The World Beyond the Portal

Their bodies felt like they were floating in emptiness. The portal's light blinded their eyes while their ears buzzed with the sound of an invisible storm. When they finally landed on solid ground, the cold air pierced their skin.

Vin coughed and opened his eyes. Around him, his friends were sprawled out, trying to regain their senses. The ground beneath them felt rough and sandy, with a strong sulfuric scent filling the air. The sky above was deep red, like an eternal dusk, and the horizon was lined with strange mountains emitting a faint green glow.

“Where… are we?” Hiroshi asked, his voice hoarse from exhaustion.

Priya cautiously scanned their surroundings. “This isn’t a normal place. It feels like we’ve left our world behind.”

Dea struggled to her feet, her eyes fixed on the crimson sky. “Is this still part of the mountain? Or… another dimension?”

“We don’t have time for questions,” Vin said, helping Kwame to his feet. “We need to find shelter before anything shows up.”

They started walking across the barren desert, led by Vin. Their steps were unsteady, their bodies still heavy from the portal's effects. Along the way, they stumbled upon strange, massive footprints—like giant claws pressing deeply into the hardened sand.

“This isn’t good,” Dea murmured, crouching to examine the prints. “Whatever left these… it’s not something we want to meet.”

“Maybe we can follow the tracks to find some kind of civilization,” Kwame suggested, trying to stay optimistic.

“What kind of civilization could live in a place like this?” Hiroshi retorted cynically.

Vin raised his hand, signaling them to stop. “Wait. We’re not alone.”

The sound of footsteps echoed—slow, deliberate, and heavy. A large shadow emerged from behind a sand dune. The figure had a humanoid shape but was much taller and bulkier, with black, scaly skin and glowing yellow eyes.

“Back away slowly,” Vin whispered, trying to calm the group.

But before they could move, the creature let out a low growl that sent chills through their spines. In a flash, it lunged toward them with surprising speed.

“Run!” Vin shouted.

They scattered, running as fast as their legs could carry them. Vin grabbed Priya’s hand to ensure she stayed with him, while Dea and the others dashed in another direction. The creature hesitated briefly, then chose to pursue Via and Priya.

Vin and Priya reached a narrow crevice between two massive rocks. They slipped inside, their breaths ragged. The creature stopped just outside, sniffing the air like a hunting dog.

“It knows we’re here,” Priya whispered, her face pale.

Vin gripped his small knife tightly. “If it comes in, we fight. There’s no other option.”

The creature growled again and began squeezing its massive body into the crevice. Its size made its movements slow, but it was inching closer.

When it got close enough, Vin leaped at it, driving his knife into the creature’s neck. The beast roared in pain, but the attack only seemed to enrage it further. With tremendous strength, it threw Vin against the rock wall.

“Vin!” Priya screamed, immediately attacking the creature with her spear. Her aim was precise, striking directly into its right eye.

The creature let out another anguished roar and retreated from the crevice, black blood dripping from its wound and sizzling as it hit the sand.

“Quick, we have to go before it comes back!” Priya said, pulling a dazed Vin to his feet.

After running for several minutes, they found a small cave carved into the side of a sandy hill. Vin and Priya ducked inside and collapsed on the ground.

“Are you okay?” Priya asked, inspecting Vin’s injuries.

“Just a bruise,” Vin replied, though his face showed his pain. “You saved my life again.”

Priya gave him a faint smile, though worry lingered in her eyes. “I couldn’t let you die. We all need you.”

As they sat in the dim cave, they heard footsteps approaching from outside. Priya raised her spear again, ready to defend them.

But instead of the creature, it was Dea, Hiroshi, and Kwame who appeared. They looked exhausted but relieved to see Vin and Priya alive.

“We managed to escape,” Dea said, rushing to Vin’s side. “Are you hurt?”

Vin nodded slightly. “Just a bit, but I’m fine. What about you?”

“We found something,” Kwame said, pointing out of the cave. “A massive structure in the distance. It looks like a building.”

“A building?” Vin frowned. “In a place like this?”

“Yes,” Hiroshi confirmed. “Maybe it holds some answers about where we are.”

Vin exhaled, relieved that they had a new objective. But his heart remained heavy with unease. This place wasn’t just unfamiliar—it was teeming with dangers they barely understood.

“Let’s rest here for now,” Vin decided. “We’ll head to the building in the morning.”

The others agreed, though anxiety still hung in the air. This world was full of mysteries, and their journey was far from over. In fact, it had only just begun.

