Ethan didn't waste another word.
He stepped into the middle of everyone, raised a hand, and let his gaze sweep across each face in turn.
The people standing here now weren't just the original expeditionary force that had barged into Elysion. Fairy, Ravenkin, Stone Golems—and the native inhabitants they'd just freed from captivity—were all gathered at the same convergence of energy veins. Their auras answered each other like overlapping pulses, pressing the air until it faintly trembled.
"We've finished most of the prep," Ethan said. His voice wasn't loud, but it landed clearly in every ear. "We can't keep dragging this out."
His fingers slowly curled into a fist, his tone dropping with them.
"We end Zyraeth and his pack of dogs—and we do it fast."
The moment he said it, the atmosphere snapped like someone had thrown a torch into oil.
Power rose from the crowd in surging waves.
