Chapter 36 — The Edge of Becoming
The silver light did not fade.
It held.
It burned.
It answered.
Elara stood at the center of it, her power rising in controlled waves—no longer wild, no longer uncertain. It moved with her breath, her will, her fury.
And the world reacted.
The corrupted wolves recoiled, their twisted forms shuddering as the silver radiance cut through the unnatural darkness binding them. Some collapsed instantly, their bodies dissolving into ash. Others staggered, as if something inside them was being ripped away.
The crack in the earth trembled violently.
Whatever lurked beneath it—
Felt her.
Her brother stood still now.
No amusement.
No careless smirk.
Just… focus.
"Well," he murmured softly, "there you are."
Draven pushed himself up from the ground behind her, breathing hard but steadying. His gaze locked onto Elara—not with fear, but with something sharper.
Recognition.
He could feel it too.
She had crossed another line.
