The bats started moving in larger waves! That was the only way I could describe it.
It was not just a swarm anymore. It felt alive in a way that had nothing to do with biology. Millions of wings moved together, folding and unfolding like a curtain being adjusted by something far too large to see.
Every time they shifted, the darkness above deepened, then loosened, then deepened again, as if the world itself was struggling to decide how much light it was allowed to keep.
I exhaled slowly and let my gaze linger. So it had started. Not just the scenario.
But the sequence.
The King in Yellow never rushed anything. That was what made him so dangerous. Other entities relied on brute force or overwhelming presence, but this one preferred structure.
Layers - A gradual collapse that felt almost natural until it was too late to stop.
And those layers… They always began with the apostles. Four of them, to be precise.
