The forest returned, exactly as it had been, complete with afternoon light and ambient sounds and the smell of blood-soaked earth.
But the despair didn't leave.
It clung to Serath'ana like a physical weight, crushing her beneath its pressure, making breathing difficult and thinking nearly impossible.
Her hands slowly fell from her ears.
Her eyes, streaming with tears, lifted.
And she saw him.
A man dressed entirely in black, every inch of his body covered except for his eyes, which were visible through the white mask he wore.
Those eyes were crimson.
The bright and vivid crimson of fresh blood.
They looked at her with complete disinterest, like she was an insect he'd found while walking and hadn't decided whether to crush yet.
"This isn't... can't be real..."
She tried to speak, stuttering through tears and despair.
Before she could finish–
Her body lifted off the ground.
