The Emotional Sacrifice

Siti’s heart pounded in her chest, a mix of fear, love, and determination. She stood at the edge of the sacred rainforest, gazing out at the trees that had nurtured her people for centuries. Their trunks were massive, their leaves shimmering with the wisdom of ages. It was a place of magic, a place of life, but now it was under siege.

Her ancestors’ spirits were there, watching her, their presence a comforting weight on her shoulders. She could feel them in the air, in the earth beneath her feet, in the wind that brushed through the leaves. They were waiting for her decision, their silent eyes searching her soul.

The machines—Zhang Wei’s creations—had no regard for what this forest meant. They were tools of destruction, built to break the balance, to tear apart the spiritual connection between the land and her people. But she knew now that the battle was not just physical. It was spiritual. And to win this battle, she would need to give everything.