They were perhaps fifty yards away when the forest exploded.
The area shook with a shockwave and wind that far surpassed anything before. Reinhard felt himself lifted slightly off the ground by the force, his boots losing contact with the earth.
Then massive light erupted far behind them, a column of brilliance that shot straight up through the forest and vaporized the leaves instantly. The light was impossible to look at directly, searing afterimages into retinas even through closed eyelids.
Reinhard, Marie, and Joseph all turned instinctively, unable to resist witnessing what was happening.
