Exhausted but exhilarated, we emerged from the ruins of Aetheria. The desolate wasteland stretched before us, the afternoon sun casting long, skeletal shadows across the cracked earth. Holding the fragment of the crystal close, a pulsing beacon of hope in my palm, I turned to Ethan.
"We did it," I breathed, a wide smile stretching across my face. "We got the first fragment."
Ethan chuckled, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "First of many."
The ground rumbled beneath our feet, and the shimmering portal that had brought us to Aetheria flickered out of existence. Panic clawed at my throat. Stranded? Here? I wanted nothing more than to just lie down on my bed right now.
"Don't worry," a voice echoed in my mind, as familiar as the scent of dust after a long journey. It was the Echo. "Your progress has been noted. The labyrinth has more to offer."
The rumbling intensified, the cracked earth splitting open to reveal a swirling vortex of emerald green mist. This wasn't the cold, inky blackness of the in-between, but something altogether different.
"What is that?" Ethan whispered, his voice tight with apprehension.
"Another passage," the Echo replied. "This one leads to a world steeped in magic, a place where the balance has tipped in a different direction."
Intrigue warred with caution within me. Another world, another fragment -
"Are you sure we're ready?" I asked, voicing both my own doubts and Ethan's.
"The labyrinth will only lead you where you need to go," the Echo said cryptically. "The choice is yours."
I glanced at Ethan, his eyes mirroring my own trepidation. Yet, the weight of Aethel's fate rested heavily on our shoulders. Stepping forward with a deep breath, Ethan squeezed my hand.
"Let's do this," he declared, reigniting a bit of determination within me.
We stepped into the swirling vortex. The world dissolved into a blur of emerald green, a cacophony of sounds assaulting our senses - chirps, screeches, and the thrumming of unseen life. My hands instantly found my ears, and I tried but failed to shield my ears from the torture.
When my vision cleared, we found ourselves standing amidst a vibrant jungle canopy. Sunlight filtered through the lush foliage, dappling the forest floor in a mosaic of light and shadow. Strange plants, shimmering with an otherworldly luminescence, bloomed around us. Exotic birds with iridescent plumage flitted through the branches, their calls filling the air with a melodic symphony.
This wasn't the desolate wasteland of Aetheria, but a world brimming with life - perhaps too much life. The very air crackled with a chaotic energy, a sense that nature was running amok.
"This feels...off," Ethan muttered, his voice barely audible over the cacophony. "The magic here, it's too strong."
A booming laugh, like a hundred trees creaking in a sudden gust, tore through the stillness. Then, the forest itself seemed to shift. Bushes parted, revealing a colossal figure who lumbered out from the dense undergrowth. Its skin wasn't just green, it was the verdant green of a thousand sun-dappled leaves, rippling with an inner light. Where eyes should be, there glowed twin emerald orbs, like precious stones come alive, pulsing with a strange, wild energy. This wasn't just some monster - it was the very essence of the forest itself, twisted and corrupted.
"Welcome, travelers," the creature boomed, its voice dripping with amusement. "Have you come to marvel at the power of the untamed?"
I took a cautious step back. "We seek no trouble," Ethan said, projecting his voice with all his might. "We seek only a fragment of a crystal, a shard of balance."
YOU ARE READING
It All Started With A Book
Teen Fiction(This book is in its editing phase.) - - - - - - Amber Reyes has always felt like a puzzle piece in the wrong box. Surrounded by expectations and a stifling reality, she yearns for something more. Then, on the night of her sweet sixteen, the whisper...
