Pyra closed her eyes, her delicate features tightening with focus as she lifted one hand toward the reinforced door blocking their path. A low hum filled the narrow corridor, the air growing thick and metallic.
"Dragon breath," she whispered.
A fiery aura exploded outward from her palm, scorching the walls with radiant heat. The beam of pure flame slammed into the door like a forge hammer. At first the metal held, glowing cherry-red under the assault, but then it began to warp and melt, rivulets of molten steel dripping to the floor with angry hisses. The stench of burning alloy stung Liam's nose.
Olivia shifted beside him, her hand instinctively brushing the hilt of her weapon. 'We're so close,' Liam thought, heart hammering. After everything—the green zone, the betrayals, the constant running—this barrier had become just another wall trying to keep him from safety. From a chance to finally breathe.
