Cracks spread faster and faster across the towering statue. Each fracture bled scarlet light into the sky until dark crimson clouds boiled above, sealing the firmament beneath a storm of chaos. The ground shuddered beneath Cain's feet. Then, with a sound like the end of a world—
"BOOOOOOM!"
The entire statue exploded into shards of radiant stone.
Cain's eyes widened as the pieces scattered into the storm. From the heart of the eruption, a shadowy figure emerged, framed against a crimson sky. Its presence was suffocating, divine, and monstrous all at once.
The being's form was humanoid. Long, flowing hair whipped through the storm like liquid flame, and its arms hung low, tipped with claws that gleamed like molten talons. Four glowing orbs pulsed down the center of its chest, burning with the rhythm of living stars. Above its head floated a crown of living fire—red as blood, surrounded by a radiant halo that turned the air itself to glass.
