Page 91 of Knox
Knox stood over the defeated Caelen, a mixture of relief and triumph coursing through him. Finally, the threat was neutralized. Adrian was safe. This world was safe. He reachedfor the shadows, ready to bind Caelen and put an end to this once and for all.
But Caelen wasn’t finished. His face contorted with rage as he spat, "I will not be defeated! Not by you!"
Before Knox could react, Caelen produced a glowing orb from within his robes. It pulsed with a dark, malevolent energy that made Knox’s skin crawl.
Knox didn’t know what that was, but it had to be the source of Caelen’s new-found power. Some sort of artifact that shouldn’t be in the Shadow King’s possession.
"Where did you get that?" Knox demanded, his mind racing. "Whatever magic that is, you don’t have the power to control it now."
Caelen’s lips curled into a twisted smile. "I don’t need to control it."
"No!" Knox lunged forward, realizing what Caelen was about to do, but it was too late. With a manic laugh, Caelen smashed the artifact against the ground. The impact reverberated through the air, and Knox felt the world shift beneath his feet.
This was madness.
Utter madness.
Everyone knew you didn’t go around smashing powerful magic artifacts.
Caelen, it seemed, did not care. He was still laughing as the ground began to shake violently. Knox struggled to maintain his balance as the tremors intensified. A sound like tearing fabricfilled the air, and his stomach dropped as he realized what was happening.
One by one, massive portals began to open around them. Knox watched in horror as creatures from Veridia—all of them monsters—began pouring through. Trolls, orcs, and similar beasts—some of them with tentacles— spilled into this world, their roars and screeches filling the air.
Knox cursed. He’d defeated Caelen, but he had not stopped him from unleashing chaos onto Adrian’s world.
"Knox!"
Knox whirled around at Adrian’s panicked cry, his heart leaping into his throat. An orc, its grotesque features twisted in a snarl, was bearing down on Adrian with a massive club raised high. Knox didn’t hesitate. He summoned his magic, golden light erupting from his palms and slamming into the orc. The creature flew backward, crashing into a wall with a sickening crunch.
Adrian rushed to Knox’s side, clinging to him. "What are we going to do?"
Knox’s jaw clenched. He wanted to reassure Adrian, to tell him that everything would be alright, but the truth was, he didn’t know. The situation was spiraling out of control faster than he could process. More and more creatures from Veridia were pouring through the portals, filling the room with their roars and screeches. Knox had never seen anything like this before, never imagined he’d have to face such chaos.
But he didn’t have time to dwell on his uncertainty. A troll lumbered toward them, its massive fists raised.
Knox pushed Adrian behind him and summoned another blast of golden energy, knocking the troll off its feet.
At the same time, though, the building shook violently as another troll smashed through the outer wall.
Shit.
The situation was officially not contained anymore.
Caelen’s laughter rang louder.
But above it all, through the gaping hole in the wall, Knox could hear Lyrian’s singing. A small relief washed over him. His friends were out there, fighting. He had to trust them to handle the monsters that escaped him.
Gritting his teeth, Knox focused his remaining energy. He wrapped an arm around Adrian, keeping him close as he summoned a barrier of golden light around them. The shield flickered as monsters pounded against it, but they couldn’t break it.
Knox was too powerful for them right now.
But was he powerful enough to clear up this mess?
He turned his attention to the portals. They pulsed with dark energy, spewing more enemies into the room. Knox reached out with his magic, trying to grasp the edges of the nearest portal. It was like trying to hold smoke, but he persisted, his face contorted with effort as he attempted to seal the rift.
Light had to cancel out shadow, right?
It had to.
