The descent into the southern mountain range was a plunge into the throat of a dying beast.
High above, the stratosphere was clear and cold, illuminated by the natural sun Lucian had fought so desperately to restore. But as Kael slowed their supersonic trajectory and angled downward, the brilliant blue sky was swallowed by a massive, churning ocean of thick, greasy grey smoke.
The Dormant Volcano was no longer sleeping. It was violently, catastrophically awake.
The King of the High Pantheon had corrupted the southern elemental node, twisting its foundational purpose. Instead of anchoring the earth and providing natural geothermal warmth to the leylines, the massive mountain was actively bleeding necrotic ash and toxic sulfur directly into the atmosphere. The thick cloud cover completely blotted out the sun, plunging the jagged peaks into a perpetual, suffocating twilight of dark reds and furious oranges.
