A dim chamber.
A hooded figure.
A lattice of runes.
Red-tinted mana twisting in spirals.
And a single glowing sigil resembling an eye—
Watching him.
Elara gasped. "Was that—?"
"Yes," Merlin said through gritted teeth. "Their relay."
He pushed harder, forcing his mana into the collapsing sigil, not to destroy it, but to leave a counter-mark. A beacon. Something far more potent and invasive than anything the Cabal expected.
The hooded figure jerked back in shock within the brief vision.
They hadn't expected contact.
Or resistance.
And certainly not retaliation.
The anchor finally shattered, dissolving into shadowed dust that evaporated in the sunlight. The air cleared instantly, the strange warped sensation dissipating as though a veil had lifted.
Silence fell across the courtyard.
Nathan stepped forward cautiously. "Merlin… what did you do?"
