The rift widened, clawing open the horizon like a jagged wound in reality.
The throne room trembled beneath their feet. All across Blackwood Castle, glass shattered, walls cracked, and ancient wards flickered violently as if sensing a force too primal to contain.
Cambria's heartbeat surged.
Not from fear but recognition.
Knox stood at the center of the chaos, arms lifted, black flame writhing along his limbs. His body pulsed with raw Pandora energy, corrupted and fused with the final fragment of the original Crown.
"I told you," he said, his grin feral. "I am the Crown now."
Cambria took a step forward, fire in her veins. "No. You're the curse."
Before she could launch forward, a sharp crack echoed above them.
The ceiling reinforced steel and ancient magic buckled. Something massive crashed through with a deafening boom, landing between Knox and the others.
The smoke cleared.
And silence descended.
The figure stood still.
