Cael's eyelids felt heavy as he opened them.
He blinked once. Twice. His vision was blurry, edges soft, colors smeared.
He pushed himself up from the ground, his palms pressing against something solid.
Then his vision cleared.
Cael saw a sight that made him freeze.
Two mountains rose before him, their peaks so high they seemed to pierce the sky.
But not a sky he recognized. A sun hung above, small and distant, casting light across a landscape that should not exist underground.
'This realm had its own sun? Is that even possible?'
Cael turned his head slowly, taking it all in.
There were trees everywhere. Not the twisted, dark trees of the Rainfall Forest. These were massive, ancient, their trunks wider than any building he had seen.
Their leaves were thick and green, shimmering in the light. Between the trees, he saw water channels cutting through the earth, their surfaces still and dark like mirrors.
Cael felt the air press against his skin.
