Chapter 26: (CH25)FOREST OF THE UNKNOWN
The darkness swallowed him—
But when Luis opened his eyes, he was no longer in a cave.
Warm wind brushed across his cheeks. Above, a surreal sky unfolded—blue streaked with veins of purple cloud, and floating islands drifted lazily through the air, their roots spilling vines like green waterfalls. Beneath his feet, the ground pulsed with life: flowers glowing faintly with light, trees whose bark shimmered like polished obsidian, and tiny bioluminescent creatures flitting through the foliage like fireflies on caffeine.
He took a cautious step forward. "What... the hell?"
Zyx floated beside him, unusually quiet. "Okay. This is new."
Luis slowly turned in place, trying to take it all in. "This place looks like that one movie. You know, with the blue giants and the flying bat-lizard things..."
Zyx perked up. "You mean Pandora? Avatar?"
"Yeah, that one!" Luis blinked at him. "Wait. How the hell do you know about that?"
"I pirated it in heaven," Zyx replied, smug.
Luis stared. "You are actually just a loser."
Zyx sniffed. "Says the guy still swinging a junkyard hammer."