Sound returned first.
A low hum of thousands of voices.
Then the weight of air.
The smell of stone, sweat, and incense.
Then—
Light.
Luca's eyes snapped open.
The world rushed back all at once.
They were standing—
No.
Not standing.
They had reappeared in the middle of the execution platform.
The vast plaza of the Holy Kingdom stretched around them once more, packed with thousands of citizens who had gathered to witness the Saintess' execution. The massive cathedral towered behind them, its white marble glowing beneath the afternoon sun.
But the square was no longer orderly.
It looked like a battlefield.
Divine Guards lay scattered across the ground, many unconscious, their armor dented and cracked from the earlier clashes. Broken spears and shattered runes littered the platform.
Around the stage—
Luca's friends stood together.
Kyle leaned on his spear, breathing heavily, his armor scratched from the fight.
