Ethan tightened his fingers slightly.
White lightning spread at once, wrapping the rune like invisible flame.
No explosion.
No backlash.
The rune only trembled once, and then—
It collapsed.
The dark red glow scattered and faded. The energy core returned to its original stable state, its rotation slowing until it settled back into a normal rhythm.
The soldier jerked his head up.
His eyes were wide, his face full of disbelief. He could feel it clearly—that oppressive control squeezing his mind was gone, like an invisible chain had been severed clean through.
"I… I'm free?" His voice shook, like he didn't dare believe it was real.
Everyone around them saw it.
The air erupted.
More and more soldiers lifted their heads. Fear still lingered, but something else ignited behind it—fresh, desperate hope.
They crawled forward on their knees in midair, foreheads nearly pressed to empty space.
"Please remove our runes!"
"We'll swear loyalty to you!"
