Chapter 130: The Great Cleansing

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