Chapter 127

The scent of smoke filled the air and it was thick and suffocating. My bare feet crunched against ash-covered ground as I moved through the forest with my breath coming in shallow gasps. The trees were on fire and its branches were falling down haphazardly. Just then, I heard the cry of a child, shrill and desperate. My heart jumped, and I moved forward, searching for the source of the sound. The cries grew louder and it touched me. “Where are you?” I called with my voice breaking. A faint silhouette emerged from the smoke—a small figure standing in the middle of the flames. The child turned toward me with their face streaked with tears, but their eyes were black pits, void of emotion. “Help me,” the child whispered. It’s voice echoed naturally. Before I could move, whispers surrounded me, hissing and cruel. “Betrayal. Blood. The end is near.“ The flames surged higher, engulfing the child in an instant. I screamed, reaching out, but my hands grasped nothing but heat and smoke. The fore