The ground began to shake—not with a normal rumble, but with a deep, groaning pulse, as if something was trying to rise to the surface.
The ground swayed, rolling like waves. It shifted under his feet, like the ground had turned into liquid.
Then it began to crack.
A jagged chain shot up from the ground, moving fast. It scraped past his foot, missing him by inches.
He didn't wait.
He ran toward Ana, scooped her into his arms, and took off running.
But out of nowhere, more chains erupted from the ground.
They exploded upward like serpents, tearing through the ground.
The terrain began to rise—uneven, unstable.
The battlefield shifted beneath them.
Massive plates of land twisted, lifted, then slammed together like broken puzzle pieces forced into place.
Sylas leapt around them, dodging chains as they shot past him, one after another, each strike like a whip.
He kept dodging. Kept moving.
Then—he looked up.
