It was time to use my power and stop hiding. I have always used a fraction of it to conceal my real identity from the world. I forced a smile, letting my hands drop as I steadied myself. "You think you're the first to try and take me down this way?" My voice echoed through the chamber, laced with a quiet fury. "You have no idea what you're up against."
He sneered, the shadows twisting around him, dark tendrils licking at the edges of his figure. "All your bravado, Esmeralda, yet here you are, struggling to stay on your feet."
But I wasn’t struggling—I was gathering my strength. I had to unlock a seal I placed long ago.
The air thickened, charged with electricity, as sparks of light flickered around my hands. I could feel the earth's warmth beneath me, the moisture in the air, and the f
