Ethan’s body slumped against the Heart Tree’s massive trunk, his chest heaving as the last echoes of the Core Fusion Module faded from his senses. The golden-green light in his eyes dimmed, leaving them a dull hazel once more, though flecks of unnatural shimmer lingered, a testament to the power he’d just wielded. The air around him thrummed with the forest’s gratitude, a low hum that vibrated through his bones, but beneath it, a sharper pain gnawed at him—void corruption, sinking its claws deeper with every passing second. Lysandra’s hands gripped his shoulders, steadying him as his knees buckled, her emerald eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear.
“Ethan, you’re still with us, right?” Her voice cut through the fog in his mind, sharp and urgent. “That light… what was that?”
He forced a shaky grin, his voice hoarse but steady enough to carry. “Just a little trick from the system. Call it… admin access to Elderwood’s mainframe.”
The system’s interface flickered in his vision, its amber text stark against the fading glow of the grove.
CORE FUSION MODULE: DEACTIVATED
ENERGY RESERVES: 22% (BASELINE RESTORED)
VOID CORRUPTION EXPOSURE: 55% (CRITICAL)
RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE PURIFICATION RITUAL REQUIRED
WORLD STABILITY: 87% (HEART TREE CORE SECURE)
Ethan’s grin faltered as the numbers sank in. Fifty-five percent corruption. He could feel it—a cold, creeping static under his skin, whispering promises of power and oblivion. Orlin’s charred remains lay a dozen yards away, a grim reminder of what that corruption could do if he let it take root. But there was no time to dwell on it. The forest wasn’t safe yet—not completely.
He pushed himself upright, wincing as his muscles protested. “Lysandra, the cracks—those reality fissures. They’re still out there, right?”
She nodded, her expression tightening as she retrieved her bow from the grass. “The Heart Tree’s holding, but I felt them during the fight—smaller rifts, spreading through the forest. They’re not closing on their own.”
Elariel strode over, her silver armor streaked with dirt and void ichor, her sword still dripping with the last of Orlin’s corrupted essence. “The traitor’s dead, but his work isn’t undone. The perimeter guards reported tremors—something’s still tearing at Elderwood’s roots.”
Valorian joined them, sheathing his blade with a weary sigh. “It’s the Master. Orlin was just the key. Whatever he was summoning, it’s not finished.”
Ethan’s stomach twisted. He’d felt it too—that oppressive hum at the edge of his awareness, stronger now than ever. The Void Master wasn’t just a threat; it was a force, a presence lurking beyond the veil, and Orlin had been its conduit. Killing him had stopped the immediate breach, but the cracks in reality were still widening, like a server crash cascading through a network. He needed to find the source—the main rift—and shut it down before Elderwood unraveled completely.
“System,” he muttered under his breath, “give me something. Scan the forest—where’s the biggest breach?”
The interface pulsed, a faint whirring sound echoing in his skull as it processed the request.
SCAN INITIATED
ENERGY RESERVES: 21% (DEPLETING)
ANALYZING ELDERWOOD ENERGY NETWORK…
PRIMARY REALITY FRACTURE DETECTED: COORDINATES LOCKED
LOCATION: BENEATH ANCIENT TEMPLE RUINS, 1.2 MILES SOUTHWEST
WARNING: VOID ENERGY SIGNATURES SPIKING—SOURCE ACTIVE
Ethan’s breath caught. The ancient temple—the one he and Lysandra had stumbled across days ago, its crumbling stones etched with runes older than the elves themselves. He hadn’t thought much of it then, just another relic in a forest full of mysteries. But now it made sense. Orlin had been headed there, his final ritual already in motion.
“Lysandra,” he said, turning to her, “that temple we found—the one with the weird carvings. That’s where it’s happening. The main rift’s underneath it.”
