Chapter 161: The Hunger of the Void
The vision hit the Alpha like a physical blow. He saw the Northern Barrens not as a wasteland, but as a wound on the skin of the world. The "true hunger" wasn't a beast with claws; it was an invisible, cosmic rot that consumed the very essence of life, leaving behind only cold, grey dust.
"It's eating the light," the Alpha gasped, his knees hitting the frosted earth as the vision faded. "The High King wasn't just ruling us... he was feeding this thing to keep it satisfied. Now that he's gone, it's starving."
The Omega knelt beside him, her hand glowing with a warmth that seemed to push back the encroaching fog of the Shard Wraiths. "If the King used sacrifice to keep it at bay, then we have to find a different way. We won't build a peace on the blood of the innocent."
Suddenly, the leader of the Wraiths pointed toward a jagged peak in the far north—the Crystal Spire. It was a needle of pure, transparent ice that seemed to pierce the very stars. The whispers of the Wraiths grew louder, more frantic, as if warning them that time was running out.
"The Spire is the seal," the Omega realized, her eyes reflecting the pale starlight. "If we can restore the resonance there, we can heal the wound without the King's dark rituals."
But as they looked toward the mountain, a low, rhythmic thumping vibrated through the ground. It wasn't the sound of footsteps. it was the heartbeat of the land itself, growing faster and more erratic. Something was already clawing its way up from beneath the ice, attracted by the sudden surge of the Omega's light.
The journey to the Spire had officially begun, and they weren't alone in the frozen dark.