The ocean remembered betrayal.
It carried it in its currents.
It echoed it through every fracture in the tide.
And now—
It was happening again.
The battlefield didn't recover.
It transformed.
Aerin felt it immediately.
Not just the tension.
Not just the lingering instability of her power.
But the shift in intent.
The Veil Dominion no longer hid.
They struck.
Without warning.
Without hesitation.
Without restraint.
The first blow landed on the Abyssal Guard.
Silent.
Precise.
Devastating.
One moment, the massive warriors held the line—unshaken, immovable.
The next—
Their formation fractured as shadowed figures slipped between them, striking at exposed joints, severing coordination, disrupting their balance.
"What—" the Abyssal leader roared, turning too late as one of his own collapsed under a perfectly placed strike.
"They've chosen," Caelum said, his voice cutting through the chaos, sharp with realization.
Noctyrr's grin vanished entirely.
