Light swallowed Arios whole.
It wasn't the kind of blinding brilliance that forced the eyes shut, but a dense, overwhelming luminosity that wrapped around him like liquid fire—warm, cold, heavy, and weightless all at once. His senses dissolved, meaning that for several long heartbeats, he existed only within the glow. No sound, no texture, no breath. Just radiance and the echo of ancient power swirling around him with intent older than kingdoms.
Outside the column of light, the subterranean chamber convulsed with energy.
The spiraled columns shook, ancient dust cascading in thin clouds. The obsidian runes etched along the amphitheater walls pulsed in cascading waves, like a giant organism awakening after centuries of slumber. Each pulse resonated with a low, thrumming hum—one that vibrated deep in the bones of anyone near enough to feel it.
