Another explosion rocked the wall beside them. Stones rained down. Protective seals cracked.
Inside the chamber, Liv let out a soft cry as her body was thrown back onto the bed. Her hands instinctively shielded her belly, her breathing frantic.
She knew these sounds. She had heard them before.
In another life.
"No… not now…" she whispered, trembling.
Outside, Jay finally broke into the shattered castle courtyard. Fire, smoke, and blood merged into one hellish scene. His eyes searched for only one thing the corridor leading to Liv's room.
And when he saw black smoke pouring from that direction, something inside him shattered completely.
Jay stopped.
Not out of hesitation. Not out of fear.
But because the rage was too vast to be unleashed all at once.
His sword trembled in his grip.
His voice was low calm yet every word carried a threat more terrifying than any scream.
"If anything happens to her…" he said, his voice seeming to echo from the belly of the earth itself.
