light

The blinding flash of light knocked Emily backward, and for a moment, everything was consumed in a searing whiteness. She felt weightless, as if suspended in time, floating between reality and some other dimension. Her ears rang, the intensity of the light making it impossible to orient herself. But slowly, the light began to fade, and she became aware of her surroundings once more.

The temple's chamber was in chaos. Smoke billowed from the machine, its once intricate mechanisms now a twisted, broken mass of metal. Sparks flickered from the damaged circuits, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Mara and Calem were scrambling to their feet, disoriented but unharmed.

Emily blinked, her vision still adjusting. The relic. Her heart raced as she looked around frantically for it. Amid the debris, she spotted it—glowing faintly but still intact, lying on the ground a few feet away.