Lyra screamed as the seal's energy ripped through the chamber.
The old woman—Seraphina—had been telling the truth. The wounds were being drawn into the sphere. Lena could feel them, dozens of consciousnesses she had healed over the years, now being pulled toward a single point of containment.
She grabbed Lyra's arm. "We have to stop it."
"How? The core is sealed. She said it would detect the bloodline."
"Then I don't use the bloodline."
Lena released Lyra and walked toward the sphere.
Seraphina's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
"Something my father taught me. Love doesn't require power. It just requires presence."
Lena placed her bare hands on the sphere.
The energy surged through her. The seal recognized her bloodline. It attacked.
Lena didn't fight.
She let it flow through
