Chrysalis

Granin stirred as the wave washed over him.

"W-was that?" Corun asked breathlessly.

"It was," the triad leader stated.

Torrina sucked in a breath, letting the shock register on her face instead of her usual stoic expression.

"This is a lot sooner than we expected," she said after calming herself. "Are you sure?"

Her teacher shot her a slightly annoyed look and she looked down. Granin snorted.

"You're too smart to ask a question like that," he scolded her, "we just got punched in the face by a wall of mana. Of course I'm sure."

"I know. I suppose I just didn't want it to happen now. I don't think I'm ready."

"Nobody is ready for what's coming. They might have spent three thousand years preparing themselves, but they still aren't ready."

At least we won't be the ones to pit ourselves against the overwhelming strength of the Ancients. I'm happy to leave that to those with far more hubris than I.

Corun warred with the sense of excitement and trepidation. World shaking events would take place, and soon. A wave the likes of which the world hadn't seen since the Time of Rending was building. It was possible the events of the past would repeat themselves, with the Ancients causing devastation on a global scale. Naturally, he was nervous.

do you think?" he asked Granin and the old Shaper scrunched

were to guess, I'd say that those who aren't awake are stirring at the least,

He shrugged.

Less than a year is my guess. If we don't have a solution by that time, then they'll take matters into their own

meant when the Ancients took matters

in time," Torrina said, and

meet the Worm in person?" he said, and

god might be a happy occasion for some religions, but amongst the cults, it meant coming well within eating range of an all-powerful monster. Granin imagined it may be a very moving experience, to

thought, not

the Ancients. There

still

can only hope so," he said, returning his mind to the current conversation. "Our only chance of staving off disaster is to present a new Ancient. That was the task laid on the founders of the cults, and we are running out of time to deliver. If we

only tier seven," Corun fretted, and Torrina

born amongst his Colony, but in the tunnels by himself, it was beyond a miracle he'd survived to this point. She understood what he was saying, though. Compared to what

much on that front," Granin said. "This wave is going to be like nothing we've ever seen before, and the next will be even worse. If you want

vantage point high in the fortress nest below Roklu, the three had a huge range of view over the plains below. Torrina and Corun leaned forward to see what he was

endlessly. As they watched, it didn't die down, it only grew worse, and

felt their lungs burn when they breathed. Not from the smoke, but from the faint tinge of pure destruction in the air, now strong enough to

to create filters in order to