Chapter 5422 Ritual Manual Secured
- Jared ran for his life through the wild woods, Aurelius a heavy, bleeding weight across his shoulders. Warm blood soaked Jared's tunic, then his skin. Each crimson drop slowed his stride, and with every falter, the pursuing miasma crawled closer.
- Behind them, the roar of countless specter soldiers swelled. The night itself seemed to breathe cold and hungry, ready to swallow king and protector alike.
- "Jared... this can't go on," Aurelius whispered, his breath tremoring against Jared's sweat-soaked neck. "There are too many of those cursed souls—no matter how fast we run, they will swallow us whole."