The Shepherd's Bane struck dead center on the vessel's chest.
For a single, frozen second, absolutely nothing happened. The pale vessel just stood there. But for the first time, its ancient, empty eyes went wide with something Nathan had never expected to see—genuine, unfiltered panic.
Then, the arrow exploded.
It wasn't a blast of fire or sound. It was a silent, blinding wave of pure silver light. The energy tore straight through the vessel's chest, throwing the puppet backward so hard it crashed violently into the bone throne.
The Watchers screamed.
It wasn't a normal sound. It sounded like ripping sheet metal and shattering glass. The magical connection holding them together snapped. The dozen Watchers immediately twisted and collapsed, their white robes melting into piles of dirty ash on the polished floor. The massive hall shook. The living tapestries tore themselves to shreds. The heavy, suffocating shadows burned away.
