Mark’s POV

I see the moment she decides.

It is small.

Almost nothing.

Just a shift in her eyes.

But I feel it like a shock through my chest.

“Rissa…” I warn.

Too late.

The air around us tightens.

Not violently.

Not like before.

This is different.

Controlled.

Focused.

Her power does not explode outward.

It pulls inward.

Everything bends toward her.

The crack in the ground pulses once.

Hard.

Then again.

The creature’s gaze sharpens.

“You have chosen,” it ...