***

The next morning, after a restless night, Vin and his group left the cave. The red sun hanging in the sky cast long shadows across the barren desert. In the distance, they could see the structure Kwame had mentioned—a massive tower of black stone that loomed high, older and more mysterious than anything they had ever seen.

“This looks like something from another world,” Priya said, her eyes fixed on the tower.

“We need to stay cautious,” Vin warned. “Whatever’s inside could be even more dangerous than the creature we faced last night.”

The group moved slowly toward the tower, their senses sharp for any signs of danger.

When they reached the base of the tower, they realized its true scale and grandeur. The walls were covered in strange carvings that shimmered under the crimson sunlight. No visible entrance could be found, but on one side, they discovered a narrow crevice that appeared to serve as a hidden doorway.

“Whoever built this didn’t want people to get in easily,” Hiroshi remarked, inspecting the crevice.

Vin led them inside one by one. Inside, they found a spiral staircase winding upward. The atmosphere was dark and cold, and their footsteps echoed, amplifying the eerie silence.

“These stairs feel endless,” Kwame muttered after several minutes of climbing.

“Look at this,” Dea said, pointing to one of the walls. It depicted a large humanoid figure wearing a crown, surrounded by smaller figures bowing down to it.

“Do you think it’s their god?” Priya asked.

“Or a ruler,” Dea replied. “Whoever it was, they clearly wielded immense power.

After nearly an hour of climbing, they reached a large chamber at the top of the tower. The room was filled with strange devices, a blend of technology and magic. At its center was a large table emitting a faint blue glow, its surface displaying shifting symbols.

“What is this?” Kwame asked, moving closer to the table.

“Some kind of device, maybe,” Vin said, touching one of the glowing symbols. Suddenly, the blue light transformed into a holographic map.

“This… this is our world,” Dea said, recognizing the familiar shapes of the continents. But there was an unfamiliar area on the map—a vast region seemingly outside their known world.

“Is that where we are now?” Hiroshi asked, pointing to the uncharted area.

“It seems likely,” Vin replied. “But the real question is, how do we get out of here?”

As they studied the map, a voice in an unfamiliar language suddenly echoed through the room. Startled, they watched as the symbols on the table began to shift, translating the message into a language they could understand.

“If you are reading this, you have entered a forsaken world. This realm is a prison for creatures that once sought to destroy the balance of the universe. However, this prison itself harbors secrets that must never be unleashed.”

The message paused briefly, then continued:

“To leave this place, you must find the key hidden beneath the great volcanic mountain. But beware—the prison’s guardians will not let you escape easily.”

“A volcano?” Kwame muttered. “We have to go to a volcano to get out of here?”

“Looks like it,” Vin said. “But we need to prepare ourselves. These guardians could be like the creature we faced last night—or worse.”

As they prepared to leave, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the staircase below. Vin gestured for the group to stay quiet, then crept toward the room’s entrance. Peering down, he saw a massive shadow climbing the stairs rapidly.

“They’re coming,” he whispered.

“Who?” Priya asked, her voice tense.

“The guardians,” Vin replied. “Quick, find another way out!”

They searched frantically but found no exit other than a small window too high for them to reach. The footsteps grew louder, and Vin knew they were running out of time.

“Dea, Kwame, help me move this table in front of the door!” Vin ordered.

They quickly pushed the heavy table to block the entrance, while the others continued to look for an escape route. The door shook violently as something on the other side tried to force it open.

“Vin, we can’t hold them off for long!” Hiroshi shouted.

Vin scanned the room, his eyes landing on a large glass orb emitting a blue energy. “Maybe this can help us,” he said, carefully picking it up.

When the door finally burst open, a massive creature with a rocky body and glowing red eyes stepped inside. Without hesitation, Vin hurled the orb at the creature. The orb shattered, releasing a surge of blue energy that exploded, throwing the creature against the wall.

“Run, now!” Vin yelled.

They all bolted from the room, racing down the stairs as fast as they could. The creature’s enraged roars echoed behind them, but they didn’t dare stop.

When they finally emerged from the tower, they ran as far as they could before collapsing to catch their breath. The tower now loomed in the distance like a dark silhouette, and the creature that had chased them was nowhere in sight.

“Now we know one thing,” Vin said, still breathing heavily.

“What’s that?” Dea asked.

“This place isn’t just a prison. It’s a battlefield.”

The group fell silent, letting Vin’s words sink in. They realized that the journey to the volcano would be far more perilous than they had imagined. But they also knew they had no choice.

“Then we’ll just have to win this battle,” Priya said, her voice resolute.

Vin nodded. “Exactly. We’re getting out of here—no matter what it takes.”

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