“Jonas, stop!” Lyla shouted over the roar of the abyss. Her voice cracked with desperation, her hand outstretched.

But Jonas didn’t stop.

The runes wrapped tighter around his body, burning brighter with each second, until his veins glowed red-gold under his skin. The dagger in his hand pulsed like a second heart, and the abyss answered its rhythm, a living tide of shadows surging at his command.

He looked untouchable.

He looked unrecognizable.

“You were never meant to lead, ...