Far in the distance, she heard a series of long, piercing cries, their distinctly inhuman nature cutting through the fog of her pain. Her eyes lifted in the direction of the sound—but caught on something else. The obelisk she had been looking at moments ago had gone dark, the symbol at its center fading to shadow. The cauldron at its peak now held only wisps of smoke. In the sky beyond, a column of light rose from within the forest and disappeared into the clouds. As if in answer, a twin beam shot down from the sky directly above her head. It landed on the glassy rock at her side, filling it
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