EVERYTHING DIES

The earth convulsed, and the air cracked as I came to. Destruction and mayhem all around me. The ground was ripping itself apart, chunks of earth launching skyward before exploding into clouds of dust that stretched like a blanket over the sky. The sun was gone. The blue sky was gone. All I could see were flashes of yellow and crimson light cutting through the thick haze that now covered the world. Each flash brought with it a deafening crack, ringing in my ears like a bell that wouldn’t stop.

I watched in disbelief as entire buildings—and the ground beneath them—rose into the air, shattering into nothing with a series of booms. The shock waves rippled through the air, crashing into each other like waves in a storm. More buildings rose, more exploded. It was like watching a child throw rocks into a pond, each impact sending ripples that collided and spread chaos across the sky.

I ran, my feet slipping on the cobblestones as the ground quaked beneath me. My legs screamed in protest, the muscles straining as I pushed forward. If I could stay ahead of this destruction, if I could just keep running, maybe I could outrun it. There had to be an end to it somewhere.

A house crumbled before me, its walls trembling from the vibrations of the world around it. The roof sagged as I vaulted up its angled slope, instincts telling me to jump before it collapsed entirely. But I was too slow. The roof gave way beneath me, and I fell with it—bricks and mortar crashing around me. Dazed, I struggled to my feet, brushing the debris from my body. Somehow, I wasn’t injured. Not yet.

Ahead of me, the west perimeter wall—a massive 20-foot-high barrier of Vallis stone—had collapsed. Entire armies had tried to breach it without leaving so much as a scratch, and now it lay in ruins, reduced to rubble in an instant. I dove through the gap, heading for Fool’s Ravine, my mind racing. What could cause such devastation? Who could possibly wield such power?

At the top of the ridge that circled the west side of Allensmore, I stopped, staring in horror. The city was being torn apart. Huge sections of it shot up into the air and exploded into dust. And then I saw them—a family, maybe. A man, a woman, and a small child running for their lives, the destruction twisting and snaking toward them like a serpent.

They passed through the gates leading to the Wards, and I saw them more clearly. It was Benack and Jezzery. And Kelsey—Kaleb’s daughter—was with them, her small hand clutched in Jezzery’s as the world crumbled behind them.

Jezzery stumbled, falling to the ground, her leg twisted beneath her. She screamed at Benack as Kelsey dove toward her, wrapping her arms around her neck, burying her face in her grandmother’s shoulder. Benack stood still for a moment, his enormous frame silhouetted against the collapsing buildings behind him. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed Kelsey, ripping her away from Jezzery’s grasp and running. Kelsey screamed, her small arms reaching back for grandma, but Benack didn’t stop.

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I watched in stunned silence as the ground beneath Jezzery split. She floated into the air, her red hair swirling around her as the earth crumbled beneath her. And then, in an instant, a flash of red light swallowed her, and she was gone—no building, no road, no Jezzery. Just dust.

My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat as I gasped for breath. Had she really just… disappeared? I had no time to make sense of it. A blast of sound crashed into me, lifting me into the air and slamming me into a tree. Pain exploded through my chest as the impact knocked the wind out of me. I tried to breathe, but it felt like my lungs were being squeezed shut.

Through watery eyes, I saw Benack—still carrying Kelsey—rushing toward the west tower, the last fortified structure standing. Would it be enough to protect them? Could anything withstand this?

Benack disappeared into the tower, and for a heartbeat, I hoped they might make it. But then, the tower shot into the sky, I closed my eyes, turning my head away as I ground my teeth together, my mind screaming at them to run. A flash of red burned through my closed lids, followed by another wave of sound. This time, it was stronger. The tree I was pinned to uprooted, and together we were thrown into the air.

I spun through the air, unable to breathe. The shockwave had created a vacuum, and there was no air left. My lungs screamed, burning as they starved for breath. We tumbled over the ridge, and just as my vision began to blur, I gasped, air finally rushing back in as we fell. The tree’s branches caught against the wall of the ravine, spinning it as we plummeted.

I dug my fingers into the bark, my hands bleeding as I fought to hold on. The trunk wedged between two rocks, slamming me into the ravine wall. Pain exploded through my ribs as the tree crushed me against the rock.

Pinned between the tree and the ravine wall, I fought for air. The weight of the tree bore down on me, squeezing the last breath from my lungs. Explosions echoed around me, shaking the world, but I couldn’t move. My body was broken. Every bone felt shattered, every muscle torn.

As the tree pressed harder, a green light filled the air. It grew brighter, surrounding me with warmth that penetrated my skin, flooding through me until I couldn’t feel anything but the heat. Then, suddenly, I exploded outward, bathed in green light, my mind disconnected from my body. I felt like I was everywhere and nowhere, stretched across the stars.

And then I opened my eyes.

I was sitting in a field, the grass soft beneath me. White clouds drifted lazily across a blue sky, and the sun’s warmth bathed me in light.I cried.