Smoke curled from broken torches, the moon was red as an open wound, and the Bloodfang warriors lay scattered like fallen chess pieces. The air shimmered with her power.
Liora stood in the middle of it all, bare footed, the silver chains that once bound her now melted into glowing puddles at her feet. Her eyes, still burning that impossible crimson-gold, swept through the ruins of the courtyard. Every breath she drew made the ground tremble.
She didn't know what language she was whispering, only that the sound poured from deep within, ancient, violent, and alive.
Each word she spoke called something to life: roots cracked the stones, shadows bent, and the night itself bowed.
Kael stumbled backward, clutching his ribs, eyes wide. "What…what is she?"
Gonzalo didn't answer. He could barely breathe. Liora's scent, once faint like crushed apples, was now heavy and electric. It carried dominance, pure Alpha essence multiplied by something darker. Something divine.
