Unaware of the ripple set loose, the moment that name slipped into the air—soft, deliberate, almost reverent—the world tilted. Not enough to see, but enough to feel in the marrow. The atmosphere thickened. Something old and watchful stirred.

The shadows reacted first.

They slid toward him, gathering at his feet, rising in thin strands that wove themselves into shape. A curved tail. Hooked pincers. A carapace made of pure darkness. The scorpion clicked once, testing its new form, its stinger dripping a thicker shade of night.

He didn’t look at it. He didn’t need to.

Light bent around him as he lifted his head, voice low and edged with something ancient.

“Was the summoning intentional… or instinct.”