Chapter 72 The Binding Ritual

• The ritual chamber lay deep beneath the ruins of the castle, in crypts so ancient that even Master Dorian's extensive knowledge couldn't determine their original purpose. Stone walls bore carvings that predated both kingdoms, symbols that seemed to shift when viewed directly and made the air itself feel heavy with accumulated power.
• I knelt at the center of a complex pattern carved into the floor, surrounded by the thirteen skull relics that had defined my identity for so long. Each one pulsed with contained malevolence, the demons within sensing that their moment of freedom was at hand. They whispered promises and threats in languages that existed before human speech, their words crawling into my mind like invasive creatures.
• "The barriers are weakening faster than anticipated," Master Dorian reported, his voice echoing strangely in the chamber. "We have perhaps six hours before complete dimensional collapse."