Here’s the opening chapter, just like I promised.

No setup, no spoilers—just the next step into the story…

Everything was white.

Not with the warmth of Arbelon—this was something colder. Sterile. It pressed into Thane’s skull like static and wouldn’t let go. It was the kind of white that hummed behind your eyes, buzzing in your jaw, too clean to be real.

Then the memories came. The glow of the Heart, the figure inside, the face he couldn't unsee.

But how? It was impossible.

He blink...