Chapter Seventeen: Unraveling The Bond

The eerie glow that surrounded Tiya as she transformed the creatures back into men gradually faded, casting a fragile calm over the forest. Meme and Ivy knelt beside Tiya, desperately trying to help her regain her strength. Their own fear and confusion were palpable, their eyes darting between the men who lay barely conscious on the ground and the woman who had seemingly caused their transformation.

Mother Cora arrived with her team of Holy Gatherers, her sharp gaze sweeping the scene with an intensity that betrayed her disbelief. What had they done? She had witnessed miracles before, but nothing like this—men who were once creatures of darkness, now restored, lying at the edge of life, trembling on the forest floor.

She moved swiftly toward the girls, her heart heavy. “What happened here?” she asked, her voice laden with concern as she knelt beside Tiya, brushing the girl’s damp hair from her face.