Cain stared at the gathered powerhouses for a long, steady moment, letting the silence weigh upon them. He drew in a deep breath, and as he exhaled, his eyes sharpened to a razor edge.
When he finally spoke, his voice carried the clarity of an oath carved into stone. "First of all, let me make one thing perfectly clear. Even if I, and everyone I care about, stand at the brink of death, the entity that rampaged through the Heart of the Root will not appear again."
His gaze hardened further, ensuring that no one could mistake his meaning. "From now on, we are on our own."