Her eyes widened, then narrowed with grim determination. “The Sanctum of Ages. It’s sacred ground—or it was, before the corruption started. If Orlin’s defiled it…”
“He has,” Ethan cut in, his voice hard. “And he’s not done. The system’s picking up void spikes. He’s got something running down there—a ritual, a gate, something big.”
Elariel’s jaw tightened, her gaze flicking to the south. “Then we move. Now. If the Master breaches fully, Elderwood falls—and us with it.”
“No argument here,” Ethan said, forcing his legs to steady beneath him. “But I’m running on fumes. If we’re doing this, I need to lean on the forest again.”
Valorian frowned, his hand resting on Ethan’s arm. “You’re already half-corrupted, outsider. Push harder, and you might not come back.”
Ethan met his gaze, unflinching. “If I don’t, none of us will. I’ve got this—or at least, I’ll figure it out as we go.”
Lysandra’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded. “Then we’re with you. Lead the way.”
The trek to the Sanctum of Ages was a blur of adrenaline and pain. Ethan’s body ached with every step, the corruption seeping deeper, turning his veins a faint, sickly purple beneath his skin. But the fusion’s afterglow lingered too—a thread of connection to Elderwood’s energy, faint but alive. He could still feel it: the pulse of the forest, its roots stretching beneath his boots, its canopy whispering above. It wasn’t the overwhelming surge of Core Fusion, but it was enough to keep him moving.
The group moved fast, Lysandra scouting ahead, her bow at the ready, while Elariel and Valorian flanked Ethan, their blades drawn against the shadows. The forest itself seemed to shift around them, trees bending subtly to clear their path, vines retracting as if sensing their urgency. Ethan didn’t question it—he’d tapped into Elderwood’s soul, and it was responding, guiding them toward the temple.
ENERGY RESERVES: 19%
VOID CORRUPTION EXPOSURE: 56%
The system’s updates ticked like a countdown, each percentage point a stab of dread. He ignored it, focusing on the forest’s rhythm. With every step, he reached out, testing that lingering connection. He couldn’t fuse again—not yet—but he could borrow its strength, channel its energy in smaller bursts. He flexed his fingers, and a faint glow flickered at his fingertips, golden-green and warm. Good enough.
“There,” Lysandra called, pointing through the trees. The Sanctum of Ages loomed ahead, its weathered stone arches half-buried in the earth, overgrown with moss and thorns. The air around it shimmered, warped by a heat haze that didn’t belong—a telltale sign of a reality fracture. And beneath it, a low, guttural hum pulsed, shaking the ground like a heartbeat from the void itself.
Ethan’s gut clenched. “That’s it. The main rift.”
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Elariel drew her sword, her voice steady despite the tension in her stance. “We seal it, or we die trying. No hesitation.”
“Agreed,” Valorian said, his eyes locked on the temple. “But Orlin’s ritual—whatever he started—it’s still active. Be ready for anything.”
Ethan nodded, stepping forward. “Let’s crash this party.”
The Sanctum’s interior was a cavernous ruin, its ceiling long collapsed, letting shafts of twilight pierce the gloom. The walls bore those ancient runes, glowing faintly purple now, their patterns twisting as if alive. At the center, a spiral staircase descended into darkness, its edges frayed with void energy, tendrils of black mist curling upward like smoke from a dying fire. The hum was deafening here, a physical force that pressed against Ethan’s chest, making every breath a struggle.
SCAN UPDATE
PRIMARY FRACTURE DEPTH: 50 FEET BELOW SURFACE
VOID ENERGY OUTPUT: 300% ABOVE NORMAL
ESTIMATED RIFT SIZE: 12 METERS WIDE, EXPANDING
“Jesus,” Ethan muttered, peering down the stairwell. “That’s no glitch—that’s a full-on system meltdown.”
Lysandra gripped her bow tighter, her knuckles white. “Orlin’s down there, isn’t he? Even dead, he’s still screwing us over.”
“Not him,” Ethan said, his voice low. “The Master. Orlin set the stage—this is the encore.”
