The Ambush

We hadn’t gone far before the world itself seemed to ripple beneath our feet. The ground buckled, and the shadows of the twisted forest warped unnaturally, as if reality itself was unraveling, bending under the puppeteer’s will. My breath caught in my throat, and every muscle tensed. The air felt thick, heavy—alive with something dark. This wasn’t an ordinary ambush. It was a trap woven deep into the fabric of the virtual realm.

“Stay close,” I commanded, though my voice was tight, barely more than a whisper. Felix flanked me on one side, sword at the ready, while Sasha walked on the other, her hands glowing faintly with magic, poised to strike.

Every step we took seemed to echo in the eerie silence, the oppressive weight of the forest pressing down on us. The rustling of leaves, the groaning of trees in the wind—it all felt amplified, unnatural, as if even nature itself had turned against us. I could feel it—his eyes, the puppeteer, watching, waiting.