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Shock froze his features, his wide eyes locking onto her beautiful face, searching for an explanation. “Mina… why?” he gasped, more stunned than injured.

Then he felt it. Like a punch of cold. Theintrusion.

His breath stuttered. A violent shudder rolled through him. Mina took a small step back as the chill slithered deeper, sinking into muscle, then bone.

It was as if the wound in his shoulder had opened a doorway, letting something foreign slip inside.

Cold flooded his lungs, poured into his mouth like smoke. He pushed back—tried. But the cold answered with teeth.

Everything went still. Even his heartbeat felt muffled, distant, and moving ever farther away.

His name… what was it again?

That was the last thought Aiden had before he was Aiden no more.

Eula stayed to guard the riftway—they would need a quick exit. The rest moved forward.

The air in the underground caves was thick with the scent of damp earth and ancient stone. Skye, Kato, and Ivain moved silently through the tunnels, invisible even to themselves. The echoes of their footsteps were swallowed by the darkness,leaving only the distant drip of water and the occasional scuttle of unseen creatures to break the silence.

Once, this vast network of caverns had been a thriving city, teeming with life and lit by crystals that still clung to the walls. Now it lay in shadow, its grandeur hidden beneath layers of dust and time. Towering stone columns lined wide avenues, and the ceilings soared above them, adorned with the remnants of a mosaic depicting ancient gods and heroes locked in eternal struggle.

To their left, an enormous stone bridge arched over a chasm that seemed to descend into endless darkness. To their right, a channel cut for a canal guided a luminous river, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly glow that painted the cavern walls in shades of blue and green.

They passed through a grand plaza dominated by a massive statue of Rakis, the only male to ever sit on the Time throne. Dilapidated buildings loomed along the perimeter, their windows dark and empty.

Skye knew when they were getting close. He could see torchlight up ahead. They slowed, slipping into the shadows as they approached the edge of Aneirin’s camp.

Tents and makeshift shelters were nestled between the grand stone pillars that lined the central avenue. Fires crackled in iron braziers. The camp had claimed the skeletal remains of the city’s infrastructure. A crumbling amphitheater served as a training ground for the undead soldiers. The stone benches were draped with tattered banners bearing more than one familiar sigil. Families that Skye knew—respected—had pledged themselves to Aneirin and his cause.

In the shadow of a grand archway, supply caches lay in haphazard stacks, their contents spilling across the stone—blades, rations, armor, carelessly strewn. A makeshift infirmaryhad been set up nearby, little more than a cluster of bedrolls and crude wooden cots.

There was no movement.

Indeed, as they ventured further in, it became increasingly clear that the bustling activity one would expect from a force preparing for battle was notably absent.

They paused at the edge of a shadowed alcove. There was a large room carved into the stone—the walls were smooth and rounded, unadorned, as if this area had been used for storage once. The air reeked. Black blood stained the floor, long dried.

Skye’s heart pounded as he scanned the area, noting the chains and restraints that dangled from the walls.

Something had been here. Something had suffered.

Now, there was nothing.

The camp was empty.

Ivain was the first to remove his glamour. The lines of his face were hard and etched with worry. “We need to get back right now.”

The bond had grown silent with distance. The moment they landed back in Ryme, Skye threw out his mind to find her.

“Taly!” Ivain called, throwing open the doors to the townhouse.

Sarina was right behind him. She’d seen their faces coming through the riftway and known immediately there was trouble. “Aimee! Aiden!” she shouted up the stairs. “This isn’t a game. Answer me!”

They found Calcifer asleep in the parlor. When Ivain shook him, the beast didn’t stir. “Shit,” he cursed. “Check the rest of the house. Make sure everyone’s accounted for.”

“I’ll take the outside,” Kato said, already out the door.

“I’ll check the security logs,” Eula added, right behind him.