He took a deep breath, reaching for the forest’s energy again. This time, it answered more readily, a warm current flowing up his legs, through his arms, into his core. He focused, letting it pool in his hands, then pushed it outward. The glow intensified, illuminating the stairwell in a wash of golden-green light. The void tendrils recoiled, hissing as they burned away, clearing a path.
“Nice trick,” Valorian said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “You’re getting the hang of this.”
“Barely,” Ethan shot back, though he couldn’t suppress a grin. “Come on—let’s move before I crash.”
They descended, the air growing colder and heavier with each step. The walls pulsed with void energy, the runes flaring brighter, their purple light casting eerie shadows. Ethan kept the forest’s power flowing, a steady stream that pushed back the darkness, but it drained him fast. His reserves dipped to 17%, then 16%, the corruption creeping to 57%. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the whispers clawing at his mind—surrender, join, become—and pressed on.
At the bottom, the chamber opened into a vast, circular hall, its floor cracked and glowing with a massive rift. The fracture was a jagged tear in reality, twelve meters wide and growing, its edges shimmering with purple-black energy. Beyond it, Ethan glimpsed a voidscape—endless darkness dotted with flickering lights, like corrupted stars. And at its center, a figure knelt, wreathed in void mist: Orlin, or what was left of him. His body was gone, reduced to ash above, but his essence lingered, a spectral form chanting in a language that twisted Ethan’s thoughts.
SYSTEM ALERT
RITUAL DETECTED: VOID GATE ACTIVATION
PROGRESS: 87% COMPLETE
TIME TO FULL BREACH: 8 MINUTES
“Son of a bitch,” Ethan growled. “He’s still at it.”
Lysandra nocked an arrow, her voice trembling with fury. “That’s not Orlin anymore. It’s a puppet.”
Elariel stepped forward, her sword raised. “Then we cut the strings.”
Ethan held up a hand, stopping her. “Wait. Brute force won’t work—not yet. Look at the rift. It’s tied to the forest’s energy grid. He’s using Elderwood itself to power this thing.”
He closed his eyes, sinking into that lingering connection. The fusion was gone, but the forest’s pulse was still there, a network of golden threads woven through the earth. He followed them, tracing their flow—and found it. The rift wasn’t just a tear; it was a parasite, siphoning Elderwood’s life force, twisting it into void energy. Smaller fractures branched off, spreading like cracks in a windshield, weakening the forest from within.
“I can feel them,” he said, opening his eyes. “The secondary rifts—they’re everywhere. If we don’t close them first, the main one will just keep growing.”
Valorian’s brow furrowed. “Can you do it? You’re barely standing.”
Ethan forced a laugh, though it came out more like a cough. “No choice. System’s got my back—or what’s left of it.”
He knelt, pressing his hands to the cracked stone floor. The forest’s energy surged up to meet him, eager and alive. He channeled it, guiding it outward in a wave. The golden-green light spread, seeping into the smaller fractures around the chamber. One by one, they began to close—faint hisses and pops filling the air as reality stitched itself back together. The hum weakened, the rift’s edges flickering as its power faltered.
WORLD STABILITY: 89%
ENERGY RESERVES: 14%
VOID CORRUPTION EXPOSURE: 58%
“Keep going!” Lysandra urged, loosing an arrow at Orlin’s spectral form. The purification energy struck true, disrupting his chant, but the void mist flared, deflecting most of the damage.
Ethan gritted his teeth, pushing harder. He reached beyond the chamber, his awareness stretching through Elderwood’s roots, finding every secondary rift—dozens, maybe hundreds, scattered across the forest. He pulled on the Heart Tree’s strength, its ancient reserves flowing through him like a river. Vines sprouted from the walls, glowing with purification essence, sealing cracks as they went. Trees above shuddered, their branches bending to channel more energy downward, amplifying his efforts.
