Chapter 74

Zevander faces the shimmering Umbravale with his fist clenched, the black flame rising unbidden despite his refusal to summon it. Cadavros stands beside him, gloating that Zevander’s immense power can be manipulated. Zevander feels the power moving inside him like an invader and reaches for his out-of-reach sword.

Cadavros explains he was infected by the amulet and, during the Emberforge ritual, passed that malediction to Zevander, giving him a means to control both Zevander and the flame. He frames it as necessary: a mortal boy shouldn’t carry a god’s power without restraint. Zevander, hardened by years of abuse, refuses to yield.

Cadavros admits he couldn’t reach Zevander beyond the Umbravale and had only taken a flicker of power in Caligorya. As Cadavros attempts to breach Zevander’s thoughts, Zevander recalls the glyph propulszir and his assassin training: he can slip into Caligorya by convincing his body it’s dying, often through pain or elixirs.

Choosing a risky gambit, Zevander turns the black flame on himself, trapping it in his chest like holding his breath. As Cadavros claws at his mind, the flame coils in Zevander’s ribs, his heart races, muscles lock, and darkness encroaches. Cadavros’s distant demand—“What are you doing?”—fades as Zevander sinks deeper into the void.

The strain overwhelms him. Zevander collapses, achieving Caligorya and momentarily slipping Cadavros’s control at the edge of the Umbravale.