Chapter 176

VYERA’S POV The room pulsed with the heartbeat of ancient magic. Olivia lay still, unmoving, yet her energy was anything but dormant. The air around her had grown warmer with every passing minute since we drew her blood. Not from fever. No. It was the pulse of something rising. Brewing. About to rupture. Her veins glowed faintly beneath her skin now—liquid fire coursing under a mortal shell. “She is no longer one of them,” Sorrell whispered, her voice barely audible. “She is something else entirely.” Ysma paced near the edge of the chamber, her fingers twitching, eyes trained on the runes etched across the ceiling. Protective wards. Reinforced bindings. They were already fraying. The pressure of her magic was cracking them from the inside. “We underestimated the cost,” I said slowly, heavily. “The phoenix line is not meant to be used. It is meant to be revered. Left untouched. And we—” My voice broke, “—we meddled with it.” Ysma turned to me. “If she wakes and she cannot control it…” “