Divine Manifestation.
Those blessed by archangels could draw upon divinity under specific circumstances. For most, it surfaced only once—born from desperation, when death stood too close to ignore.
An instinctive awakening.
A miracle forced into existence.
But Emma was different.
She had already crossed that threshold once.
Which meant she no longer waited for divinity to save her.
She called it.
Her breath steadied. Her stance shifted.
Light burst from her back as two angelic wings unfurled—vast, radiant, and impossibly pure. Each feather shimmered like forged light, casting a brilliance that drowned the dungeon in white-gold radiance. The oppressive heat, the shadows, the fear—everything recoiled before her presence.
Emma rose slightly from the ground, boots barely touching the stone.
The barrier before her, moments away from shattering, responded instantly. Cracks sealed. Layers thickened. What had been defense became authority.
