I couldn’t breathe.
The ground trembled beneath me. The sky spun.
The world was turning upside down.
I screamed.
And then.....silence.
The light vanished.
The air stilled.
The ground stopped shaking.
I opened my eyes slowly, gasping for breath.
But I wasn’t in Nightcrest anymore.
The ruins were gone.
The statue was gone.
So was Rylan.
I was in the middle of a forest. But not the same one.
The trees here were taller and thicker. Their trunks were twisted, black and silver like marble. The air was warm and heavy with the scent of roses and smoke. Strange glowing insects drifted lazily through the air.
I stumbled to my feet. "What just happened?” I whispered.
I turned in a slow circle.
There was no one. No sound of footsteps. No sign of Rylan. No statue. No ruins.
Only the f
