The elders took their positions around Almond, each one standing along the carved rings etched into the chamber floor. Their hands rose together, and the patterns beneath their feet ignited as though remembering an old purpose. Golden light surged outward across the rings, flowing in warm currents that converged toward the center where Almond stood, still and waiting.
The energy did not strike him. It enveloped him, pressing gently inward like warm hands cupping a flame, and for a moment the chamber felt almost peaceful. The Geneline power of Suryax was not a weapon. It was something older and more patient than that, a force that sought imbalance the way water seeks low ground, and corrected it.
The golden light threaded through Almond's body and found the curse immediately.
