Chapter 46: Arrival in the Shattered Realm

The sensation of falling was disorienting. It wasn't the free-fall they'd felt in dreams or nightmares, but something far more alien. The light around them pulsed and shifted, a kaleidoscope of colors that defied understanding. Time felt warped—seconds stretched into what could have been hours, or maybe it was the other way around. The hum that had consumed their senses faded, replaced by a deafening silence that felt heavier than any sound.

Ethan's stomach lurched as he twisted in the endless void. "I hate this. I hate this so much," he muttered, gripping his glowing pipe as if it could anchor him. His voice felt strange, like it was swallowed by the void before it reached his own ears.

"Hold steady!" Karis shouted, though her voice sounded distant, even though she was right beside him. Her knife gleamed faintly in the shifting light, and her sharp eyes darted around, scanning the void as if searching for some solid ground.

"Hold steady?" Ethan shot back, panic lacing his voice. "We're falling into nothing! What part of that am I supposed to hold steady on?"

Naomi's voice cut in, sharper than usual. "Both of you, stop talking and focus. This isn't helping."

Ethan wanted to snap back, but the words caught in his throat as the kaleidoscope of light suddenly began to converge. The void around them rippled, the colors blending into a single, brilliant hue—a deep, piercing blue. The sensation of falling stopped abruptly, replaced by a jarring stillness that left them floating in the air.

And then, just as suddenly, they were slammed onto solid ground.

---

The impact knocked the wind out of Ethan. He lay on his back, staring up at a sky that shouldn't have existed. It was fractured, shards of light and darkness colliding in chaotic patterns, creating a jagged expanse of swirling energy. It wasn't a sky, not really—it was something else entirely, something alive, its movements erratic and unsettling.

He groaned, pushing himself up onto his elbows. "Okay," he muttered, his voice raspy. "That was... unpleasant."

Naomi was already on her feet, her bow in hand, her sharp eyes scanning their surroundings. "Unpleasant doesn't begin to cover it," she said, her tone low. Her gaze settled on the horizon—or what passed for one in this place. The ground around them stretched out in every direction, but it wasn't like anything they'd seen before. It was a patchwork of terrain, jagged pieces of land floating in the air, connected by thin, glowing bridges of light. Some pieces were barren rock, others lush with greenery, and some appeared to be entirely alien, shimmering with colors and patterns that defied logic.

Lucas helped Karis to her feet, his shield already in hand. "Is everyone all right?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with concern. "No injuries?"

"Just my pride," Ethan muttered, brushing himself off as he stood. He gestured toward the fractured sky. "What the hell is this place?"

Karis narrowed her eyes, studying their surroundings. "It's another trial," she said, her voice calm but firm. "The Forge doesn't send us anywhere without purpose. This place... it's testing us again."

Naomi frowned, her grip tightening on her bow. "Testing what, exactly? Our sanity? Because I feel like I'm losing it just looking at this place."

"It's more than that," Karis said, turning to face the group. "The shard we took—it didn't just give us memories. It connected us to the multiverse, to the Forge itself. This place... it's a reflection of that connection."

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Great. So we're stuck in some kind of cosmic funhouse. What's the plan?"

---

The ground beneath their feet began to ripple faintly, as if reacting to their presence. The patchwork terrain around them shifted, the glowing bridges flickering as new pieces of land appeared in the distance. The fractured sky above them pulsed with light, and the air grew heavier, charged with a strange energy that made their skin prickle.

"We don't have a plan yet," Karis admitted, her tone unusually honest. She gestured toward the nearest glowing bridge. "But the Forge is guiding us. That bridge—it's the only way forward."

Naomi squinted at the bridge, her sharp eyes narrowing. "It doesn't look stable."

"It won't be," Karis said. "Nothing here is. But we don't have a choice."

Lucas stepped forward, his shield raised. "I'll go first. If it collapses, I'll—"

"You'll what?" Ethan interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "Fly? Lucas, we're all going down if that thing gives out. Might as well face it together."

Karis nodded, her expression unreadable. "He's right. We move as a group. Stay close, stay alert, and don't lose your footing."

Naomi glanced at Ethan, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "Guess we're trusting each other now."

"Don't get used to it," Ethan said, though there was no venom in his voice. "This is just survival."

---

The group stepped onto the glowing bridge cautiously, their movements slow and deliberate. The bridge pulsed faintly beneath their feet, the light shifting in rhythmic patterns that seemed to echo the beat of their own hearts. The air around them felt heavier here, thick with tension, as if the bridge itself was watching them.

Ethan glanced down, immediately regretting it. The void beneath the bridge stretched endlessly, a swirling expanse of light and shadow that seemed to shift and writhe. It was impossible to tell how far the fall would be—or if there was even an end to it.

"Don't look down," Naomi said, her voice steady. "Just keep moving."

"Too late," Ethan muttered, gripping his pipe tightly. "Pretty sure I'm going to have nightmares about this."

They moved in silence, the only sound the faint hum of the bridge beneath their feet. As they approached the other side, the terrain ahead began to shift, pieces of land floating into place to form another platform. This one was larger, its surface covered in glowing runes that pulsed faintly with an ominous light.

Karis stepped onto the platform first, her knife in hand. "Stay close," she said, her voice low. "This is where it begins."

"What begins?" Lucas asked, stepping onto the platform beside her.

The runes flared brightly, and the ground beneath them trembled. The air grew colder, and a low, resonant hum filled the space around them. Shadows began to coalesce at the edges of the platform, their forms shifting and twisting as they solidified into humanoid shapes.

"That," Karis said, her tone sharp. She raised her knife, her eyes narrowing. "Get ready."

Ethan groaned, raising his pipe. "Of course. It's always shadow guys."

Naomi notched an arrow, her expression grim. "At least we know how to fight them."

"Let's hope it's that simple," Karis said, her gaze locked on the approaching shadows. "The Forge never makes things easy."

The shadows lunged, and the fight began.