The door hadn't moved.
Not once.
Not after the first blast.
Not after the third.
The magical barrier remained perfectly intact—cold, silent, indifferent to effort.
Lys paced across the cracked floor of the outer chamber like a caged beast. Her boots scraped with each turn. The wall on her right bore a fresh dent from her latest punch.
"This is insane," she muttered. "Absolutely insane."
Cordelia sat on a chunk of fallen stone nearby, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Bits of dust floated in the air, disturbed by the heat still lingering from their last failed attempt.
Lys turned again, eyes wide with restless fury.
"We heard the explosion. Something happened in there."
Cordelia said nothing.
"What if he's hurt? What if he's bleeding out behind some stupid enchanted door while we just sit here like idiots?"
Still no answer.
Lys clenched her fists.
"I swear, if something happened to Noah—if something touched him—I'm going to burn this whole place down."
