Lucius's POV
We were back at the cornerstone of my palace, the same place where we performed the last ritual, and here we were again. The chamber was vast, dimly lit by the flicker of hundreds of candles arranged meticulously around the room. Their light reflected off the ancient relics we'd gathered—each one holding a specific purpose, each one essential for what we were about to attempt.
In the center of it all lay Athena's sword, radiating a faint, otherworldly glow. It was the focal point of the ritual, the key to unlocking the energy we needed to send Kiara back to her world. Last time, the ritual had drained prophetess kim nearly to the brink of collapse. This time, we would take no such risk. Athena's sword would be both our source of power and our safeguard. One of the relics—a crystalline orb carved with intricate runes—was designed to channel the energy directly from the sword into the ritual, sparing us from the backlash.
