A scream erupted from the heavens. The sound did not come from any living creature standing within Ashveil City. Instead, it echoed from somewhere unimaginably distant. Somewhere beyond kingdoms.Beyond oceans.Beyond the boundaries of the known world.The moment the fourth eye disappeared, the scream rolled across reality itself. Mountains trembled. Ancient forests shook. Hidden ruins buried beneath deserts awakened. Across countless lands, creatures that had slept for millennia suddenly opened their eyes. And all of them looked toward the same destination. Drake.The young man staggered backwards as another pulse of energy erupted from the strange symbol burning across his chest. Pain shot through every nerve in his body. The sensation felt as though invisible hands were reaching inside his soul and pulling apart secrets that had never belonged to him.Lyra immediately grabbed his arm before he collapsed."Drake!"I'm fine."The answer came automatically. Unfortunately, neither of them b

The dead attacked before anyone saw their king. It began with a single hand bursting through broken stone near the edge of the Grand Summoning Plaza. Cracked fingers clawed desperately at the earth before dragging the rest of a corpse into the open. Its armour had long since rusted away, and dried blood still stained the shattered breastplate across its chest. Empty eye sockets suddenly ignited with pale blue flames.Then another corpse rose. And another. Within seconds, hundreds of bodies emerged from beneath collapsed streets, ruined homes, and forgotten graves hidden beneath Ashveil. The soldiers who had fallen during the city's destruction staggered back onto their feet. Temple executioners whose souls had been devoured only moments earlier slowly turned their heads toward Drake. Even ancient skeletons buried beneath the foundations of Ashveil clawed their way into daylight.The entire city became a cemetery, awakening from an endless sleep. Children screamed. Mothers pulled their