The doors to the Ember Summit slammed shut behind Darin and his group as the mountain trembled again, this time more violently, like something was stirring deep beneath the rock.
Torches lining the walls flared blue for a heartbeat, then flickered into a steady crimson. Ancient enchantments woven into the very walls pulsed with reawakened purpose. The council chamber had become a war room in an instant.
Darin stood tall near the center, still catching his breath from the confrontation moments before. The rift hadn't opened yet, but something was coming. He could feel it in his bones.
So could everyone else.
The mountain rumbled again.
Not from within, but from beneath.
A sound like a great inhale, as though the entire world was about to scream.
