Chapter 12 The Hand of Extinction
The colossal crimson hand closed around the Shadowlands, the world shattered.
Vincent felt the pressure instantly.
The sky screamed, mountains cracked, forests collapsed, the air itself seemed to buckle beneath the impossible weight descending from above.
Every wolf in the clearing cried out. Silver wolves, corrupted wolves, even the giant guardian staggered.
The gigantic silver wolf standing before Vincent lowered itself protectively, Its enormous body shielding him.
The heartbeat thundered.
BOOM!
Silver flames exploded from the throne. The ancient structure beneath the temple erupted with power. For the first time since awakening, the throne fought back.
The crimson hand paused, the giant eye in the sky narrowed. The entire world seemed to hold its breath.
Then the hand pushed downward, the Shadowlands groaned, the ground split apart, thousands of cracks raced across the earth. Ancient pillars shattered, the hidden temple trembled violently.
Vincent nearly lost his footing.
The black wolf slammed against his side, helping him stay upright. He barely noticed.
His eyes remained fixed on the sky. The hand was still descending, still reaching, still coming for him.
The giant guardian roared. Silver light exploded around its body. The chains binding its limbs shattered completely. The sound echoed across the continent.
Every wolf froze. The guardian stared upward.
And for the first time, Vincent saw the creature's full power; Ancient runes ignited beneath its fur, silver fire erupted from its paws. The ground beneath it melted.
The guardian wasn't merely strong, it was a force of nature.
The crimson eye watched, unimpressed. The giant guardian launched itself skyward. The earth exploded beneath its leap.
Silver light carved through the darkness straight toward the descending hand. The impact shook the heavens. A deafening explosion echoed across the world.
Vincent covered his ears.
The shockwave flattened entire sections of forest. Trees vanished, stone turned to dust, the silver wolves were thrown backward, the corrupted wolves scattered.
When the light faded, Vincent looked up.
The guardian remained suspended in the air, its claws buried deep within the crimson hand.
Blood, dark crimson blood. The first sign of injury.
The giant eye narrowed, ghe guardian roared triumphantly.
Then the hand closed. The ancient wolf disappeared. The clearing went silent.
Vincent's heart stopped.
The guardian was gone, completely swallowed by the gigantic fist.
The silver wolves stared upward in horror, the Executioner's expression darkened. Then the fist tightened.
A sickening crunch echoed across the sky, several wolves looked away.
The lead silver wolf dropped to his knees. The giant silver wolf beside Vincent growled; a low, dangerous sound.
The heartbeat thundered.
BOOM!
The throne erupted, silver fire blasted skyward, a pillar of moonlight slammed into the crimson fist. The sky exploded, the giant hand loosened slightly, just enough.
A burst of silver energy erupted outward, the guardian escaped.
Falling from the heavens, crashing into the distant forest.
The impact created a crater large enough to swallow a mountain. The guardian wasn't dead, but it wasn't winning.
The crimson eye blinked. The hand continued descending; relentless, unstoppable.
The Executioner finally moved. His sword ignited silver runes crawled across the blade, ancient symbols older than the temple, older than the throne.
Vincent felt them immediately.
The weapon hated the throne, hated the heartbeat, hated him.
The realization sent chills through him.
The Executioner raised the blade. The giant silver wolf growled, the silver wolves tensed, the corrupted alpha stepped backward.
Everyone knew what was coming.
The Executioner pointed the sword at the sky, then swung.
A line of silver light split the heavens. The attack crossed miles in an instant. It struck the crimson hand directly.
For the first time, the hand recoiled. The giant eye narrowed sharply, the sky trembled.
The Executioner lowered his sword. Blood dripped from his mouth.
The attack had cost him, a lot. Yet his eyes never left the sky.
"Move." The command shocked everyone.
Vincent blinked.
The Executioner pointed directly at him.
"Now."
The giant silver wolf immediately stepped between them; protective, hostile.
