The silence did not last.
The explosion that followed cracked the world apart.
A thunderclap like the wrath of a vengeful god shattered the air, shaking the heavens and the scorched earth alike.
The force of the shockwave was cataclysmic—it tore through the ravaged forest with the ferocity of an angry tempest. Ancient trees, their roots sunken for centuries, were uprooted like weeds.
Massive chunks of ice, shattered remnants of Nathalie's domain, were hurled into the sky like missiles. The air burned with the scent of ozone and vaporized frost.
Lightning and frost collided in an elemental storm that defied the laws of nature. Aether warped. Space cracked.
The surrounding mountain ranges groaned beneath the strain, distant peaks splitting as if the very land was protesting the battle.
But at the eye of the maelstrom, two figures stood—refusing to fall. Wounded, battered, and unrelenting.
