[: 3rd POV : ]
The words left Melira's lips like a divine decree, yet they trembled—uncertain, pained, and full of longing.
But what followed wasn't silence.
It was gasps.
Luke's eyes widened in disbelief.
"W-What...?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
The rest of the Twilight Knights and Sacred Valkyries, who had rushed in with weapons ready and auras ignited, now stood frozen like statues.
Shock flooded their expressions—some even stepped back instinctively, as though the truth had rattled the very foundation of their reality.
None of them spoke for a long while, until one of the Sacred Valkyries slowly muttered in a voice filled with awe, "The Lifeblood Bond... it resonated?"
Melira gently nodded.
"That's impossible..." one of the knights whispered—but even he couldn't bring himself to doubt.
Not because of rank.
But because they knew. Her bloodline skill—Heartlink—was absolute.
A bloodline ability possessed only by the lineage of an Empress.
