Aiden stood on the deck of the command airship, arms crossed, staring at the floating citadel of Veyra through the reinforced glass. He had grown again.
Six-foot-five now, shoulders wider, every movement carrying the weight of stolen power.
Golden veins traced his forearms and pulsed under his skin like living circuits. He felt them throb in time with his heartbeat, feeding him strength, hunger, and clarity all at once.
He liked it. That was the dangerous part.
The chained entity and the Watcher whispered together in the back of his mind now, their voices overlapping in a low, seductive rhythm.
*Mass corruption. Turn their noblewomen into anchors. Breed loyalty into their bloodlines.* Aiden didn't shut them down. He tested the ideas instead, turning them over like knives in his hands, checking their edges.
