Book excerpt: The Shadow Lord Gargos has been defeated! But the battle to save humankind from his Astral invasion has taken a terrible toll on the Earth. Our world lies in ruin, and a sinister new power called the Coven has risen from the ashes, vying with the megacorporation Ultratech to rule the shattered nations. The heroes Kim Wu and Jago-their Astral powers weakened by their devastating war against Gargos-must band together with the scattered remnants of the Night Guard to forge a pathway into the Astral Plane. Here, in the birthplace of The Shadow Lord and The Guardians, festers the secret malevolence that threatens to destroy them all...and enslave the world forever.