Kiyan pushed through the agonizing psychic pain of the Spirit-Leach Altar's ancient despair. He focused solely on the perfect, eternal silence of his Primal Cold, ready to execute Cut.

  ?He touched the monolithic stone and commanded: “Silence!”

  ?A soundless, blinding white light erupted, lasting only an instant. The stone groaned, and then, with a sharp, echoing crack, the carved glyphs on its surface shattered, becoming inert, dusty powder. The geomantic signal was gone.

  ?Kiyan staggered back, leaning heavily on the stone, his reserves completely empty.

  ?Elara rushed to his side, her voice filled with awe. “The stone shattered, but there was no sound. How did you do that? What was that i heard you say silence ?”

  ?Kiyan took a shuddering breath. “It’s a technique i developed its call entropic silence. I didn't cut the stone, I cut the flow. Forced the internal energy to cease. Nullification.” He pointed weakly into the mist. “Altar severed! The beacon is dead! Run! We need to move before the War-Drake’s sorcerers scan this exact location!”

  ?Sera grabbed his arm, pulling him toward a gap in the gnarled trees. The noise of the War-Drake—a heavy, rhythmic CLANG-THUD—was terrifyingly close, echoing off the mists.

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  ?They ran blindly. The noise of the War-Drake stopped. The sorcerers had activated their locators, sweeping the air in a widening net.

  ?“They’ve stopped searching; they’re sweeping the Mists in a grid pattern now,” Elara observed, breathing heavily.

  ?Kiyan pointed with a trembling finger toward a section of the mist where the color was a slightly less oppressive blue. “There. A stable nexus point. We have enough residual Regulator energy for a single, small jump. If we hit that point, we can push out of the Mists entirely.”

  ?

  ?They reached the Nexus just as the first massive, iron boot of the War-Drake smashed down on the ground they had just vacated, shaking the trees violently.

  ?Kiyan slammed his hand onto the Nexus stone, pouring the last of the Regulator’s energy into it. The air shimmered, and a brief, swirling portal opened—not a breach, but a controlled gateway.

  ?They jumped through.

  ?They landed in a claustrophobic, dark canyon, lit by flickering red lanterns. The air smelled of cheap liquor, stale sweat, and forge smoke. Above them, miles of solid rock sealed them in.

  ?“Welcome to the Underworld Market of Khaldar,” Sera said, adjusting her clothing. “It’s lawless, distant, and completely off the Legion’s map. We can finally refuel and prepare the Regulator for the actual, stable jump to the Inner Worlds.”

  ?Kiyan looked around at the shadowy figures moving through the canyon market—thieves, outlaws, and exiled mages. “We made it. But we’re standing in the most dangerous place in the Frontier. We need to find a way to power up the Regulator and leave before we’re sold for parts.”