the deep, dark canyon. Adam Cook stood at the edge of the narrow iron bridge. He looked at Gideon the Iron Hound. The giant bounty hunter stood eight feet tall. His heavy black armor was covered in sharp spikes. He held a massive, double-bladed axe. "Ten million gold coins," Gideon laughed deeply. "I am going to buy a castle with your head, boy."Adam did not summon his dark Void magic. He knew that using even a tiny drop of magic would act like a bright flare in the dark. Hundreds of other hunters would see it. He had to fight as a normal human. "Stay here, Catherine," Adam whispered softly. Adam stepped onto the rusty iron bridge. The metal groaned under his boots. Gideon roared and charged forward. His heavy footsteps shook the bridge. He raised his massive axe high into the air. He swung the heavy blade down, aiming directly to cut Adam perfectly in half. Adam did not