[: 3rd POV :]
Melira's chest heaved as the last remnants of her cataclysmic roar faded into the horizon.
Steam and mist rose from the ocean where entire waves had been erased, leaving only silence and the faint crackle of residual energy in the air.
Yet, before her… the barrier of the Forbidden Continent remained untouched—its bluish-white surface shimmering faintly, as if mocking her efforts.
With a sharp exhale, Melira's scales receded, her horns and wings folding back into her body as she reverted to her humanoid form.
Her crimson, black, and gold aura flickered out, leaving her standing still—frowning, trembling slightly—not from exhaustion, but from the bitter weight of failure.
"It… didn't even scratch it," she whispered, her voice low but trembling with disbelief.
Caelira stepped forward, her expression tight.
"It didn't even make a dent?" she asked carefully, though she already knew the answer.
