Silence consumed the wasteland.

For several terrifying seconds, nothing moved.

Not the zombies.

Not the giant skeleton.

Not even the storm itself.

Everything seemed frozen beneath the weight of the voice.

"The Devourer awakens."

The words echoed inside every mind like a curse.

Aiden struggled to breathe.

The voice had not sounded human.

Nor undead.

It sounded older than both.

Far older.

Above the silos, the Throne King lowered his glowing staff.

For the first time since anyone had seen him, uncertainty appeared in his movements.

The ruler of the dead was no longer acting like a conqueror.

He was acting like a sentry who had just realized the gate behind him was open.

Then the earth exploded.

A deafening crack tore through the industrial complex.

The gigantic chasm widened.

Entire sections of concrete collapsed into darkness.

Silos tilted dangerously.

Rusted machinery disappeared into the abyss.

And from that impossible darkness came a glow.

Not purple.

Not violet.

A deep crimson light.

The color of fresh blood.

Father Gideon’s face turned pale.

"No..."

Lena looked at him.

"What is it?"

The priest stared into the abyss.

His hands trembled.

"My grandfather spoke of an ancient legend."

Marcus groaned.

"Please don’t tell me this gets worse."

"It does."

Everyone looked at him.

"The manuscripts spoke of two rulers."

Aiden felt a chill.

"Two?"

Father Gideon nodded.

"The King of Death."

He pointed toward the Throne King.

"And the Devourer."

Another explosion shook the ground.

The giant skeleton stumbled backward.

Its massive frame crashed into one of the silos.

Steel twisted apart.

Concrete shattered.

Yet the giant wasn’t attacking.

It was retreating.

Fear radiated from every movement.

Then the crimson light intensified.

A monstrous claw emerged from the abyss.

Everyone stared.

The claw was larger than buildings.

Unlike the giant skeleton, it wasn’t made of bone.

It was covered in black scales.

Ancient scales.

Each one glowing with crimson symbols.

The claw gripped the edge of the chasm.

The earth groaned beneath its weight.

Then came the eye.

A single gigantic eye opened in the darkness.

Red.

Burning.

Infinite.

The eye alone was larger than the skeletal giant’s skull.

Noah screamed.

Ethan stumbled backward.

Marcus lowered his rifle.

For the first time since the apocalypse began, the soldier looked completely defeated.

"What the hell is that?"

Nobody answered.

Because nobody knew.

The eye slowly moved.

Studying the world.

Studying the zombies.

Studying the giant.

Finally, it focused on the Throne King.

The storm above instantly changed.

Purple lightning vanished.

Crimson lightning replaced it.

The sky itself seemed divided between two powers.

Death.

And something worse.

The Devourer released a roar.

The sound shattered windows for miles.

Thousands of zombies instantly collapsed.

Their bodies disintegrated into black dust.

The giant skeleton fell to one knee.

Even the Throne King’s cloak whipped backward from the force.

Then something impossible happened.

The skeletal ruler spoke.

His voice echoed across the wasteland.

Ancient.

Cold.

Commanding.

"Seal the prison."

The giant obeyed immediately.

It turned toward the abyss.

Toward the Devourer.

Preparing for battle.

Father Gideon stared in disbelief.

"The King wasn’t freeing it."

Aiden looked toward the crimson eye.

"Then what was he doing?"

The priest swallowed hard.

"I think..."

His voice nearly failed.

"I think he was guarding it."

As the Devourer continued rising from the abyss, every survivor realized the horrible truth.

The Throne King was not the greatest evil in the world.

He was merely the jailer.

And the prisoner had finally escaped.