The sky above them suddenly erupted in golden light, a radiance so brilliant it forced many to shield their eyes.
And from that light, chains descended.
Not chains of darkness or shadow, but chains of pure, radiant gold.
They were stunningly beautiful—intricate links that seemed to shimmer with their own inner light, each one inscribed with symbols that predated language itself.
And to everyone's shock, those chains were wrapped around Luca's body.
Dozens of them, perhaps hundreds, coiling around his arms, his torso, his legs.
They wove through his very essence, binding him, constraining him, holding back the fullness of his power.
Luca looked down at himself, smiled and flexed his muscles.
And the moment he did—the chains shattered.
Boom!
Fragments of golden light scattered like falling stars, dissolving into nothing. The restrictions that had held him for so long were gone.
Witnessing this, Julius collapsed to his knees, his face gray with despair.
