WHAT?
Brandon and Yverine's eyes widened in shock and both of them turned to look at their master.
Yverine's lips parted slightly in astonishment and her brows lifted as the full weight of Elize's words sank in.
"…You're joking," she muttered, her voice barely audible over the crackle of broken rubble settling in the distance.
Brandon stared at Naevora, "You… became an Empyrean?"
Naevora didn't say anything at first.
She looked at her two disciples with that same lazy, calm look she always wore.
Then her lips curled into a dry, tired smile. "In the fight earlier. I burned my core. I pushed through all my thresholds. Used runes in combinations I've never dared before. Even forcefully altered my spear's phase output mid-combat."
She paused, then gave a soft sigh. "Honestly, I didn't even notice at first. It was only after the battle, when I tried to suppress my ether output again... and couldn't."
Golden ether danced faintly at her fingertips as if responding to her breath.
