Chapter 50

They stepped through the Black Gate.

At once, the world dissolved — no sky, no ground, only a vast expanse of shadow and whispers, thick as water. Shapes moved in the dark: hands, faces, things without names, all pressing close as if tasting the warmth of living souls.

Edgar pushed forward.

Every step was a battle, each breath a test of will.

Behind him, Seraphine fired into the dark, silver light cutting through the creeping shadows.

Magnet Man waded through with brutal swings, his metal fists shattering creatures of bone and smoke.

The Professor chanted under his breath, casting thin shields of light that cracked and flickered but held.

Ahead, a glow.

The fissure where Sebastian knelt, bound in chains of shadow, his skin pale, his eyes flickering open at their approach.

And beside him, the Pale Priest waited.

He no longer smiled.