"THUMP!" "THUMP!" "THUMP!"
The blood drained from Jerom's face as he struggled to comprehend what was happening. He had believed that with Vlad's defeat, the nightmare would end—that he would finally be free of the terror that had stalked him.
However, this heartbeat, this inescapable thrum, told him otherwise. The nightmare wasn't over; on the contrary, it had come to hunt him while awake. It had returned, more powerful and terrifying than ever!
"THUMP!" "THUMP!" "THUMP!" "THUMP!" "THUMP!" "THUMP!"
The heartbeat grew stronger, generating sonic waves that spread across the entire capital, erasing the fear and doubt that had crept into the hearts of the soldiers of the Xaos Kingdom. The city itself seemed to shudder in response to the pulse as if the very stones trembled with dread.
