Castle Stone, Saint Witch Island
A giant collapsed in the great throne hall of Castle Stone, beside the Fountain of Spells, where a shimmering globe hovered midair, its blue hue pulsing like the heart of a dying star.
Blood streaked across the black stone floor, giving the cold, dull surface an eerie gleam.
Phoria stood with two other High Sorcerers, circling the dying vampire as he crumbled before them. His skin, once taut and pale, now turned to ash, flaking off in thin, ghostly layers. Smoke coiled from his mouth, his breath rasping like wind through a cracked tomb.
"The demon prince… he is alive… They've called for a meeting… full moon… Crystal Mountain… Qowen… Lords and Sorcerers…"
He coughed, but no blood came…only ash, drifting like burnt parchment. His body dimmed to a lifeless gray, collapsing in a heap of dust. Then, with a sudden grotesque swell, he burst, his corpse erupting into a spray of ash, blood, and sinew.
