54 Tyrant Awakens.

The shadow at the center of the Nexus stretched and thickened, threads spiraling into limbs and claws.

It moved with unnatural precision, every motion sharp and deliberate, like a marionette on invisible strings.

Its body pulsed with shifting shades of gold and black, each pulse sending a faint hum into Zoe's bones.

She'd felt something similar in shard dives before, but this was deeper. 

It clung to her senses like static, making her fingers itch to cast something—anything—just to push it back.

The jagged glow of its "eyes" locked onto them, two uneven slits of molten gold peering from the seam running down its featureless face. It wasn't watching them. It was assessing them.

Zoe's hands twitched at her sides, fingers itching with the urge to cast. 

Her staff shimmered into existence beside her, materializing with a soft hum of violet light. 

Her fingers curled around the smooth, familiar grip, grounding her in the moment.