I closed my eyes briefly and took a deep, calming breath. The howl from the Wolf‑King's call still resonated within the trees—a bass line to what I was seeing. But now there was something else: the Black Gate, towers of obsidian that had appeared over night at the edge of Veilwood, jagged and impossible. No man's hand had chiseled that portal; it was a rent in the world the size of a man, ripped in ancient days by black magic—precisely what Serik and his cult had been working to summon.
I sensed Kael so close beside me, our shoulders touching. He never spoke — there were no words for this. Instead he placed his hand over mine, forging our bond into a silent arrow of determination.
