"Okay… this is new," Victor muttered while scanning his surroundings.
To his left stood several statues with humanoid figures worn down by time, just like he had seen in so many places initially.
Some had strange inscriptions along their bases, glowing faintly red as though the symbols themselves were breathing.
On his right, long slithering vines crawled over the ground. They moved in slow waves, like lazy serpents half-asleep. Every few seconds, one would curl around a rock or a broken spear, as if testing what was alive and what wasn't.
A few palm-sized insects buzzed past him, their translucent wings flickering green. They circled him once, then darted off toward the statues.
"Yup. Totally normal. Nothing suspicious about glowing vines and cursed statues at all."
He looked ahead. Still the same bleak horizon. No movement, no ruins... just more ooze, more emptiness.
The only true difference was the temperature.
Victor stood there for a while, rubbing his chin.
