“Thea!” Lyla’s voice rang out again, sharp and unyielding. “Do you think running away will solve anything?”

“You are half of the Yin Governor—you were, you are, and you always will be. That means your bond with James was never simple, never clean, and never something you can just walk away from.”

Her tone hardened. “The more deeply James loves his wife, the more you owe him. And yet, at a moment like this, you’ve chosen to side with Waitara Path, Yehria, and Yemima against him. That’s not just betrayal—that’s repaying kindness with hatred.”

Each word struck like a blade.

Already in agony, the Bright Heavenly Path seemed to suffer a second wave of torment. She clutched her head as if it were about to split apart, then threw her head back and screamed—a long, piercing howl that echoed across the void.

At the same time, the black-and-gold aura of the Ten Thousand Paths wrapped in blood-red light surged violently outward, expanding in all directions.

Even Lyla was caught off guard.