Just as the last sprite was pierced by holy light and vanished in a flicker of silver dust, leaving behind only a Magic Stone, a rumble stirred the roots beneath their feet.
The golden haze in the air suddenly warped, twisting as though reality itself refused to remain still.
The oppressive sweetness returned, now tainted with a new scent: rot masked in perfume, honey curdled by corruption.
Daniel's breath caught in his throat. He could feel it.
Caldwell's instincts screamed again. "... Something's coming"
The trees groaned, bowing unnaturally inward, as if pulled toward a dark gravity. The vines that had once fled the Holy Ground now coiled at its edge like a wounded beast preparing to strike.
Then... She appeared.
Floating just above the ground, emerging from the twisted bark of a massive, hollowed-out tree, the Sprite Swarm Matron.
