I woke up to the taste of earth and blood in my mouth. My body ached all over, every muscle screaming in protest as I pushed myself up from the ground. The forest was a chaotic blur, trees bent and broken, the air thick with smoke and ash. My head throbbed with the memory of what I had just seen—the vortex, the Puppet Master, the sky splitting open above Silverwood.I stumbled to my feet, clutching the artifact tightly in my hand. Its once brilliant glow had dimmed, flickering weakly, but its energy still pulsed, a faint but reassuring presence against my palm.I had to get back. I had to warn them.I took off through the trees, the ground beneath me trembling with each step. The earth groaned, splitting apart in great chasms, as if the world itself was tearing at the seams. The air crackled with energy, strange flashes of light bursting from the sky, and I could feel the pull of something ancient, something powerful, rippling through the air.This was the Great Cleansing, the apoca
The light faded, and I found myself standing on a narrow, crumbling precipice, high above an endless void. The air was thin, cold, and the only sound was the distant rumbling of the vortex still spinning over Silverwood. Below, the shattered remnants of my home stretched out, a wasteland of ash and ruin. I could feel the artifact pulsing in my hand, its power dwindling, and I knew there wasn’t much time. I had to act. But as I looked down into the abyss, a wave of doubt washed over me. What if I was wrong? What if this wasn’t the way to stop the Cleansing? What if my sacrifice only made things worse?I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. I had to do this. I had to believe that this was the only way.I opened my eyes, raising the artifact high above my head, feeling its energy surge through me, filling me with a warm, comforting light. I could feel it reaching out, connecting to something deep within the earth, something ancient and powerful.“T
My vision blurred as the world around me twisted and shattered like fragile glass. I could feel the Puppet Master’s power pulling me into the void, its grip tightening around my heart like a vice. My body screamed in agony, my muscles spasming as the dark energy surged through me, threatening to tear me apart.I reached out, desperately clawing at the air, trying to find something—anything—to hold onto. But there was nothing. Just endless darkness and the sound of the Puppet Master’s laughter echoing through my mind.“Do you see now, Sera?” its voice hissed, cold and mocking. “This is your fate. You cannot escape it. You cannot escape me.”I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to focus, to push back against the pain and the fear. I couldn’t let it win. I couldn’t let it destroy everything I loved.I closed my eyes, drawing on every ounce of strength I had left, and felt the artifact’s power stir within me, a flicker of light in the darkness. I reached for it, grasping it with both han
The ground trembled violently beneath my feet, and I stumbled, barely keeping my balance as the world around me seemed to shatter like glass. I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. The air was thick with an unnatural energy, crackling and hissing as if it were alive, and the sky above was a swirling mass of dark clouds and blinding light.Everything was wrong. It was as if reality itself was coming apart at the seams.“What’s happening?” I shouted, my voice barely audible over the deafening roar of the storm.Mia was beside me, her face pale and drawn. “The ritual,” she gasped, eyes wide with horror. “It’s tearing the veil between worlds.”I glanced around, trying to take it all in. The landscape was shifting and changing before my eyes, the ground rising and falling like waves on a stormy sea. Trees grew and withered in an instant, their branches twisting and contorting into unnatural shapes. Ghostly figures flickered in and out of existence, their eyes hollo
The vision lingered in my mind like a haunting specter, refusing to fade. I could still see the cold, hardened version of myself staring back at me, emotionless and distant. I could still feel the weight of the artifact in my hand, heavy with power and responsibility. But more than anything, I felt the crushing dread of that future, a future where Silverwood survived, but I was lost to darkness.Mia was tugging on my arm, shouting at me to move, to run. The ground beneath us continued to crack and shift, the storm overhead raging with a fury that seemed to mirror the turmoil inside my heart. I knew we couldn’t stay here. We had to keep moving, to find a way out of this chaos.But the vision had shown me something I couldn’t ignore. A path that would save Silverwood. A path that would cost me everything.“Sera, we have to go!” Mia’s voice was urgent, filled with a fear that cut through the storm like a knife. “If we don’t move now, we’ll be trapped here forever!”“I can’t,” I murmur
The darkness around me shattered like glass, sending shards of light piercing through my vision. I stumbled backward, disoriented, as the world around me warped and twisted. It felt as if reality itself was being torn apart at the seams, the very fabric of existence unraveling in response to my choice. “What have I done?” I muttered, my voice barely a whisper against the roaring chaos.The ground beneath my feet was no longer solid. It shifted like sand, swirling with colors and shadows that defied logic. Time seemed to fold in on itself, moments collapsing and expanding in ways that made my head spin. I saw flashes of the past and glimpses of a future that could never be. Faces I recognized flickered in and out of existence, some smiling, others twisted in pain and fear.“Get a grip, Sera,” I told myself, trying to focus. But how could I? The world was disintegrating before my eyes, and I was the cause. The weight of my decision pressed down on me, heavy and unforgiving.“Sera!
The eerie calm hung in the air, thick and oppressive, as if the world itself was holding its breath. The figure from my past stood before me, their presence both a comfort and a stark reminder of everything I had lost. My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of fear, hope, and confusion. How could they be here? “Start talking,” I demanded, my voice steadier than I felt. “How are you alive? How did you survive?”They glanced around at the broken landscape, their expression unreadable. “I’m not from your timeline, Sera. I’m from another world—one where the Great Cleansing succeeded. Where everything we fought for was lost.”The words hit me like a physical blow, and I stumbled back, my mind reeling. “An alternate timeline? How is that even possible?”“In the world I come from, the Cleansing was completed,” they continued, ignoring my question. “Silverwood fell, and the world was reshaped in darkness. I saw it all happen, felt it all fall apart. And I knew I had to find a way to change
The artifact’s energy crackled around me, pulling me toward its core, a swirling vortex of power and ancient magic. My thoughts were a blur, my emotions a tangled mess as I grappled with the enormity of what I was about to do. Sacrificing my identity—who I was, every memory, every relationship, every part of me that made me —it felt like a fate worse than death.My mind raced with flashes of my past: my parents’ smiles, the first time I shifted, the nights spent laughing with friends around the fire, every battle, every tear, every triumph. Would all of that be erased? Could I really let go of everything I had been, everything I had loved, to save Silverwood?The artifact’s pull grew stronger, and I felt my grip on my sense of self slipping. “I can’t do this,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I can’t just erase who I am. There has to be another way.”A familiar, mocking voice cut through the chaos. “Still clinging to your identity, Sera? How quaint. And here I thought you were willing