Seraphina rose into the air, slow and controlled.
Holy radiance bloomed from her body.
The first ring of sacred light washed over the beach.
The second ring swept past the dead forest and met the onrushing gray fog.
The fog reacted like it had found a natural predator. Instead of slowing, it surged harder—layer after layer of gray-white mist piling forward, charging straight for Seraphina.
Seraphina lifted both hands.
A shield spanning tens of thousands of feet unfolded from the sky, covering the entire island.
A colossal wall of light formed around the island's perimeter.
Where they stood, a separate, deep-gold barrier wrapped around the group like a smaller inner dome.
Once the isolation was complete, Seraphina closed her eyes and carefully felt the fog pressing toward her.
The fog slammed into the shield.
It wasn't erased by the holy light.
