The Shadow Sovereign: Rise of the Null

did not

had been lying there-hours, maybe days-but the mark on his palm was still pulsing, still glowing, still alive. It had kept him alive. He didn'

lf to his feet a

of eating nothing and drinking only the moisture that condensed on the stone walls. By the time he finally emerged from the Abyss, he was barely recogniza

e was

quarters he shared with Orin. The old man wasn't there-probably working, probably worrying-and Ka

, the world

was bl

sible in the pale morning light, pulsing with a sickly violet glow. It looked like a wound-a tear in t

s chest. Then he looked around, expecting to see panic, exp

o one

e guards patrolled the walls. No one looked up. No one saw. The crack was inv

to tell O

ent. "Above the academy. It's pulsing with violet li

e been through a lot. The fall, the dungeon, Aldric-

I saw it. I kn

m saying you're exhausted. You n

nd his voice was gentle, and Kaelen couldn't bring himself to fight. He n

't sleep. H

ill there, pulsing in rh

tell the g

t keep silent. The crack was growing. He could feel it in his bones, in hi

ir of guards near the main gate. "Above the academy. I

red at him. Th

ne of them said. "You'

not crazy. I'm tel

can come here and spread lies? You think you can cause panic? You're nothing but a Null. A

ed him in the ribs. Once. Twice. Three

is mouth. The crack pulsed above him, brighter now, closer. He could see s

se could

lse beli

ted to th

m. The dragons didn't laugh at him. The dragons just watched hi

aelen entered, and for a moment, he thought she would attack him again. But she didn't. She just stared at him

o," he whisper

a whi

ragon whimper before. Dragons were proud. Dragons were powerful. Dragons didn't sho

sn't

t losing

ing, and no one e

owed were the wors

He couldn't stop looking at the sky. He couldn't stop watching the crack grow. Every night, he stood at the window of t

times he heard whispers in the wind-voices that called to him from beyond the tear. Sometimes he saw shap

ter. But no one listened. No one believed. They called him mad. They called him a liar. They called

topped

trying to w

ed to gods he didn't believe in that

int came on the

rger now-almost impossible to miss-and the violet light was so bright that it cast strange shadows o

n he he

o

ngry. It came from beyond the tear, from the void between worlds,

will come. And when I do, e

breath coming in ragged gasps. The mark on his palm blazed with black a

ered. "No, I w

ming. But you can join me. You can become m

your an

You will be mine, little

. Closer. He could see shapes moving within it-tendrils of

len

who didn't care. He ran until he reached the edge of the academy grounds, where the cliff dropped awa

en he

rag

ght, with scales that seemed to absorb the light. Its eyes were amethyst, glow

erium D

e crack. Toward the tear. Towar

as calli

e. Come and witness what is comi

didn't

oward th

jum

dragon c

n the Aby

ime, he wa

protection. It was smaller now-about the size of a horse-but its eyes were st

whispered. "

e been watching you since the day you were born.

are

last Aetherium Dread

the dragon. The d

ntly, Kaelen reached out

snapped i

ts, beyond time itself. He could feel Umbram's heart beating in his chest. He could feel Umbra

ram said. You are inve

closed

t time in his li

y was stil

al Monarch wa

he violet light pulsing within it,

he whi

Umbram

e darkness, the Aby