Chapter 779: Fallen City
The forest beyond the village was a twisted hellscape of what we had passed through. Until now, the land had been as ancient and untamed as Heartland Forest, if not even older. The trunks were massive, some dozens of feet around, and often towered hundreds of feet in the air. No monster or animal had dared get in our way, lest it be torn apart by the demons or corrupted by the ambient infernal mana, yet I had sensed many powerful creatures, some breaking into fourth level.
But now, as the Black Mist became more plentiful, the forest was a hollow shell. Wilted black crept into the canopy, deep green leaves wilting and fluttering to the ground. The boughs creaked and groaned in every slight breeze, and trunks were covered in disease and rot. Booms echoed through the distant woodlands as the occasional tree lost its roots and toppled to the ground.
"How could he do this?" R’lissea whispered, white-knuckling her grip on her skirt. "Connor was always callous, but this...all of these trees...all this life...it was so precious..."
"It’s awful." Elise was almost as quiet as R’lissea. "I remember running through this forest on a diplomatic trip with my Father, before..."
She stared at her lap, face shrouded in shadow. My tail stirred, twitching uncertainly, as I thought of how I might comfort them. But another look at the deepening shadows of the forest had it drooping. There was nothing to say, no words of comfort. The forest was dying, and unless we managed to find a way to subdue the Black Mist, there would be nothing we could do about it.
The snap of arcing electricity drew my gaze upward. Zephyriss descended with her usual sort of evolved demons hovering behind her.
"There’s a city close to twenty miles west of here," she said, alighting on the ground in front of Fable.
"City?" R’lissea looked up sharply. "Is it Echo Hearth?"
The storm demon gave her an odd look. "Never heard of it."
R’lissea’s grip on her skirt tightened. I cringed, waiting for an outburst, but she took a slow, deliberate breath before continuing. Herr voice was much calmer than before.
"Is it in a canyon? The city, I mean."