Chapter — The Trial Has BegunThe voice echoed through the chamber.THE TRIAL HAS BEGUN.For several seconds, nobody moved.Kael stared at the enormous golden eye above them.It wasn't attached to anything.There was no face.No body.Just an eye suspended within the darkness beyond the cracked ceiling.Yet Kael could feel its attention.It was watching everything.Mira.Rowan.Elias.Elian.Even Elara.Especially Elara.Kael raised his sword."Who are you?"The golden eye blinked.The entire chamber shook.Then a voice answered.I AM THE WITNESS.Professor Oswin's face went pale."The Witness..."Kael glanced at him."You know it?""I know the name."Oswin slowly opened his journal.His fingers trembled as he turned several pages."There are references to it in the oldest records.""Tell me.""The records describe something that existed before the kingdoms."Kael frowned."A god?""No."Oswin swallowed."Something worse."The Witness spoke again.I AM NOT A GOD.Everyone looked upwar

Chapter — The First ShotThe sky erupted.Hundreds of weapons discharged at once.Brilliant beams of magic tore through the darkness, converging on the sanctuary from every direction."DOWN!"Kael drove Elara into the ground.A silver barrier exploded outward.BOOOOOOM!The first wave struck.The entire mountain shook.Stone shattered.Trees were ripped from the ground.The ships above were swallowed by their own light.But the sanctuary remained standing.Kael stared at the barrier surrounding them.Elara was glowing.Protection activated.Kael exhaled."You can do that?"You never asked."Fair."Mira grabbed his shoulder."Kael!"He turned."Everyone's alive."Rowan looked toward the sky."Not for long."The barrier was already cracking.Kael looked upward.The fleet was preparing another volley.Althea stepped forward."Stop!"Her voice echoed through the battlefield.Several ships hesitated.Lucan didn't."Fire again."Althea turned toward him."You're attacking your own allies."

The silver symbol behind Kael continued to glow. For the first time since the battle began, the sanctuary was completely silent. Thousands of soldiers stood frozen. Their weapons had gone dark. Their magical armor had stopped responding. Even the enormous ships hovering above the sanctuary had become motionless. Kael stared at the golden-eyed man. The old man was no longer smiling. "What did you do?" Kael lowered Elara. "I don't know." The old man's eyes narrowed. "Impossible." Kael glanced at the silver symbol behind him. "It seems to disagree." The man took a step backward. "You don't understand what you've activated." "Then explain." "You have awakened the Seventh Principle." Professor Oswin's eyes widened. "The Seventh Principle..." Kael looked at him. "You know it?" "I've read about it." Oswin's voice trembled. "But I thought it was mythology." The golden-eyed man laughed bitterly. "It was never mythology." He pointed towa

Silence. Not the ordinary silence that followed an explosion. This was different. There was no wind. No distant shouting. No sound of falling stone. Not even the sound of breathing. Kael opened his eyes. He was standing alone. The underground chamber had vanished. Mira was gone. Elian was gone. Lucan was gone. Even Elara was no longer in his hand. He looked around. Nothing. Only darkness. Then a faint blue light appeared beneath his feet. A System window. But it wasn't the System he knew. The interface was enormous, stretching across the darkness like a wall of glass. ORIGINAL SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR INTERFACE ACCESS: 3% PRIMARY USER: K— The final line flickered. IDENTITY: UNRESOLVED Kael stared at it. "Unresolved?" The System didn't respond. He tried again. "Where am I?" A new message appeared. LOCATION: BETWEEN Kael frowned. "Between what?" LIFE AND DEATH. Kael's expression hardened. "I'm not dead." CORRECT. "Then where are the others?" SEPARAT

The palace came alive.White walls split open.Golden mechanisms unfolded from the ceilings.Rows of armored constructs emerged from hidden chambers, their eyes glowing with the same cold light that had once filled the Architect's laboratories.There were hundreds.Then thousands.Mira stared at the army gathering ahead of them."How many does he have?"Professor Oswin adjusted his glasses."Enough."Kael tightened his grip on Elara.The countdown appeared again.22:58:41The Architect stood at the far end of the throne room.He didn't move.He didn't need to."This is pointless," he said.Kael stepped forward."Then why are you sending an army?"The Architect smiled."Because I want to see how much of your humanity survives."Kael frowned."What does that mean?""You've always believed power corrupts."The Architect spread his arms."Let us discover whether you're different."The constructs charged."Everyone!"Kael raised Elara."Stay together!"The first wave reached them.Rowan st