Jason hit the ground hard, the impact rattling through his bones. For a second, the world spun, his lungs burning as if he'd been ripped apart and stitched back together in an instant. He pressed his palms into the dirt, realizing quickly it wasn't dirt at all—it was darker, grainy, and scattered with faintly glowing specks. They pulsed in and out like the embers of a dying fire.
"What… the actual… fuck…" he groaned, dragging himself upright. The tendrils on his back twitched uncontrollably, lashing at the ground before curling back into place like restless animals.
"Jason!" Lilya's voice cut through his haze. She was already on her feet, her black and blue hair falling around her shoulders, catching the eerie light of not one, but two moons hanging in the sky. Her orb rested in her palm, smooth and unbroken, but flickering faintly with shifting forms—a dagger, a shield, then back to a sphere.
Jason followed her gaze upward and froze.
The sky wasn't Earth's. It couldn't be. Two pale moons, one cracked down the middle with rivers of molten light spilling from its scar, loomed above. A sprawling curtain of stars burned brighter than any city sky ever allowed, painting the heavens in impossible colors.
His mouth went dry. "This… this isn't home."
"No shit," Lilya muttered, but her voice trembled. She crouched, running her hand through the soil. When her fingers lifted, the black grains clung stubbornly, glowing faintly in her skin's warmth.
Then Valocity stirred. He had landed a few feet away, sprawled but unbroken. He rose slowly, his glowing aura flickering weakly until it stabilized. His eyes scanned the horizon with a calm Jason envied.
The landscape stretched far and alien. Hills of jagged obsidian cut sharp against the horizon, forests of violet-leafed trees swayed without wind, and in the far distance, a dome of golden light shimmered, like a barrier reaching endlessly into the sky. It was faint but undeniable, humming with energy.
Valocity exhaled slowly. "This isn't an accident. This place… feels constructed. Intentional. Like a design."
Jason's jaw clenched. "Who the hell would design a world and drag us into it?"
Lilya rose, clutching the orb close to her chest. Her voice was soft but steady. "We can figure that out later. Right now, we need to move. Shelter. Food. Water. We can't just stand here."
Jason forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow. "Yeah, because wandering through hell's backyard sounds safe."
Still, he pushed himself to his feet. His tendrils curled over his shoulders like spears, ready to lash out at the first threat. His hands trembled, though he tried to hide it.
For a moment, there was only silence—the kind of silence that pressed down heavy, broken only by the faint hum of the barrier far away. Then, a sound rolled through the violet forest.
A growl.
Low, guttural, and wrong.
Branches cracked, something massive pushing its way through the tree line. The growl wasn't alone—it layered over itself, like multiple throats speaking through one voice.
Lilya stiffened, eyes flashing. The orb pulsed, elongating into the form of a blade before snapping back. "We're not alone," she whispered.
Jason's throat went dry, but adrenaline burned through him. His tendrils stiffened, fanning out like a crown of blades. "Of course we aren't. Because why the fuck would we get a break?"
The growl grew louder, closer, echoing unnaturally as if the forest itself carried it. Leaves shivered, branches bent.
And then it emerged.
The creature stepped from the tree line, its tall frame hunched, long arms dragging claws that carved trenches into the glowing dirt. Its body was too thin, its skin stretched tight over bones that jutted at wrong angles. From its back sprouted spines that glowed faintly, each pulse of light spreading through the forest like a beacon. Its head… if it could be called that… was a mess of jagged lines, no eyes, just a maw that unhinged wider than Jason thought possible. Heat rippled from it, warping the air.
Jason's legs screamed to run, but his tendrils lashed forward instinctively, shielding Lilya. His voice cracked, but he forced the words out. "Guess this is the welcome party."
Lilya raised her weapon, her breathing sharp but steady. "It's ugly enough to count as one."
Valocity finally stepped forward, his presence like a weight grounding the chaos. His aura surged, streaks of white-blue energy running down his arms, illuminating the dark. He cracked his knuckles, expression calm but his voice low, steady, and dangerous.
"Then let's show this world," Valocity said, his tone like steel, "that it dragged the wrong damn people in."
The beast roared, the forest shaking with its voice. Jason's tendrils coiled like whips, Lilya's orb blade gleamed, and Valocity's aura ignited brighter than a star.
And the night swallowed them whole.