The Second Purification
1253 Words
The western ridge lay far beyond the glowing heart of Aetherhold. As Sandy and Roy traveled with the purification team, the terrain shifted in unsettling ways. The air cooled, the sky dimmed unnaturally, and the ground trembled beneath their wolves’ paws. Even the wind felt strained, pushing against them instead of flowing freely.
Sandy’s pulse quickened.
The first blight had been overwhelming enough. Facing another so soon made her stomach twist, but she kept her back straight. She didn’t want Roy, or anyone, to see her shaking. The Light in her chest flickered in time with her heartbeat.
Ahead, smoke rose from the blackened treeline.
Roy’s voice carried over the sound of rushing wind. “The corruption is still spreading. It will be stronger this time.”
Sandy swallowed. “Stronger how?”
“More aggressive. More resistant. It may sense you approaching.”
“Chaos can sense me?”
Roy nodded. “It despises the Light. It will try to repel you.”
She gripped the saddle tighter. “That’s comforting.”
He shot her a sideways glance. “Fear is normal. Recklessness is not.”
Sandy managed a weak smile. “Don’t worry. I have no plans of being reckless.”
The purification team, six skilled stabilizers, fanned out around them. Each wore metal gauntlets inscribed with glowing blue sigils designed to amplify and channel the Light’s presence. They were calm, but their eyes held caution.
As they approached the ridge, Sandy finally saw the blight.
Her breath caught.
The forest looked… sick.
Trees twisted unnaturally, their bark splitting with dark lines that pulsed like veins. The ground was covered in black ash and threads of crimson energy that writhed like tiny serpents. The air hummed with a low, vibrating sound, like a trapped creature trying to claw its way free.
Sandy dismounted, knees unsteady.
Roy moved to her side instantly. “Listen to me,” he said, voice low. “This blight is deeper than the last. Do not let it pull at your mind. If you feel pressure, if you feel anything abnormal, reach for the bond.”
She nodded, her breath fogging the unnaturally cold air.
One of the stabilizers stepped forward. “Anchor,” she said respectfully, her voice clear and steady. “We will guard the perimeter. You and the King must enter the blight’s heart alone.”
Sandy stiffened. “Alone?”
Roy answered, “Corruption intensifies around Light. Too many sources will confuse the Ley reaction. You and I must go.”
She inhaled shakily. “Okay.”
They stepped into the blighted forest.
Immediately, Sandy felt something cold brush against her thoughts. Not words, not a voice, more like an emotion. Hunger. Restlessness. A creeping desire to unravel everything.
Her breath hitched.
Roy grasped her wrist lightly. “Stay anchored.”
His touch was enough to push the pressure back. The warmth of his presence steadied her.
They walked deeper until they reached a clearing where the corruption radiated strongest. The central tree, an enormous oak, was hollowed and blackened, its roots pulsing with red corruption that crawled outward in jagged lines.
Sandy pressed a hand to her chest. “It feels like it’s breathing.”
“It is,” Roy said. “Chaos finds foothold in weakened Ley Points. It feeds, grows, spreads.”
“And I’m supposed to…”
“Purge it,” Roy finished. “Like before. But stronger.”
Sandy stared at the decaying oak. Her hands trembled slightly.
You can do this.
The thought wasn’t hers. It was Roy’s, gentle but steady through the bond.
She exhaled slowly. “Okay. Let’s begin.”
Roy took a guard’s stance behind her but kept a respectful distance. He wasn’t touching her, but she felt his presence as clearly as if he were.
Sandy approached the oak. The air throbbed like a heartbeat.
She placed her hand against the bark.
Pain shot through her palm immediately, sharp and cold, like plunging her hand into ice water. Tendrils of corruption lashed at her senses, trying to worm their way into her mind.
Sandy gasped, knees buckling.
Roy stepped forward, steady but not interfering. “Stay with it. Remember the Light.”
She grit her teeth, forcing her breathing into steady rhythms. She pulled inward, searching for the spark that always lay beneath fear.
There.
A silver glow flickered.
She pushed it gently toward the corruption.
The tree hissed, an eerie, unnatural sound that made her skin prickle. The tendrils recoiled, then surged forward again.
Sandy cried out as a wave of darkness slammed against her Light.
Roy stepped closer, voice firm. “Do not retreat. Push back.”
“I’m trying!”
“Don’t try. Do.”
The pressure increased, wrapping around her chest like cold hands. Sandy’s vision dimmed at the edges.
“Roy!”
He moved instantly.
His hand gripped her arm, not forceful, not invasive, but anchoring. Warm. Steady. His presence flowed into the bond like a shield, reinforcing her wavering Light.
Silver flared across her skin.
The corruption recoiled violently.
Sandy gasped, drawing in air as the Light surged through her like a river finally breaking free from a dam. It flowed down her arm into the oak, piercing the corruption’s hold.
The crimson tendrils writhed, shrieking in silent resistance.
Sandy pushed harder.
Her Light flared brighter, becoming steady, focused, confident. The oak responded, its bark cracking as silver light seeped into its hollow core.
A shockwave burst outward.
Roy caught Sandy as she staggered. Leaves and ash whirled around them, swirling upward in a spiraling vortex. The crimson threads dissolved into shimmering dust.
For a long moment, nothing moved.
Then the oak’s roots glowed green, alive. Fresh bark spread over the blackened core. Tiny sprouts unfurled as though waking from a long sleep.
Sandy stared, panting. “It worked…”
Roy steadied her, one arm behind her back. “Yes,” he said quietly. “Better than before.”
Her vision blurred slightly, exhaustion washing over her. “I feel… drained.”
“That’s normal,” Roy said. “Purification is the most demanding use of the Light. You gave more of yourself than last time.”
She leaned into him a moment longer before pulling back on shaky legs.
The stabilizers rushed into the clearing, eyes wide with astonishment. “The blight is retreating,” one said. “Anchor, you’ve stabilized the entire ridge.”
Sandy blinked. “I… I did?”
“You did,” Roy confirmed.
The forest seemed to breathe in relief.
But the moment of calm didn’t last.
A rumble echoed in the distance, deep and low. Some of the stabilizers stiffened.
Roy’s eyes narrowed. “Obsidian.”
Sandy’s heart dropped. “They’re coming?”
“No,” Roy said slowly. “They’re… moving.”
“Moving where?”
“Toward the capital.”
Sandy froze. “Aetherhold?”
Roy nodded once, sharply. “They knew we’d be here. This was a distraction.”
She felt a cold chill race down her spine. “The capital isn’t ready”
“It will be,” Roy said, already mounting his wolf steed. “Because we’re returning now.”
The stabilizers formed a protective circle around Sandy as she climbed onto her mount.
Roy gave the command, and the team surged forward, racing through the restored forest toward the glowing lights of Aetherhold in the distance.
But Sandy’s heart hammered with a new, sharper fear.
The enemy wasn’t just testing anymore.
They were coming.
- Writer
