One hundred sixty-three people stood in concentric circles on Mount Blackstone's peak.
The innermost circle: Sera, Emma, Luna, Daniel. The core of The Vigil.
The second circle: Marcus, Kira, Ava, and other senior operatives.
The outer circles: Everyone else who'd chosen this. Warriors. Researchers. Support staff. All willing to bind their souls together.
Aldric Silvermoon stood in the center with his pack elders. They would guide the ritual. Channel the ancient magic. Try to achieve what had never been attempted.
"This will hurt," Aldric warned. Not for the first time. "Your souls will stretch. Connect. Merge partially. Many of you will feel like you're dying. Some of you might actually die. We've never bonded this many people at once. We don't know the limits."
"We understand," Sera said. She spoke for everyone. "We accept the risk."
