MAXIMUS’S POV

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Light swallowed the entire cave—white, silver, alive. It wasn’t just bright. It was power, violent and ancient, thrashing through the air like a storm fighting to break free. I staggered back, my arm shielding my eyes as dust spun wildly around me.

The ropes binding Emilia snapped like thin threads.

The altar trembled.

And then—

Her body… lifted.

Slowly.

Weightlessly.

As if invisible hands were pulling her up toward the ceiling. Her back arched, her head tilted upward, and her hair lifted like it was floating underwater. The dagger was still in her chest, gleaming horribly in the light. But...