Chapter 46: When Men Become Monsters

Then they were falling, tumbling through a kaleidoscope of memories and visions, hurtling towards an uncertain destiny.

Madison's stomach lurched as the world spun around her. Colors blurred and twisted, fragments of sound and smell assaulting her senses. She clung tightly to Wald's hand, afraid they'd be torn apart in the chaotic vortex.

With a jolt, they landed hard on solid ground. Madison groaned, her head spinning as she pushed herself up on shaky arms. Beside her, Wald was already on his feet, eyes darting warily around their new surroundings.

They stood in a vast, shadowy forest. Towering trees with gnarled trunks stretched as far as the eye could see, their branches intertwining overhead to block out most of the sky. An eerie mist clung to the ground, swirling around their ankles.

"Where are we?" Madison whispered, not wanting to disturb the oppressive silence.