Black energy haloed Shadow Wolf's hands, sending ripples of energy surging outward.
At the same time, the black blood in the altar began to roil, as if boiling. Bubbles rose one after another from below.
Black blood mist spread through the chamber, swirling and gathering.
At last, it formed a hazy human shape!
The instant the figure fully took shape, Scarlet Tiger and Shadow Wolf dropped to one knee without hesitation, clasped their hands, raised them above their heads, and shouted, "Greetings, Lord Jin!"
As their voices faded, an eerie silence settled over the stone chamber.
After a long moment, a commanding voice finally came from the shadowy figure.
"What do you want with me?"
At his words, Scarlet Tiger and Shadow Wolf exchanged a glance.
Scarlet Tiger spoke to Shadow Wolf with his eyes.
Say something! What are you standing there for?
Easy for you to say. Why don't you tell him?
Shadow Wolf answered with his eyes, too.
The two kept exchanging meaningful looks right under Jin's nose, making him grow a little impatient.
In an instant, a crushing pressure burst from Jin and bore down on them.
Scarlet Tiger and Shadow Wolf both buckled, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
Before they could say a word, Jin spoke again.
"You two have some nerve, making a fool of me!"
His tone was mild, but both men shuddered, their backs instantly soaked with sweat.
They quickly lowered their heads and stammered, "We're sorry, Lord Jin! We absolutely didn't mean it that way!"
"We contacted you because there's something very important we need to report. We just didn't know how to tell you!"
"We were only gathering our thoughts. We absolutely weren't making a fool of you!"
When they finished, silence fell over the stone chamber once more.
Scarlet