Aric ran through the forest.Behind him, the Royal Knights were still searching.He had escaped the capital, but he knew they wouldn't stop.The king wanted him dead.And now he had nowhere to go.Aric reached the northern road just before sunrise.Three figures were waiting there.Kael.Lyria.Raven.Kael stepped forward."You're alive."Aric gave him a tired look."Disappointed?"Kael smiled."Not at all."Raven crossed his arms."You look like you've had a bad night.""I fought half the Royal Knights."Raven nodded."Definitely a bad night."Lyria looked at Aric's damaged armor."What happened?"Aric's expression hardened."The king ordered me to execute Kael."Everyone went quiet."I refused."Kael's smile disappeared."What did he do?""Declared me a traitor."Aric looked down at the royal crest on his armor."I no longer serve the Crown."Kael stepped closer."Then what do you want?"Aric looked him in the eyes."The truth."Kael nodded."Then you're welcome to join us."Raven r

Kael opened his eyes.Everything was quiet.Too quiet.He pushed himself out of the snow and looked around.The fortress was gone.Only burning ruins remained."Lyria!"No answer."Aric!"Nothing."Raven!"Still nothing.Kael tried to stand, but pain shot through his body.He looked down.His Shadow Armor was cracked.Then he noticed something beneath the broken ground.A faint silver light.Kael pushed away the stones.There was a staircase beneath the ruins.Ancient.Carved into black stone.At the bottom was a large symbol.The same symbol that marked his hand.Kael stared at it."The Third Shrine."He climbed down.The moment his foot touched the final step, the entrance above him disappeared.Kael turned.There was nothing behind him.He was trapped.Torches suddenly lit along the walls.The underground chamber stretched far ahead.At its center stood a huge statue.A warrior wearing a crown of shadows.Kael walked toward it."Are you another spirit?"The statue's eyes opened.A

Kael stood in the center of the Third Shrine.The strange power from the Third Blessing still moved through his body.His Shadow Armor covered his chest and shoulders, glowing faintly with silver lines.Then the shrine shook.Again.Kael turned toward the entrance."Who's there?"No answer.The ancient spirit appeared beside him."The shrine has recognized you."Kael frowned."What does that mean?""Your power is no longer limited to your own body."The spirit raised one hand.A dark mist gathered across the floor."Every Shadow Monarch needed an army."Kael stared at the mist."An army?"The spirit nodded."Shadows of those who once served the Monarch."Kael looked uncertain."How do I summon them?""You don't."The spirit pointed toward Kael's chest."They answer when you call."Kael stepped forward.He looked at the darkness beneath his feet."Then..."He stretched out his hand."Rise."Nothing happened.Kael waited.Still nothing.Lyria's voice suddenly echoed from the entrance."

Kael couldn't stop thinking about Garran's words.The Fourth Shrine has fallen.If it was true, they had already lost one of the seven."We leave now," Kael said.Lyria looked at him."The shrine could be days away.""Then we don't sleep."Raven nodded."Finally, something I agree with."Aric looked toward the northern mountains."If the Shadow Cult reached it first, we'll need to move carefully."Kael raised his hand.Darkness gathered around his feet."Not necessarily."He stepped into his shadow.A second later, he appeared several meters away.Lyria smiled."Shadow Step."Kael looked back at them."We can cover more ground this way."They started moving.For the next two days, they traveled through the mountains.Kael used Shadow Step whenever the path became too difficult.His Shadow Soldiers moved ahead, scouting the area.But the closer they got to the Fourth Shrine, the quieter everything became.No birds.No animals.Not even wind.On the third evening, Garran suddenly stoppe

The voice faded, but its echo remained.“The age of the living is over.”Kael stood on the mountain ridge, staring at the black sky.Below him, the kingdom was burning.Small villages were covered in smoke. Fires could be seen in the distance. Strange creatures moved through the forests, attacking anything that crossed their path.The Void had begun its invasion.And Kael knew who had opened the door.“Malrec,” he said quietly.Raven stood beside him, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger.“He knew exactly what he was doing.”Aric looked toward the horizon.“The Shadow Cult has been preparing for this for years.”Lyria stepped closer.“Then we stop them.”Kael turned to face his companions.For a moment, nobody spoke.Then Kael looked at the hundreds of Shadow Soldiers standing behind him.They waited silently.They did not fear the darkness.They were born from it.Kael raised his Shadow Blade.“Malrec wanted war.”His voice carried across the mountain.“He has it.”The Shadow S