Ethan's expression hardened immediately.
He didn't force his way forward. Instead, he released his power first.
Transparent lightning spilled off his body, spreading outward until it formed a heavy energy barrier around him and Queen Seraphine. Arcs crawled across its surface like living veins, a semi-transparent shell that sealed them off from the surrounding space.
Queen Seraphine lowered her stance at the same time. Divine Power unfurled from her in a slow, steady spread—like an invisible tide washing outward, taking the area layer by layer under her control.
Her holy pulse overlapped with Ethan's lightning barrier, making the already too-quiet wasteland feel even more suffocating.
Neither of them spoke.
The quieter this place was, the less "simple" whatever was hiding inside it could be.
Time dragged on. Deep in the wasteland, nothing moved—until far in the distance, a patch of gray-white ground rose and fell slightly, like something had finally been stirred awake.
