Time seemed to stop around the crater. The handsome man's eyes had suddenly snapped open inside the crystal coffin, and everyone stared in stunned silence.

Those eyes held depths that no mortal gaze should possess. It was as if he had witnessed centuries of death and suffering. Just meeting that deadly stare sent hearts pounding and chilled everyone to the bone.

Just when they thought nothing could be more terrifying, the man, Thymaleon, stirred slightly. To their surprise, he rose from the coffin. His body rose through the air as though gravity no longer bound him, and he hovered around six feet above the pit.

His white robes billowed in the sunlight, outlining his tall, lean frame. A faint glow seemed to surround him, making him look like an immortal being. His contemptuous gaze swept over the panicked crowd below, like someone watching insects crawl beneath his feet.

Tristan exchanged a quick look with his brothers. In Matthias and Nathaniel's faces, he saw his own shock and un