Black orchids release pollen into the air, contaminating my lungs. I move forward with my hands against the trees, using them to guide my way.
"I've been walking for quite a while now, and I still can't find a way out."
My body still feels heavy, but the paralysis doesn't affect me as much as it did before.
My body has probably gotten used to it. I keep walking until, in the distance, a light catches my attention.
Finally!
It looks like a way out!
The exit is right in front of me. I start walking a little faster, but before long, I'm running like a madman.
As the light grows brighter and brighter, I'm certain this nightmare ends there. If I'm lucky, this might even be the real way out.
The moment I step outside, an unbearable pain burns across my skin.
"Huh?"
"What?!"
"It's burning!"
I look around and immediately understand why. The place I'm standing in can only be the definition of hell. Rivers of glowing lava flow everywhere, thick black clouds blanket the sky, and massive volcanoes stretch from one side to the other.
An entire landscape of volcanoes!
I can't stay here.
I turn around, but the ground explodes. Magma splashes through the gaps in my cloak. I get away as fast as I can, but the damage is already done. The pain is beyond description.
My regeneration immediately begins restoring my body.
A wave of thick, scorching smoke rises from the ground and hits me.
My eyes burn, and the air is forced from my lungs. I start coughing, and my vision turns blurry. Thick black smoke surrounds me. I try to push it away with my hands, but it's useless. It's far too dense.
Before I realize it, I collapse onto the blazing ground. My legs melt away, my entire body starts turning to liquid, and my blood boils before evaporating. A living hell. My hands begin to come apart. I shut my eyes. I don't want to watch myself melt.
My regeneration keeps trying to heal me, but I'm still being burned without a moment's pause.
I can't even move.
What kind of hell is this?! Why are there volcanoes in the middle of a forest?!
***
The cold hits hard. A blizzard freezes everything in its path. Snow falls in heavy waves, and the ice assaults me like an enemy.
I'm at the top of one of the enormous trees, sitting curled up on a branch.
My entire body is wrapped in the giant leaves, but they can't keep me warm.
The freezing wind grows even harsher, and layer after layer of ice forms over my body. I shiver uncontrollably. I can't feel my legs anymore.
My lips are frozen shut. My glassy eyes do nothing but stare at the snow below, barely able to think anymore.
***
My cloak flaps wildly. The fierce wind nearly sweeps me away.
I turn my attention to the sky. Massive tornadoes dominate the entire area.
In the distance, I watch countless trees and chunks of earth being ripped from the ground and carried away by the wind.
There's nowhere to hide, and nowhere to run.
Before I realize it, the ground is already far below me.
I'm flying completely out of control. Everything spins around me as chunks of earth and broken branches slam into my body. Everything finally stops spinning, and then I realize I'm being carried straight toward one of the tornadoes.
I struggle, trying to change direction, but the wind is stronger. I'm just about to be swallowed by the tornado.
A faint smile forms on my face as I close my eyes.
***
Countless bolts of lightning dominate the sky above me. The lightning storm is merciless. No matter where I look, nothing is left untouched. The ground is riddled with craters, and the forest is engulfed in flames.
The deafening crack of electricity explodes in my ears, and my body goes numb instantly.
I can't see. I'm blind.
Unable to resist, I collapse flat onto the ground, my heart coming to a complete stop. Yet somehow, I remain conscious.
I don't understand what happened, but I figure a lightning bolt must have struck me.
My body slowly begins to recover, allowing me to see again. My eyes widen as the black clouds grow even darker, with lightning flashing and thunderbolts tearing across the sky. A terrifying spectacle.
Strength returns to my body, and I manage to stand.
But another bolt of lightning tears through the sky and strikes me head-on.
***
I'm forced to the ground.
Tears stream down my face as I sob uncontrollably.
"Please..."
"...Someone..."
"...Someone... help me..."
"Mom... get me out of here..."
I can feel toxins and poisons seeping into my skin.
Through my blurred vision, I see my hand, stained purple and partially blackened.
***
Powerful winds topple the trees around me and drag the rocks nearby across the ground.
Heavy thunder echoes in my ears, and my heart pounds, fearing the worst.
Please... not now... Don't let it rain!
The second clap of thunder shatters my last bit of hope.
The rain pours down all at once, and with it comes the burning pain.
The agony makes me want to scream, but I grit my teeth and keep my mouth shut.
Thanks to my cloak and hood, I have some protection. Even so, my body suffers terribly from the rain's acidity.
I reach up and touch the rock above me, watching the raindrops eat tiny holes through my hand. But I hold on and keep climbing.
The rain grows even heavier, making the climb even harder. My trembling left hand finally reaches the rock above.
I push myself upward, but the rock I just grabbed breaks apart.
My eyes go wide in horror.
"No!"
I furrow my brow and drive my fingers between the rocks before I can fall.
The pain of my fingers breaking can't stop me.
I look down. The river of acid is rising.
If I don't hurry, I'll become part of the canyon's melted vegetation.
***
I don't know how many places I've crossed anymore, or how long I've been walking. Everything is strange. Everything changes from one moment to the next. A forest that contains an entire world, filled with so many different, bizarre, and deadly biomes.
In the middle of the forest, I keep walking.
This time, I find myself crossing volcanic terrain.
I look down. The ground is covered in lava. I let out a sigh and keep moving forward. My feet step into the bubbling lava. The burning pain shoots through them, but my regeneration is able to handle it.
I leave the field of lava behind and continue on. Around me, I spot pools of lava to my left and right, all of them bubbling and erupting. Splashes of lava strike me, and I feel the searing heat on my face and on the parts of my body not covered by my cloak.
Little by little, my body recovers. At that very moment, black smoke rising from the ground surrounds me. My eyes water, and I cough over and over.
What a pain!
I wave my arms, trying to clear the smoke away.
Only after a while does the smoke finally disperse, letting me see and breathe normally again.
My eyes scan from side to side. All I can see are volcanoes and countless rivers of lava.
This is the fifth Volcano Park I've passed through.
Isn't there going to be a different biome for once?
I lower my gaze to my body and notice that my cloak is torn and scorched in several places, though it's still relatively intact.
I stop walking and look at the path ahead.
"Which way should I go?"
There are two biomes in front of me. To the left is the Black Forest, the one with the black orchids where I ended up paralyzed. On the other side is what looks like a normal forest filled with enormous trees.
I turn my attention to the right.
"A normal forest..."
The moment I finish speaking, the forest bursts into flames. Deafening roars echo through the air, and even from this distance, I can feel the ground shaking.
"..."
"On second thought, those black orchids are looking pretty beautiful today. I think I'll go admire them up close."
My feet carry me toward the Black Forest.
***
Before I realize it, the scenery changes completely. The freezing winds of this icy biome are merciless.
Towering mountains of ice surround me, and a raging blizzard nearly freezes me solid. Thankfully, I stay conscious. Even with my body stiff and numb, I can still keep walking.
At the top of one of the mountains, I see snow beginning to fall. An avalanche crashes down and buries me.
The cold is brutal, but my body regenerates, slowly bringing my temperature back under control. As soon as I feel even a little better, I start digging my way out.
I keep pushing forward. My hands freeze and tremble, but I have no intention of stopping until I get out of here.
My hands finally break through into open air. At last, I punch through the snow and see the surface.
A faint smile appears on my lips.
"I made it."
I climb completely out of the snow, but the relief I felt vanishes, leaving nothing but emptiness on my face.
I look one way, and all I find is an endless expanse of snow.
Then I look the other way and see nothing but silent mountains of ice, cold and lifeless, as if the entire world had frozen along with me.
"Where am I supposed to go?"