The roar from beneath the frozen city shook the entire cavern.
Stone towers cracked down the middle, sending sheets of ice sliding into the streets below. Bridges of frozen rock collapsed into the dark chasms beneath them. Dust and frost filled the air like a rising storm.
Aeralyn struggled to keep her balance.
"What is that?" she shouted over the rumbling ground.
The King of the Frozen City turned slowly toward the deep fractures spreading across the ruins.
His glowing eyes burned brighter now.
"Something… that should never wake."
Another violent tremor split the ground open several streets away. A long crack raced across the frozen stone like lightning, revealing a deep pit glowing faintly with eerie violet light.
The same color as the First Sentinel's rune.
Teren stared at it in horror.
"…Oh no."
Rovan followed his gaze.
"Let me guess."
"Ancient prison."
"Yes," the King replied.
"For thousands of years."
Lysa nocked an arrow but kept her bow lowered.
"Who built the prison?"
The King answered without looking away from the glowing pit.
"We did."
The ground shook again.
A large section of the frozen city collapsed into the growing chasm.
Stone buildings disappeared into darkness with a thunderous crash.
Aeralyn looked up at the massive ruler of the ancient civilization.
"What did you imprison?"
The King's voice echoed through the cavern like a distant avalanche.
"The Devourer."
The name alone seemed to chill the air.
Caelum's expression hardened.
"I have heard old legends of that name."
"Legends?" Teren asked nervously.
"Yes," Caelum replied.
"Stories told to frighten children in the northern kingdoms."
"But the stories always ended the same way."
Rovan glanced at him.
"How?"
"They said the Devourer was not destroyed."
"Only buried."
The glowing crack across the city floor widened.
Purple light surged upward from the depths like a rising storm.
Something enormous moved far below.
A shape far larger than any Sentinel.
Far larger than the King himself.
The King spread his massive wings slowly.
"The Devourer feeds on magic."
"Winter. Warmth."
"Balance itself."
Aeralyn felt the Heart of Balance pulse faintly above them in the distant chamber.
As if the ancient artifact could sense the threat rising below.
Teren's voice trembled.
"So if that thing eats magic…"
"…then the Heart is basically dinner."
The King nodded once.
"Yes."
The ground split open again.
A deep claw burst through the broken stone floor.
It was enormous.
Larger than a Sentinel's arm.
Covered in jagged black scales and glowing purple cracks.
The claw slammed into the ruins, pulling itself upward from the prison below.
Rovan stared.
"That's… not encouraging."
The Devourer roared again.
The sound echoed through every tunnel of the mountain.
Ice shattered along the cavern walls.
Stone statues of the First Civilization toppled and broke apart.
The claw dragged itself forward.
Then another followed.
The creature was climbing out.
The King stepped forward.
His wings spread wide across the ruins like a living fortress.
"You must leave," he said.
Aeralyn shook her head.
"We're not leaving."
"You cannot fight it."
"We already fought everything else in this mountain," Rovan said.
"Why stop now?"
The King turned his glowing eyes toward them.
"Because this one cannot be defeated by strength."
Another massive crack split across the city.
The Devourer's enormous head began rising from the pit.
Rows of jagged teeth lined its massive jaws.
Purple energy leaked from its scales like living lightning.
Its eyes opened.
They burned with deep violet hunger.
Teren stepped back slowly.
"…I regret coming down here."
Lysa raised her bow anyway.
"Then we make sure the trip wasn't pointless."
Caelum looked toward Aeralyn.
"The Heart of Balance."
"It may be the only thing powerful enough to stop this creature."
"But it is still above us in the Core Engine."
Aeralyn looked up toward the distant tunnel leading back to the chamber.
"We need to reach it."
The King nodded once.
"I will hold the Devourer."
Rovan looked up at the towering ancient ruler.
"You sure about that?"
The King's wings flared wide.
"I was built to guard this prison."
"Then guard it," Aeralyn said.
Another roar exploded from the Devourer as its massive body climbed higher from the pit.
The ground collapsed further around it.
The creature was nearly free.
Aeralyn turned toward the tunnel leading back to the Core Engine.
"We run," she said.
Teren nodded immediately.
"Best plan I've heard today."
The group sprinted across the collapsing ruins.
Behind them, the King launched into the air.
His massive wings carried him toward the rising monster.
The Devourer roared as the ancient guardian crashed into it.
The impact shook the entire underground city.
Stone shattered.
Ice rained from the cavern ceiling.
As Aeralyn and the others raced toward the tunnel…
The final battle for the mountain had begun.