[Moments Earlier]
"My brethren… the time has come."
The darkness covered the sky like a black blanket, having only the full moon wash upon the clearing with full brightness.
In this clearing, a congregation of shadows could be seen.
Fifty-one, to be exact.
Standing before the cult-like group of men who had dark robes and crimson orbs in their hands was a hooded man with long white hair.
His wrinkled face told of his advanced age, and his eyes were completely filled with blackness—save for the orange glows that served as his irises.
He had a crimson gem on his forehead, and a necklace whose central crystal also glowed with the same color.
Finally, he had a staff on one hand—one designed like the gnarled branch of an ancient tree.
The wooden object had a large crimson crystal at its top, and it exuded forbidden, malevolent power.