The air trembled. Both women immediately turned toward the source.
Far away, William had raised both hands.
An immense quantity of mana gathered around him like a living storm. Dense earthly elemental energy saturated the atmosphere and caused the surrounding space to feel heavy.
Then he moved his raised hand, and with a single casting gesture and a sweeping motion of his arm, he exerted his will upon the land below.
The ground surrounding the outer districts of the capital began to move. It was as though an invisible giant had placed its hands upon the earth itself.
Mountains of soil shifted, and uneven terrain flattened itself.
Valleys filled and evened out as extra earth from peaks moved to fill the cavities. Hills flattened into smooth plains. The transformation spread outward for hundreds of miles.
Massive clouds of dust rose into the sky and rolled across the horizon like gigantic waves. Inside the capital, countless citizens looked upward in shock.
