But the handle wouldn't budge. The door remained firmly sealed despite his strength.
Darian frowned and applied more force, channeling his peak grandmaster-level power into simply yanking the door open through brute strength.
The wood should have shattered, the hinges should have torn free, but nothing happened. The door remained as immovable as if it were carved from solid mountain rather than ordinary material.
It must have some sort of hidden mechanism, Darian thought with growing frustration. Blood recognition or magical signature verification that prevents unauthorized entry.
His eyes turned toward his prized possession lying broken on the ground nearby. Lola remained collapsed on the floor, her tear-filled gaze fixed on Noah's lifeless body with an expression of absolute devastation. She seemed unable to fully process what had just occurred.
