Chapter 26 The Confrontation

The world seemed to slow to a crawl as Lila felt the cold, biting steel of the sword blade press against her skin. Her breath hitched, her pulse pounding in her ears. She could taste the sharpness of the air, thick with the remnants of a storm that threatened to break at any moment. The ground beneath her feet trembled as if the earth knew something dark and irreversible was about to unfold. Her eyes darted to Kai, who stood frozen beside her, his gaze locked on Damien Wolfe, who held the sword raised and ready to strike. The faint glow of the artifact behind them pulsed like a heartbeat, indifferent to the chaos unfolding in front of it.