Chapter 24: THE RAGE*
The battlefield fell silent.
Ash drifted like black snow. The Arcane General was gone—erased from existence. Yet the air itself trembled, heavy with something *wrong*.
Kenya's voice cracked. *"...Shen... your aura..."*
Eliz staggered back, her healing ring flickering. *"It's not fading. It's growing—darker, stronger—"*
Ruke wiped blood from his lips. *"The fight's over... so why?!"*
At the epicenter, Shen stood motionless. His head hung low, wreathed in a maelstrom of dark flames and crackling lightning. The mark on his chest pulsed like a second heartbeat, its glow searing through the smoke.
*(BOOM!)*
The ground shattered beneath him.
Captain sprinted forward, his armor dented. *"Shen?! What's happening—?"*
Kenya grabbed his arm. *"He's losing control, sir. That power... it's consuming him."*
Shen clutched his skull, veins bulging as his voice fractured—twisting into something ancient, guttural.
***"You sought power... Now bear its cost."***
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