Duskreach: One Hour After the Ritual
The moon above Duskreach no longer resembled a celestial body. It had transformed into a pale, unblinking eye—wide open, watching.
The Synchronization Ritual had ended.
Darius stood tall at the edge of the Soulforge Citadel, looking down at his capital. His body radiated controlled chaos—an unstable fusion of man, god, and something now classified as unreadable by even the deepest archives.
Beside him, Celestia dressed slowly, her aura humming with sacred resonance. Nyx cleaned her blades wordlessly. Kaela stared up at the stars, where unnatural constellations had begun forming in real-time.
"What now?" Celestia asked, her voice raw from channeling divine grief. "You're stabilized. Temporarily. But your influence is distorting time and language itself. Even your name echoes where it shouldn't."
Darius turned. "We prepare for him."
They all knew who he meant.
Fragment Zone: Beneath the Crater
