The Sun-Eater did not merely arrive; it redefined the horizon. As the colossal construct of marble and solar flame beat its wings, the shockwave of heat turned the outer battlements of the Obsidian Spire into molten glass. Inside the sanctum, the Seventh Circle wards screamed, the violet energy flaring so bright it began to blind those within the room.
Lucian stood like a pillar of defiance, his hand never leaving Lyra's shoulder. He could feel the gray hunger within her chest vibrating in harmony with the approaching destruction.
"It's looking for me," Lyra whispered, her voice sounding hollow, as if she were speaking from the bottom of a deep well. "The Light doesn't want to save the world, Lucian. It just wants to erase the shadow I've become."
"Then let it try," Lucian snarled. He turned to the Oracle, his eyes flashing with an abyssal fury. "How long until the Sun-Eater reaches the inner gates?"
