Chapter 1195: A Golden Shard

"Such power," he hissed, the same inky magic his brother wielded crackling around his hands, "It should never have been denied me."

Betrayal cut deeper than any blade. The darkness lashed out, ensnaring Oriole, the Knight, even the unconscious Caleb. Its touch was not pain, but a numbing despair, draining their will to fight.

"You see, my friend," the scholar sneered, the soft-spoken facade finally shattered, "I wasn't broken by this war, I was awakened by it. This relic, this key! It will rip this dungeon free, not to some fantasy Earth, but fulfill a destiny long promised to me by a power far greater than yours."

Oriole struggled, voice barely above a whisper as the power choked his defiance, "Destiny? What are you talking about?" as he asked, he struggled to break free from the darkness.