The first sound was not an explosion.
It was a crack.
A single deep crack, coming from the castle's magical foundations, as if the structure itself had understood that it no longer had permission to remain whole. Aelyra heard it from the floor, still surrounded by Albedo and Lithara, her body battered, her breathing uneven, and her dignity reduced to something too small to be recognized. For an instant, she thought it was only another barrier yielding before the external pressure.
Then the ceiling disappeared.
The entire upper section of the castle was torn away.
Not slowly destroyed.
Not broken by catapults, spells, or siege.
Torn away.
