"What the fuck?"
Adyr couldn't stop the words from slipping out.
For a moment, he questioned whether this was all unfolding in his mind or if reality itself had truly fractured.
Then, from his right, came a sound.
It wasn't a voice. It wasn't even a scream in the ordinary sense. It was the collective shriek of agony from countless beings—millions, no, trillions—compressed into a single, soul-rending echo. Like the gates of hell had been thrown open and every cursed thing inside was clawing, screaming, writhing, pleading for release. A chorus of torment that bypassed the ears and crawled straight into the bones.
Even someone like Adyr, who had heard worse in both lives, felt his spine stiffen.
And then came the counterpoint.
From his left, another sound bloomed into existence.
Music.
