**********
An emerald magic circle bloomed beneath their feet, intricate and glowing with luminous energy. Its light cast shifting patterns along the walls, pulsing like a heartbeat.
The temperature dropped.
The ground trembled.
Asterion tightened his hold on Scarlette, shielding her body as the vibrations intensified.
"« …Surge forth! Stone unbroken, unyielding wall—guard my form and heed my call! … »"
Energy surged upward, rushing through Mikael like a rising tide.
His grey eyes burned into a vivid lime-green, arcane runes igniting within his irises like flickering flames.
Power radiated from him—dense and unwavering.
"« …Come forth—Terrarium Fortress! »"
A radiant emerald barrier erupted into existence before them.
Crystalline. Solid.
Immovable.
And just in time—
BOOM!
The doors exploded inward with a deafening crash, wood splintering into jagged fragments that tore through the air like lethal shrapnel.
