Pov Author
The chamber screamed.
Stone disintegrated under Shou Feng's power, walls cracking outward as black and crimson energy tore through the ancient sanctum. Kazan was thrown back, his body slamming into a pillar hard enough to shatter it completely.
Anna staggered, barely catching herself as the ground buckled beneath her feet.
"Shou Feng—!" she cried.
He didn't hear her.
Or worse—he heard her and still didn't stop.
The God of Destruction stood at the center of the ruin, aura raging violently, shadows ripping free of his body like living beasts. His dragons roared behind him, coiling through the collapsing space, their eyes locked on Kazan with murderous hunger.
Kazan laughed.
Blood streaked down his temple, yet his eyes burned with delight. "Yes," he breathed. "That rage. That devotion. You were always magnificent when you broke."
"You touched her," Shou Feng repeated.
His voice was terrifyingly calm now.
Kazan pushed himself upright, brushing dust from his robes. "She was mine long before she was yours."
The words had barely left his mouth when the air collapsed .
Shou Feng moved faster than thought.
He crossed the chamber in a blink, slamming Kazan into the ground so violently the stone beneath them caved inward. Cracks spiderwebbed outward for meters, the impact echoing like thunder.
Anna screamed.
"STOP!"
Her voice cut through the chaos.
Shou Feng froze.
For one heartbeat—just one—everything stilled. The dragons stilled mid-roar. The shadows hesitated, trembling as if uncertain.
Slowly, Shou Feng turned his head.
Anna stood trembling, her hands clenched at her sides, eyes wide—not with awe, not with admiration—
With fear.
Something twisted painfully in his chest.
"Enough," she said, voice shaking but firm. "This isn't saving me. This is destroying everything."
The silence that followed was heavier than any explosion.
Kazan coughed, laughing weakly beneath Shou Feng's grip. "See?" he whispered. "She fears you already."
That was a mistake.
Shou Feng rose slowly, lifting Kazan with him. The shadows tightened, crushing, unforgiving.
"You do not speak," Shou Feng said, "when she tells you to be silent."
He flung Kazan across the chamber.
Kazan crashed into the far wall, collapsing to the ground. This time, he did not rise immediately.
Shou Feng turned back to Anna.
He took one step toward her—then stopped.
For the first time since she had freed him, he hesitated.
"I won't let him have you," he said quietly. "I won't let anyone."
Anna swallowed hard. "That's not the same as protecting me."
His jaw tightened.
"I don't know how else to do it," he admitted.
The words were raw. Unpracticed. Dangerous.
Before Anna could respond, the chamber shuddered violently.
Kiyoshi appeared through the broken archway, barriers flaring around him. "Shou Feng!" he shouted. "The seals are collapsing—you're tearing the realm apart!"
The ground split open behind Anna.
Dark energy surged upward, wild and unstable.
Kazan laughed again, pushing himself to his knees. "You see?" he said hoarsely. "She is the key. She always was. The world bends when she stands beside you."
"No," Anna whispered. "I never wanted this."
Kazan's eyes locked onto hers. "You don't get to choose anymore."
He raised his hand.
The sigils beneath Anna's feet ignited.
Before Shou Feng could reach her, the symbols flared blinding white—and Anna vanished.
"ANNA!"
The scream tore from Shou Feng's throat, ripping through the collapsing chamber.
The light faded.
She was gone.
Again.
For a long moment, no one moved.
Then the shadows around Shou Feng began to scream.
The dragons roared in unison, shaking the realm itself. Shou Feng stood motionless, eyes empty, something inside him breaking apart—piece by piece.
Kiyoshi approached cautiously. "Shou Feng… we'll find her."
Slowly, Shou Feng turned.
"I know," he said.
His voice was no longer furious.
It was cold.
"She was taken," he continued. "Which means she can be reached."
The shadows coiled tighter around him, obedient, eager.
"And this time," he said softly, "I won't stop."
Far away—
Anna opened her eyes.
She lay on unfamiliar ground beneath a blood-red sky. The air was heavy, suffocating, filled with whispers that crawled across her skin.
A voice echoed all around her, ancient and mocking:
"Welcome to the place even gods fear to tread."
Anna's heart pounded.
"Shou Feng," she whispered.
The sky darkened further.
And somewhere between realms, the God of Destruction began a war that would decide the fate of every world connected to the book.