The chamber shook, the rift shrinking to ten meters, then eight. Orlin’s ghost screamed, his form fraying at the edges, but the ritual pressed on, the void gate pulsing with renewed vigor.
RITUAL PROGRESS: 92%
TIME TO FULL BREACH: 5 MINUTES
“Ethan, it’s not enough!” Elariel shouted, slashing at the void tendrils creeping toward them. “He’s still winning!”
“I know,” Ethan snapped, sweat beading on his forehead. “I need more juice—something big.”
He dove deeper, past the Heart Tree, into the forest’s core—the primal energy that had birthed Elderwood millennia ago. It was wild, untamed, a force of creation itself. He hesitated, the corruption spiking to 59%, the whispers roaring in his ears—you’ll break, you’ll fall, you’ll become us—but he shoved them aside. No turning back.
“Forest,” he whispered, a plea and a command, “help me finish this.”
The response was immediate. The ground rumbled, a deep, resonant roar rising from the earth. Roots erupted around the rift, massive and glowing, their tips piercing the void energy like spears. The canopy above the temple tore open, golden light pouring down in a torrent, flooding the chamber. Ethan channeled it all, his body trembling as he became the conduit, the forest’s power surging through him in a blinding cascade.
The secondary rifts snapped shut, one after another, their energy redirected to the main fracture. The void gate wavered, its edges collapsing inward, shrinking to six meters, then four. Orlin’s spectre howled, his form disintegrating under the onslaught, his chants drowned by the forest’s fury.
WORLD STABILITY: 94%
ENERGY RESERVES: 9%
VOID CORRUPTION EXPOSURE: 61%
RITUAL PROGRESS: 95%—STALLING
“Almost there!” Lysandra cried, firing another arrow. It struck Orlin’s fading core, and this time, the void mist couldn’t hold. He shattered, a final scream echoing as his essence dissolved into nothingness.
The rift pulsed once, twice—then began to close, the forest’s energy overwhelming the void’s last gasps. Ethan poured everything he had left into it, his vision blurring, his heart pounding against his ribs. The golden-green light flared, a supernova in the dark, and with a deafening crack, the fracture sealed shut, leaving only smooth stone behind.
SYSTEM UPDATE
PRIMARY REALITY FRACTURE: SEALED
WORLD STABILITY: 97%
ENERGY RESERVES: 5%
VOID CORRUPTION EXPOSURE: 63%
THREAT LEVEL: NEUTRALIZED
Ethan collapsed, his breath ragged, the forest’s hum fading to a gentle whisper. Lysandra dropped to her knees beside him, her hands shaking as she pulled him upright. “You did it. It’s over.”
He managed a weak nod, his voice barely audible. “Yeah… for now.”
Elariel sheathed her sword, her gaze sweeping the chamber. “The forest is whole again. You’ve saved Elderwood, Ethan Stark.”
Valorian knelt, offering a rare smile. “At a cost. Look at him—he’s a mess.”
Ethan chuckled, the sound turning into a cough. “Occupational hazard. I’ll… figure out the corruption later.”
The forest’s energy pulsed once more, a warm wave washing over him, easing the icy grip of the void just enough to keep him conscious. He leaned against Lysandra, letting her guide him toward the stairs. The Sanctum of Ages stood silent behind them, its runes dimming, the void’s presence banished—at least for today.
But as they climbed back to the surface, Ethan’s mind churned. The Master was still out there, watching, waiting. And the temple’s depths had revealed something else—a truth he couldn’t shake. The rift wasn’t random. It was targeted, deliberate, a piece of a larger puzzle. He’d won this round, but the game was far from over.
“Next stop,” he murmured, half to himself, “purification central. And then… we figure out what the hell that bastard’s really planning.”
Lysandra squeezed his arm, her voice firm. “Together.”
He nodded, the spark of resolve reigniting in his chest. Together. With Elderwood’s power—and a little luck—he’d face whatever came next. One system crash at a time.
