Thirteen
LIAM
The earthquake in Gray’s realm was merely a warning. I had just enough time to send Gray and Emilio back to the material plane before the ground before me split wide open, trees toppling into the gash, the stone altar cracking in two. The pentacle-carved slab on top slid to the ground and shattered. The stars winked out, and darkness veiled the moon, turning the realm a murky gray.
And then they arrived.
From the newly formed chasm in the forest floor, a smoky essence emerged, dark and dense, its presence turning the air acrid, burning my eyes and my flesh, sending me to my knees.
It was nothing I hadn’t expected. I just hadn’t realized it would be so excruciating.
Known only as the Old One, the essence was nothing and many things all at once. Eternity. Power. Emptiness
