Round 134

Halie braced the doorframe, hands burning as she held back the wardstone's energy. "Don't you dare leave me alone with this thing!" She wasn't talking to Jeane—she meant it for Hera, pressed against the wall behind her. The floor was slick with lubricant and water from the broken shower stall pooling around their feet.

Jeane snarled arcane words, wings trembling as she fought to contain the energy. "I'm not leaving you alone," she snapped back at Halie. But Hera could see the strain in her shoulders, the way her wings shook with exertion even as they remained half-spread for escape.

The wardstone pulsed again, fresh corruption seeping through the cracks. Halie gritted her teeth against the pain, focusing every ounce of will into keeping that barrier stable—structural integrity was becoming another concern now. The wood creaked beneath her grip.

"Hera," she said without turning around, voice softer than intended, "stay behind me. I won't let anything happen to you."