Page 72 of Sundered By Fate

Aric and Davin were escorted from the chamber, their footsteps echoing down the Tower's corridors. Aric's mind was a tempest, thoughts whipping around with no sense of direction.

"We can't just stand by and do nothing," he muttered, more to himself than to Davin. "There has to be another way."

Davin glanced at him, green eyes stormy with his own thoughts. "Maybe Sylas can help. Or we could try to reach out to the towns affected, gather more evidence?—"

But whatever he'd been about to say was cut off by the shrill blare of alarms ringing through the Tower. The very walls seemed to tremble with the force of it, a distant rumbling that set Aric's teeth on edge.

Aric and Davin exchanged a worried look, realizing something had gone terribly wrong. They broke into a run, following the flow of panicked mages and soldiers towards the Tower's entrance.

The courtyard was a swirling chaos of activity. Battle mages hurried to reinforce the wards, while the Silver Guard scrambled to gather their weapons. The air crackled with tension, an ominous hum that set Aric's nerves on edge.

A Silver Guard captain hurried past, his face pale and drawn. "An attack—unidentified enemies sighted on the horizon, but their movements are unlike anything we've ever seen before."

Aric and Davin broke into a sprint. They emerged onto the city streets, and were immediately met with a scene of chaos. People were running in all directions, screaming and shouting in panic. And in the distance, there was a strange, pulsating light in the sky—a dark wound in reality that sent chills down Aric's spine.

"What is that?" Davin shouted, but Aric could only shake his head.

"I don't know," he said, barely audible over the din. "But we need to find out."

The streets were a blur around them as they rushed toward the Tower's base. Everywhere, people were shouting, running, eyes wide with terror. But Aric's focus was only on the dark wound in the sky, its light growing brighter, more intense.

It was wrong, unnatural—like something that didn't belong in their world.

As they reached the base of the Tower, Aric skidded to a halt, staring up at the pulsing light. Davin stopped beside him, his face a mask of grim determination.

"Aric," he said, his voice tight with fear. "It's started."

Aric's heart sank as he felt the truth of those words settle in his bones.

They were too late.

Nineteen

wards are active, how?—"

"—get everyone out?—"

"—can it be stopped?—"

The shouted cries melded together in Aric's ears as they rushed from the Tower, the once-imposing edifice now a mere backdrop to the pandemonium on the streets. Mages and guards streamed past them, faces pale and frantic as they hurried toward the heart of the city.

Aric grabbed a passing mage by the arm. "What's happening?"

The mage pulled free with a panicked glare. "Whatever it is, it'd be best if you stayed out of the way."

They continued on, ignoring Aric's protests. Davin gave him a questioning look, but Aric only shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. "But we need to find out."

They joined the throngs rushing toward the city center, where a dark wound in the air pulsed and flared. Aric felt a sickening lurch in his stomach as he saw it up close—a jagged tear in the fabric of reality, a gaping maw that seemed to devour all light and sound.

A portal, just like the kind Vizra and Zaxos had torn open to move the troops from the middle of the demon realms to the edges of the human lands when they began their full assault.

"How are they doing it?" Davin breathed.

"I don't know," Aric said. "But it's wrong. It's all wrong."

A dark tide pressed in on his mind, a cacophony of whispers that made his skin crawl. He tried to focus, to push it back, but the noise only grew louder, more insistent.

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