Lizzy hesitated. The notification had vanished so quickly she almost wondered if she imagined it. But systems didn't glitch like that without reason. She opened her mouth to ask a question when another tremor rippled through the ground. This one felt deeper, like it was actively trying to fight against the new river of energy that flowed underneath the forest.
The earth cracked near the edge of the grove as a pulse of dark energy burst upward like a geyser of shadow. The air turned cold instantly, frost spreading across the dead leaves scattered across the clearing.
The unicorn reacted immediately.
His hand slammed against the earth again, power exploding outward in a brilliant wave of pale light.
For a moment the grove looked almost alive.
Silver energy flowed through the broken trees like veins filled with moonlight. The shadows recoiled violently, twisting away from the unicorn's power.
The ground beneath the grove felt wrong.
Not just corrupted.
Drained.
