Distant horns blared through the night air like fire pouring from a dragon's open maw.

Karuma Kasai—the leader of House Doragon and the fire elementalists—was usually asleep at this late hour. But there was no way she would have been able to sleep through this.

She was stood on the balcony of the highest floor of her multi-storied, Japanese pagoda. It towered over the magical, hidden town of Sunsu, the central headquarters for House Doragon in Japan. The woman had a clear view of the lands she ruled over and what surrounded them; oriental-styled houses and shops were nestled in between the ocean to the west and the lush forest consuming much of the east.

Her hands gripped the wooden banister until her knuckles turned white. Bone-chilling roars and screeches tore through the night. They came from the trees and were getting closer by the second. Clenching her jaw, she watched the faint silhouette of a small army rushing toward her city.

Thorian Thauvin, head of House Tenebris and the Order of the Black Lotus, lead the charge. Their two houses established an alliance months before; they both wanted to see magicians return to the forefront of humanity. It was their rightful place in the world. The Ordinaires had taken that from them centuries ago. Cowering in the shadows away from the non-casters would soon be a thing of the past.

But as the days passed, Karuma wondered if she had made the right decision pledging her loyalty to the Order of the Black Lotus. The prophecy had warned them all about Thorian. If the oracle was true and he truly was the fabled Black Lotus, then his quest to collect all the Eldenarian Artifacts would surely plunge the world into eternal darkness.

And she would be considered an accomplice.

Prophecies rarely came to fruition. Dozens of them had come and gone without ever coming true.

The Prophecy of Eight was different, though. As much as she tried, she couldn't ignore it. A new piece of the premonition reared its ugly head every couple of weeks it seemed. Soon, the prophesized war among the magicians would begin.

In some ways, it had already been going on for years.

Kaen, her youngest son, burst through the curtain hanging over her bedroom doorway. Sweat dripped down his face as he stumbled into the room. Fear was present in his deep, brown eyes.

"They're almost here," he announced breathlessly. "What do we do?"

Karuma kept her gaze on the dark magician advancing on her home. Despite being several stories away, the two of them had made direct eye contact. She resisted the urge to scowl.

She knew exactly what he was here for. It wasn't for a fight, but if she refused his request, a fight was what she was going to get.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have shied away from a fight with House Tenebris. Their house might have been full of capable dark magicians well versed in the Obscurin arts, but House Doragon housed plenty of talented magicians itself. They had fire wielders and dragon shifters on their side.

And, on their home ground, she would've fancied them in a fight.

But Thorian hadn't brought his housemates with him. None of his knights or Shades were at his side.

No, he was accompanied by the undead. Reanimated souls invigorated by evil magic originating from the dark pits deep within Nordor—the underworld. She wasn't sure how he had managed to pull that off, but questions would have to wait for later.

For now, she had to answer to him.

"Let's greet our guest downstairs," she told Kaen.

With her son in tow, she tied her red and gold kimono tighter around her thin frame and made her way down to the base level of her pagoda. Fires crackled in pots along the side of the dimly lit staircase she traveled down. She emerged from the stairs and passed by her servants and housemates, who all looked to her for guidance. She gave them reassured glances, promising that everything would be alright. Their safety was her utmost priority. Going back on her alliance with House Tenebris would only cause the unnecessary deaths of her people.

She couldn't allow that.

But she knew something had changed with Thorian. His unannounced arrival at her home with an entire army was unusually aggressive. And disrespectful. However, she wasn't in the position to challenge him.

The man she once knew was gone. She knew that for a fact. He was no longer the lawful, righteous man who served dutifully in the Eldenarian Council. She had stayed out of the conflict between him and the other houses so far, but her people told her of the atrocities he had committed.

The purge of House Lumai was the first. The brutal siege of Thania was the second.

To an extent, Karuma could turn a blind eye. There had never been any concrete proof that Thorian was behind what had happened to Pierre Moreau—the former head of House Lumai—and his fellow light magicians.

And as for what happened at Thania, Sirus Lombardi and House Aegeon had been standing in the way of progress. Any magician who didn't want to see their people return to their rightful place in the world was an enemy—even if they were a magician themselves.

