Ashveil didn't awaken gently.
He erupted.
From a prison deep beneath the Order's forge-tower, a column of molten flame shot into the sky. Screams followed. The beast's cry wasn't just rage—it was grief, betrayal, and the need to burn it all down.
Kaela collapsed, eyes glowing, barely conscious. "He's coming…"
Kaden caught her as the outpost trembled. "We need to move. Now."
But the Warden stood tall, blood dripping from his arm, his beast a smoldering ruin.
"You've doomed yourselves," he snarled. "Ashveil's broken. The Project twisted him. He'll burn everything, including you."
Kaela's voice broke. "I'll bring him back."
Kaden glanced down. "You better. Or we're so dead."