Asher could feel it—his heart, thundering so violently it was as though it might tear free from his chest.
He had dreamed of this day for so many years that it felt unreal to see Derek Sterling—the Derek, the one who had ruined his past life, who had forced him to become something monstrous—die like an insect crushed underfoot.
But there was no satisfaction. No peace. Because the towering figure before him now was the true monster.
Not Derek the schemer.
Not Derek the tyrant.
But Derek ascended, the Immortal Sovereign, risen from a timeline Asher had only glimpsed in a nightmare.
And as he stood there on the cracked and trembling earth, Asher understood with chilling clarity: This was the one who had truly destroyed everything he had. The one who climbed atop everyone, and transcended mortality itself.
