The shadow barrier withdrew, and part of Alvin's consciousness and Lilith instantly appeared at the doorway.
When they saw the scene inside the room, both of them froze.
Shen Yi stood in the center of the room, traces of shadow and the Flame of Continued Combustion still lingering around him, not yet fully dispersed.
Winnie lay unconscious on the floor, wrapped in a pure incandescent membrane of firelight. Tiny golden motes on the membrane were vanishing like sparks—the remnants of the eerie soul link being burned and severed by the Flame of Continued Combustion.
Xilos stood to the side, his face filled with worry and vigilance.
What shocked Alvin and Lilith the most was the faintest lingering aftertaste in the air—so weak it was almost imperceptible, yet enough to make their souls tremble.
It was what remained of that holy aura from just now. Though it had already been isolated by the Flame of Continued Combustion and diluted by Shen Yi's shadow power, that sensation of originating from an exceedingly high level, as though touching some fundamental rule, still made veteran Authority Holders like them instantly break out in goosebumps.
"What is this?!" Alvin's vast magnetic field fluctuated violently, conveying a heavy emotion.
Lilith's eyes locked onto the unconscious Winnie, then shifted to Shen Yi, arcs of electricity leaping wildly over her body.
"Was that her just now? That past sleeping in the depths of Winnie's soul? No... It doesn't feel right..."
"That thing was more like some kind of Echo? Or a summoned mark."
Shen Yi's expression was grave. He slowly nodded, his gaze falling on Winnie's pale face.
"It looks like the power and memories she recovered by absorbing the Seven-Petaled Polo Sha awakened more than just herself."
Shen Yi looked at Winnie, who remained unconscious, her aura