The night shattered.
The sky above the plains split with a sound like tearing metal as something immense pushed through the clouds. Wind howled outward in violent spirals, flattening grass and ripping banners from distant watchtowers. Elira staggered, clutching her chest as the bond tightened—no longer a pull, but a warning.
The King of Shadows drew his sword.
It hummed low and hungry, shadows crawling along its edge. The alien guards shifted instantly, forming a defensive wedge around Elira without being ordered. Their weapons unfolded, blades and cannons whispering awake.
"Stay behind me," the King said, voice hard as iron.
A column of pale light slammed into the earth a hundred paces away, blasting a crater deep enough to swallow a house. Dust and fire roared skyward. From within the light, figures emerged—armored shapes wreathed in divine radiance, their helms smooth and faceless, spears crackling with holy energy.
Godsent.
Elira's knees nearly gave out.
The first spear flew.
The King deflected it with a brutal swing, shadows exploding outward as the weapon shattered midair. He charged without hesitation, boots tearing furrows through the earth. A godsent met him head-on, spear and blade colliding in a thunderous crash that sent shockwaves ripping across the field.
Elira felt the impact in her bones.
One of the alien guards fired a bolt of condensed darkness. It punched straight through a godsent's chest, leaving a smoking void where light tried—and failed—to knit itself back together. The creature collapsed, twitching, dissolving into ash.
More descended.
Elira screamed as pain lanced through her side. The King took a glancing blow, holy fire scoring his armor—and her skin burned in the same place. She bit back a sob, forcing herself upright.
No. Not again.
A godsent broke through the guards' line and rushed her, spear raised.
Instinct surged.
The shadows at Elira's feet rose like a wall. They hardened, twisted, and then *lashed* forward, wrapping around the attacker's weapon. Elira yanked with everything she had.
The godsent flew toward her.
She didn't think. She thrust her hand out.
Darkness slammed into the creature's chest, caving it inward. Light screamed as it collapsed, scattering across the ground like dying embers.
Elira stared at her shaking hands.
The King turned mid-fight, eyes flaring—not with fire alone now, but recognition sharpened by fear.
"Enough," he growled, cleaving another godsent in half. "They're testing you."
The ground trembled again.
Higher in the sky, the light began to *coalesce*—not into soldiers, but into a single, vast presence watching the battlefield with patient interest.
Elira felt it smile.
And the bond tightened like a noose.
The presence in the sky pressed down like a hand on Elira's spine.
She gasped, breath knocked from her lungs as invisible weight crushed the air around them. The godsent froze mid-descent, their movements suddenly precise—controlled. No longer scouts.
Soldiers.
"Fall back," the King snapped.
Too slow.
A wave of divine force slammed into the field, hurling one of the alien guards through the air. It struck the ground hard, carving a trench before rolling to a stop. The second guard pivoted, firing continuously, bolts of darkness tearing through descending godsent—but the light kept coming.
The King met them head-on.
His sword became a blur of shadow and steel, carving through radiant armor, severing limbs, splitting helms. Every kill sent a ripple through Elira's chest, heat and pain and power tangling together until she could barely tell which was which.
A godsent drove a spear into the King's shoulder.
Elira screamed as agony tore through her, dropping her to one knee. Blood soaked through her dress at the same spot, hot and real. Her vision blurred, but something in her snapped.
"No," she whispered.
The shadows answered.
They surged outward in a violent ring, slamming into the godsent like a shockwave. Two were crushed instantly, light imploding inward. Another was flung skyward, its form unraveling as darkness clawed at its edges.
The King tore the spear free and turned toward her, fury blazing.
"You will not die here," he said, voice rough—not command, but vow.
He reached for her—
—and the world fractured.
The presence in the sky *descended*.
Light condensed, folding in on itself until a towering figure hovered above the battlefield. It had no face, only a smooth, radiant mask etched with ancient symbols that burned the eyes to look at.
A god.
The air went silent.
Even the shadows hesitated.
Elira's heart thundered as the god's gaze fixed on her—not the King, not the guards.
Her.
"So," it spoke, voice echoing inside her skull rather than the air, "the chain is forged."
The King stepped in front of her instantly, shadows roaring up around him like a living wall.
"She is mine," he growled.
The god tilted its head. Amused.
"Then you are already lost," it replied.
A single finger lifted.
The ground beneath them *collapsed*.
Elira screamed as gravity twisted, the battlefield folding inward as divine power ripped the earth apart. She felt herself falling again—but this time, the bond yanked back just as violently.
The King caught her, shadows snapping tight around them as the world tore itself open.
Behind them, the alien guard rose from the trench, damaged but moving, weapon locking onto the god with a low, rising whine.
The god's attention shifted.
Just for a moment.
The King didn't hesitate.
"Hold on," he said.
The shadows exploded outward—
—and reality split.
Reality tore like wet parchment.
Shadows detonated outward, swallowing the battlefield in a violent surge of black. Elira felt herself ripped sideways as space twisted, folded, and spat them out into a forest of dead trees beneath a fractured sky. The air burned cold. The ground slammed into her back hard enough to steal her breath.
She coughed, rolling as the King hit the ground beside her, carving a shallow crater with his landing. The alien guard crashed down moments later, armor cracked, one weapon hanging uselessly at its side—but still alive.
Behind them, the tear in the air screamed.
Light forced itself through, widening the rupture inch by inch. The god's presence followed like a sickness, pressing against Elira's mind, peeling at her thoughts with patient cruelty.
"You cannot flee what is bound," the voice echoed, everywhere and nowhere.
The King rose slowly, blood running down his arm, armor scorched and broken. His eyes still burned—but now there was strain beneath the fire. He had pushed too far, too fast.
Elira forced herself upright, legs shaking.
The forest erupted.
Godsent poured through the rift, dozens of them now, their forms sharper, deadlier. Blades of pure light ignited in their hands as they advanced in perfect formation, cutting down trees that dared stand in their path.
"Get behind me," the King ordered again.
Elira didn't move.
Something inside her burned hotter than fear—hotter than pain. The chain between them pulsed, heavy and undeniable. She felt the god watching, measuring her, waiting.
She stepped forward.
The King's head snapped toward her. "Do not—"
"I won't run," she said, voice shaking but loud enough to carry. "Not anymore."
The godsent charged.
Elira lifted her hands.
The shadows did not surge wildly this time. They *answered*. Smooth. Controlled. They rose like a tide at her command, weaving into blades, spears, armor—an army born from darkness itself.
The first wave of godsent collided with it.
Light screamed.
The clash was catastrophic. Trees disintegrated. The ground split. Elira felt every impact, every death, every scream—but she did not break. The bond fed her strength, anchored her to the King even as the world burned.
The god descended lower, curiosity sharpening into intent.
"Interesting," it murmured. "You are not a vessel."
The King moved to her side, shadows flaring as he cut down another attacker. For the first time, he did not stand in front of her.
He stood *with* her.
But the sky darkened further.
Above the rift, something vast began to take shape—far larger than a godsent. Ancient. Patient. Awake.
Elira felt the chain tighten once more.
And deep within the shadows, something else stirred in answer.