The suffocating darkness of the dungeon receded behind them, leaving only heavy silence in its wake.
Even so, Violet's eyes drifted back again and again, stealing uneasy glances into the depths where two blurred outlines stood vigil, keeping watch over everything, weather moving or unmoving.
Her chest tightened. She had seen them clearly enough to know.
Channel Forging Realm experts…
Her fingers dug into her palms as disbelief warred with dread. The sheer weight of their presence alone had made her bones ache, and she could not shake the feeling that their gazes had carved through her soul.
"Damien, my son…" her lips trembled with the thought, "…I hope you do not act rashly."
She had heard whispers of his defiance, of his indomitable figure on the battlefield. But even those stories felt fragile compared to the chasm of power she had just witnessed. Whatever strength Damien carried, Channel Forging experts existed in a world far beyond his reach.
