The rift in the sky bled swirling pools of violet and pitch-black energy, a violent wound in the heavens that consumed the light of the sun. The temperature inside the grand cathedral plummeted instantly, our breath misting in the freezing air. Yet, beneath my skin, the ancient heat only grew hotter

Darius’s face went from a pale, aristocratic ivory to a sickly, translucent gray. The shadows writhing around Lucian’s solid black broadsword seemed to suck the very light from the grand cathedral, casting long, monstrous silhouettes against the stained-glass windows.

"You dare?" Darius shrieked,

I staggered back a step, my boots scraping harshly against the obsidian floor. I let out a sharp, breathless sound that was halfway between a scoff and a laugh.

"Primordial," I repeated, tasting the word on my tongue. It felt ridiculous. "That is a myth. A children's bedtime story designed to scar