At Elisa's words, Maggie's growl thundered through the sealed chamber like a clap of doom.
"Step aside."
Without a heartbeat's hesitation, she pivoted, all her mass and power condensed into a single spinning motion. The halberd carved a murderous arc through the frigid air, its heavy blade aimed not at the light but at the base of the stone obelisk. She sought no understanding, no negotiation with the unknown. Her primal instinct shrieked a single command: DESTROY THE THREAT.
"MAGGIE, NO!" Elisa's scream tore from her throat, laced with a terror far greater than the fear of steel.
Too late.
Metal struck stone with a sharp, violent crack, like a bone snapping in half. But instead of the expected echoing impact, an unnatural silence swallowed the sound whole. For a fraction of a second, nothing happened. The blade remained lodged in the obelisk's base, as if the stone had absorbed the blow.
