Nate took a step back, his grip tightening around Cleo as the darkness pulsed outward, spreading in waves from Sera's unmoving form. The inky tendrils of shadow writhed like living things, slithering along the ground, creeping over the lifeless husks of those she had already consumed.
And it wasn't stopping.
The black mist expanded like a rolling tide, consuming everything in its path. The stone courtyard cracked beneath its touch, the walls of the palace trembled, and beyond them—
Screams.
Shrill, panicked cries echoed through the streets of Kemet-Ra, piercing through the night like the wails of the damned. The people had seen the unnatural black fog, but by the time they realized the danger, it was too late.
A horrifying realization struck Nate like a hammer to the chest.
The shadows had reached their homes.
He could hear them—men, women, children—all wailing in agony as the darkness seeped through their walls, through their skin, devouring them from the inside.
