Simultaneously, on Moon 9, Zane was screaming as the shadow-dragon bit deep into his shoulder. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the mental invasion.
Across the vast distance of space, Fang Yuan used the Dragon Egg (which he had already tainted) as a bridge. Zane's vision suddenly shifted. He wasn't in the mine anymore; he was standing in a vast, dark cathedral of gears and stars.
"You want strength, boy?" Fang Yuan's giant, spectral face appeared in the void above Zane. "The Dragon will eat you if you stay weak. But I can give you the Law of the Devourer."
Before Zane could answer, a black collar made of condensed spatial energy appeared around his neck, then faded into his skin. The dragon stopped biting. It bowed its head, its indigo eyes reflecting the same light as Fang Yuan's.
Zane gasped, his body transforming. His muscles grew denser, his eyes sharper. He was stronger than the prophecy ever promised—but he felt a "Chain" reaching into the darkness, connected to a master he couldn't see.
"Destroy this mine," the voice commanded in his head. "Gather the 'Broken' and the 'Forgotten.' You are no longer a slave of the moons. You are my Vanguard."