A storm was brewing. Not in the skies, but in the unseen currents that dictated the fate of the world.

  Ryojin could feel it.

  He stood on the temple’s highest peak, the wind tugging at his cloak as he overlooked the ruined valley below. His senses stretched beyond mortal perception, tracing the disturbances rippling through the world.

  Darius would return. The Celestial Order would not stand idle after witnessing his rebirth. But they would not be alone.

  The Abyssal Clans had already begun to stir.

  Ryojin closed his eyes, allowing the whispers of the Abyss to guide his thoughts. He saw flickering visions—cloaked figures moving through the shadows, crimson sigils glowing beneath the earth, ancient forces awakening from their slumber.

  The world thought the war had ended.

  It had only just begun.

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  A presence approached.

  Ryojin didn’t turn, but his fingers twitched toward his katana as he sensed a new arrival.

  Soft footsteps echoed across the stone. A voice, smooth and knowing, broke the silence.

  “You really don’t waste time making enemies, do you?”

  Ryojin smirked. “Depends on how you define enemy.”

  The newcomer stepped into the moonlight—a tall man with silver hair and sharp, golden eyes, dressed in a flowing dark coat adorned with intricate runes. Vaelin Duskbane. A name that carried weight among those who dealt in forbidden knowledge. Unlike others who entered the Abyss to draw power, Vaelin, had no interest in power and this fact unsettled many people.

  A rogue scholar. A tactician. And, when it suited him, a killer.

  Vaelin studied him carefully. “The Celestials have already begun their movements. And the Abyssal Clans?” He chuckled. “They’re either preparing to worship you or destroy you.”

  Ryojin met his gaze. “Let them try.”

  Vaelin sighed. “That attitude is going to make things messy.” He crossed his arms. “So tell me, Ryojin—what’s your next move?”

  The question hung in the air.

  Ryojin had no illusions about what lay ahead. The gods wanted him erased. The Celestial Order wanted him chained. The Abyssal Clans obviously wanted to claim him as their own- to use him as a weapon, such was the type of clan they were.

  But Ryojin Kurohane belonged to no one.

  His path was his alone.

  He turned to Vaelin, his violet eyes glowing faintly. “I’m going to remind this world why it should fear the dark.”

  Vaelin smirked. “ You are a bold one.”

  Ryojin’s grip on his katana tightened.

  The storm was coming.

  And he would be at its center.