*Kryzen*
The world seemed to hold its breath as the once bright sky twisted into a snarling mass of ominous clouds, a dark vortex centering above Briella's head. My heart hammered against my ribs as my gut clenched with sudden dread.
"Kryzen!" Her voice, usually so full of life and laughter, was a thin thread of sound against the growing roar of the tempest.
"Stay calm, Briella!" I shouted back, though my own panic threatened to choke me.
I surged forward, driven by a force greater than the howling wind—the need to protect her. My arms, strengthened from years of wielding swords and bearing shields, wrapped around her petite form with an instinctive urgency. She was a fierce warrior in her own right, but in this moment, she was the one in need of safeguarding.
"Kryzen! The book!" Her
