Francine *screamed*.
Fucking satisfying.
The golden energy surged through me, a wildfire merging with the earth’s raw power. It wasn’t just magic anymore—it was something primal, something ancient, something that had been waiting inside me all along. I felt the land *breathe* with me, its pulse syncing with mine, the roots beneath us no longer just a cage for Francine but an extension of my will.
And my will wanted her to *suffer*.
The glowing roots coiled tighter, searing against her smoky form, laced with the same scorching heat that had once been used to brand traitors and burn out evil. Francine *thrashed*, her wails reverberating through the ruined hall, her shadowy essence writhing like a beast caught in a trap.
*"No,"* she snarled, clawing at the vines, her fingers sh
