Zafira's sacrifice

The moment Cain noticed the massive barrier enveloping the fortress, his expression showed neither anger nor frustration—only a broad smile of mockery curved his lips. From his vantage point, the Night Prince observed this ominous grin, and a sinking sense of doom washed over him as though he had made the gravest error of his life.

"What… is happening?" the Night Prince muttered, a shiver of disquiet gripping his heart. That unsettling feeling only grew stronger, an insidious dread tightening around his chest.

He did not have to wait long to understand its source.

"CRACK!"

A sharp sound echoed across the fortress as space itself fractured on the ground between the three towering spires, right at the stronghold's energy core.