Karuma rarely got along with Sirus. After all, fire and water were natural enemies.

But his murder at the hands of the Order still saddened her.

However, the siege hadn't been what ruined her trust in Thorian. No, it was the battle in Oseda. She could no longer stand by and allow something like that to happen.

So, for now, she would play Thorian's game. She would help when he called upon. She would bide her time.

Eventually, he would get what was coming to him.

The woman finally arrived outside of the tall structure she called home. She joined a few of her housemates on the cool grass outside and waited for Thorian to meet her. His army had grown closer with him still in the front. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished into thin air. A second later he rematerialized in front of her.

He was draped in a black cloak that looked like it had been woven from shadows. His silver hair had been removed from the sole braid that used to fall down his back. Now a matted, platinum veil framed his sharp, ghoulish features.

A crazed looked filled his mismatched eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. Black veins stemmed from his left eye socket. They stretched down his bone-white skin, only stopping once they reached the point of his chin.

Karuma stiffened.

He was horrifying to look at.

"Thorian." She pursed her lips.

"Karuma." His voice was raspy and raw. He flashed her a grin that made her want to jump out of her skin. "Nice to see you again."

She looked beyond him and at the horde of soldiers in his wake. Even in the darkness, she could see what they were. Her advisers had told her of what happened in Vashara but she hadn't believed them.

No one could control the dead. Not even him.

Yet, there they were right before her eyes.

They had stopped at the edge of the tree line. Their wretched noises echoed throughout the air, making her skin crawl. Goosebumps rose along her porcelain skin. Resisting the urge to shiver, she directed her attention back to their master.

"What happened in Vashara?" she asked him, keeping her tone neutral.

"A slight complication," he answered. "But it has been taken care of. Our plans are still in place." His bony hand pulled something out of his cloak—a beaded necklace with an amber gem hidden within its pendant. Karuma nodded.

It was House Oseda's artifact. If he had gotten it off Chieftain Naidini, that meant he only had two more left.

She swallowed hard as she stared at him.

"We both know what I'm here for," Thorian told her. He held out his hand. The purple brand burned into his palm pulsed with magic.

Karuma hesitated. She stole a glance at those standing behind her. They looked back at her with wide eyes. The wind whistled around them; it pierced her bones and rattled her core. A silence had settled over the small town like a fog. It seemed like everyone was holding their breath as they waited for her to respond.

"Please, don't make this harder than it has to be." Thorian's lip twitched. "I assumed you were a woman of your word."

Sighing, she nodded. She then ordered one of her servants to retrieve their house's artifact from its resting place in the central quarters of the pagoda. The spear of fire was kept in an enchanted holding case that could only be unlocked by a handful of people. It was the pride and joy of House Doragon—a reminder of their humble beginnings and bright future.

And she was about to hand it over to the vilest man on the planet.

A scowl marred her lips.

Her servant returned moments later and handed her the spear. Its bronze shaft felt warm in her hand. She could feel the power of the sun lingering within the ruby connected to the hilt. It was the source of its abilities; all the Eldenarian artifacts had one.

"Hand it over, Karuma," Thorian ordered. His tone was forceful. Threatening.

He was prepared to fight for it.

She wasn't.

The woman took one last glance at the spear in her hand. Exhaling quietly, she relinquished it over to Thorian. He took it gratefully and bowed.

"Your loyalty will be remembered."

He turned around and performed a communication spell. After requesting a portal be opened, a magical gateway opened at the edge of the forest. He instructed his army to turn around and enter. As they retreated, the man peered at Karuma over his shoulder.

"This all will be over soon. We will rule this earth again in due time."

A dark look had crossed over his face like a shadow. Karuma shivered as a chill passed through her.

Thorian's body disappeared into the portal. Once his army had gone, it disappeared too.

She remained on the grass, her eyes fixated on the point where he just stood. No one said anything for a while. They all just stood there, listening to the wind whistling through the leaves of the trees.

Eventually, a servant stepped forward and cleared their throat.

"What now?" they asked nervously.

Karuma faced them and offered them a faint smile.

"Now," she began. "We wait."