The sensation was like plunging into ice water and then being pulled through molten glass. For a moment there was no up, no down, just tumbling light and pressure. Then we were falling forward onto hard ground.

I hit grass and dirt, rolled, and came up coughing. The air was warm and heavy with the scent of flowers and something musky. My head spun. My brother lay beside me, groaning. Around us, other refugees stumbled and fell, some vomiting from the nausea of the portal transit.

We were in a forest clearing. Giant trees towered above, their trunks as wide as houses, their leaves a deep emerald. Luminescent vines hung down like curtains. The sky above was not blue but a swirling mix of purples and oranges, as if permanent sunset. Two moons hung low on the horizon. The light was soft but clear.

The clearing was ringed by stone pillars carved with more of the glowing runes. The portal ring behind us sputtered and went dark. Smoke rose from its base. I could still hear the sounds of battle faintly, as if from far away. Then the connection cut. Silence fell.

For a moment, no one moved. Then, from the trees, came a sound—a low, throaty growl. Eyes glowed in the shadows. Dozens of creatures padded into view. They looked like wolves but had scales along their spines and elongated jaws full of serrated teeth. They circled us, sniffing the air.

Soldiers raised rifles. A man with power crackled electricity between his hands. Before anyone could strike, a figure stepped from between the wolves. It was humanoid but not human. Tall and slender, skin the color of polished mahogany, ears long and pointed, eyes like molten gold. It wore a cloak of leaves and held a bow carved from a single piece of bone.

It looked at us, then spoke. I didn’t understand the words, but the tone was clear: command, disdain, curiosity. More figures emerged—other elves with bows and spears, dwarfs with axes, reptilian beings with horns and scaled armor. They surrounded us, weapons ready.

“Hands up,” a soldier said quietly. “No sudden moves.”

I lifted my hands, palms open. My brother clung to my side.

The elf leader said something else. When we didn’t respond, it frowned. It drew an arrow and pointed it at us. The wolves snarled. The atmosphere tightened like a drawn bowstring.

My heart pounded. We had escaped one nightmare and landed in another.