The air around Seraphina became charged with magic the moment her words faded, as if the world was bending to her will. She lifted her hands slowly, palms open, her chest rising with a shaky breath that carried grief, rage, and resolve all at once.
The magic inside her no longer felt wild and uncontrollable. Her whitened eyes changed back to their normal green hue.
A massive wave of power surged outward from her body, spreading across the land like a living shield. The red and white magic fused together, wrapping the territory in a protective barrier that shimmered faintly under the ruined sky. The pull from the golden orb weakened instantly, its greedy grasp sliding off the land and the people like water against stone.
