The Beginning of the End

The city of Emberlight groaned beneath the weight of centuries of its own history. Magic pulsed under the cobblestones—sluggish, old, but alive. Its streets coiled through shadowed alleys, twisting into dark corners where even the bravest no longer tread. Above, the city bustled, unaware.

Magic, Inc. towered over it all—a monolith of control. To most, it was the city’s future, its innovation. But beneath its gleaming surface, something darker stirred. The company didn’t just control magic—it owned it, rationed it, and when necessary, took it by force.

Emberlight held a secret.

Far below the city, something watched. Sealed behind ancient wards, it had waited for centuries—a hunger denied its feast. The founders of Magic, Inc. believed they could control it, bend it to their will. But magic this old wasn’t meant to be tamed.

The wards were failing.

In the hollow darkness, the force stirred. Time had worn the seals thin. It could feel the magic above, pulsing through the streets like blood. Slowly, it stretched, testing the cracks in its prison. The taste of magic was maddening—life and power ripe for the taking.

Above, the leaders of Magic, Inc. carried on, blind to the danger beneath them. They thought they had mastered the city’s fate, but the seals were unraveling. Soon, they would fall.

The force didn’t rush. It had waited for centuries—it could wait a little longer. But when the final seal broke, it would rise. Not as a prisoner freed, but as a predator unleashed. And it would not be satisfied with mere escape.

It would devour everything—magic, life, and Emberlight itself.

The end was already here.