Chapter 5976

The instant his words landed, the valley’s air clamped tight, as if the land itself had drawn a breath and refused to release it.

A shout tore through the smoky haze.
“No!”

Jared’s shoulders stiffened before he even turned. That single syllable carried the full weight of collective fear—and it struck squarely between his ribs.

A second voice followed a heartbeat later, harsher, edged with command.
“Absolutely not!”

The refusal ricocheted off the cracked stone walls, compounding urgency atop urgency.

Jared drew a slow breath, forcing his pulse into obedience.

He turned to face them—Aurelian, Blaine, and Oswald—an ordinarily bickering trio now united, mouths still parted from their shared protest.