The Executioner's patience vanished.
"If he stays here, he dies."
The statement silenced the clearing.
Even the silver-eyed being inside the temple remained quiet.
The giant wolf hesitated. That hesitation terrified Vincent. Because it meant the Executioner was right.
The crimson hand pushed downward again, the throne responded. Silver flames exploded higher. The heartbeat accelerated.
BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!
Each pulse stronger than the last. The giant eye brightened, the hand moved faster, the throne moved faster.
Two ancient powers pulling against one another and Vincent stood at the center.
The silver-eyed being finally spoke. Its voice sounded strained.
"Interesting."
Nobody responded. The voice continued.
"The throne is defending him."
Vincent stared at the temple. The throne, the heartbeat, the visions. Everything kept leading back to it.
The giant silver wolf lowered its massive head. Its glowing eye fixed on Vincent.
"My King."
Vincent clenched his fists, again. Always that title.
The wolf continued.
"You must survive."
The words hit harder than expected. Not because of what was said. Because of how it was said.
The creature sounded desperate. The giant wolf looked toward the horizon toward the distant crater where the guardian had fallen, then toward the sky then back to Vincent.
As though making a decision. A painful one.
The heartbeat thundered.
BOOM!
The giant wolf suddenly moved. Its massive jaws opened.
Vincent barely had time to react. The creature bit down gently on the back of his shirt. Then threw him.
The world spun.
Vincent flew through the air, dozens of feet, hundreds. He crashed across the clearing, rolled through broken stone. Finally stopping near the throne.
Pain exploded through his body. He pushed himself up.
"What are you doing?"
The giant wolf ignored him. Its gaze remained fixed on the sky.
The crimson hand had almost reached the Shadowlands now, the giant eye glowed brighter.
The giant wolf took a deep breath, then roared. The sound shook continents.
Every wolf immediately lowered itself, even the corrupted alpha, even the Executioner.
The roar carried authority, power, command.
The giant wolf wasn't merely a guardian, it was a kingmaker. A creature born to serve kings.
The realization hit Vincent hard.
The giant wolf turned toward him, then bowed, deeply, completely.
The entire clearing froze.
The giant silver wolf lowered its head before Vincent, submission.
The heartbeat exploded.
BOOM!
The throne erupted with silver fire, the sky cracked, the crimson eye widened.
The giant wolf spoke.
Its ancient voice echoed across the Shadowlands.
"Claim it."
Silence followed, Vincent froze, the throne pulsed.
The giant wolf continued.
"Claim the throne."
The words shook the clearing, the silver wolves stared, the corrupted alpha stared, the Executioner's face went pale.
Even the silver-eyed being inside the temple sounded surprised.
"No."
The voice echoed from the darkness.
For the first time, genuine alarm filled it. The giant wolf ignored the warning.
Its eye remained fixed on Vincent.
"Claim it."
The throne answered. Silver flames surged higher, the heartbeat thundered faster.
BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!
Vincent stared at the throne.
Every instinct screamed at him; danger, mystery, power, death.
All wrapped together.
The crimson hand finally reached the Shadowlands.
The giant eye brightened. The sky screamed, the giant wolf roared, the Executioner shouted.
The guardian emerged from the distant crater. Bleeding, broken, running toward them.
And the silver-eyed being inside the temple suddenly screamed, a sound filled with actual fear. Because something had changed, something none of them expected.
The throne wasn't calling Vincent anymore, it was opening.
A hidden compartment inside the black stone throne slowly slid apart, revealing something buried within, something wrapped in ancient silver cloth, something waiting for a thousand years.
The cloth unraveled. The object beneath caught the moonlight, and every powerful being in the Shadowlands froze.
The giant wolf, the guardian, the Executioner, the silver-eyed being. All of them.
Because they recognized it. Vincent didn't, not yet.
But he knew one thing instantly, whatever rested inside the throne...
Everyone was terrified of it.
