Rebecca

The moment the ground swallowed him, the world tore apart.

The forest cried out like it was alive, as if every root and stone felt what I did. The air split with a deafening crack, and the snow vanished into steam that rose in white ribbons around the crater. The smell of burnt metal filled my lungs, hot and sharp enough to sting.

“Maximus!” I screamed, but the sound drowned in the roar of the collapsing earth. The glow beneath my feet pulsed gold, then red, ...