With each death, Lucas lost a piece of himself. But the memories of his mother—her soft voice, her screams that night—anchored him. He wasn't just a vessel. He was a weapon.
Malgros urged him deeper into darkness. "Why not take their power? Rule the ashes."
Lucas clenched his fists. "I'm not becoming them."
But power has a voice. And it whispers best when cloaked in righteousness.
The Ashen Veil fought back. They summoned their own horrors—possessed beasts, cursed twins, even a fractured angel. But Lucas was beyond human. Fire danced at his fingertips, shadows crawled to his call.
Then he found the truth: his mother had been one of them once.
A priestess who tried to betray the cult from within.
She had summoned Malgros too.