Chapter 36
Annalise
When I woke, the warmth that had engulfed me during the night was gone. My eyes flicked open, and I was greeted by the remnants of last night’s fire—a pile of smoldering ash and faint, curling smoke. Cassian was nowhere to be seen, and a sharp pang of unease gripped me.
I sat up quickly, scanning my surroundings. This wasn’t the same forest as before. The vibrant greens had vanished, replaced by a barren, haunting landscape. The trees were dead, their skeletal branches clawing at the gray sky. The air reeked of decay, and an oppressive aura pressed down on me, suffocating and insidious.
A booming voice shattered the stillness, resonating through the eerie forest.
“Players of this season, welcome to Day Three in the Forest of Death!” the announcer bellowed, his voic
