[Realm: Álfheimr]
[Location: Outskirts]
("First Chimera… and now Ladon.")
The thought surfaced with an edge of irritation Echidna rarely allowed herself to feel. Beside her, an intense emerald glow ignited, not violent, but dense—mana layered upon mana, condensing with care. Within that light, a form began to take shape, its outline indistinct, coiling and unfurling as though deciding what it wished to become.
She did not look away from Dante as it formed.
The Nemean Lion and Orthrus still had not moved.
They stood tense, bodies coiled tight, claws digging furrows into the shattered ground. Fury rolled off them in waves, instinct screaming for release—yet neither advanced. Echidna noticed the hesitation immediately, and for a fleeting moment, she felt something unexpected press against her ribs.
They were copies, yes. Constructs shaped from memory and divine mana.
But they were still her children.
