Far off the Colombian coast, a lone island laid waiting for explorers. Its puny land mass sat alienated in the sea. Its tide slowly drifted out, as the once minor island began to grow revealing the luscious landscape hidden behind the waves.

Light refracted off the clear water surrounding it, lighting up the tree line bordering the island's beach. It was fantastical, the island showing its untouched beauty.

One man faced the oasis on his small dinghy as it rocked in the wind.

Riven squinted at the hidden sanctuary in the vast sea.

Fixing himself from his daze, he started up his dinghy and rode toward the edge of the beach. Ripples in the water oscillated, slowly increasing in size as he reached top speed. The motor stopped as the boat neared and landed ashore.

Riven displayed a wide grin and his eyes twinkled with anticipation. He had explored and studied many known historical monuments. Perhaps they still had many secrets to be found but he wanted something else.

Something new.

After many years of searching, he caught wind of a disappearing island. This was enough for him to begin research, even for the lowest chance of it being legitimate.

He had found a pattern after years of traveling and asking nearby natives. The reason why this island was still not supposedly 'found' to this day was because those who entered it never came back. No one knew what laid behind the curtains of the tall-standing palm trees.

It was a mystery, and maybe a dangerous one at that, but Riven's desire to explore the unknown had to be quenched.

He stepped out onto the marble-like sands. It was warm to the touch even through his rugged boots, but something wasn't right.

Today wasn't a hot day.

The island felt as though it was radiating heat, almost like there was a furnace burning beneath the sands. Riven wondered but felt exhilarated as if he was making history with each step he took.

He dreamed of telling the world what he was experiencing right now, exploring a long-lost island, and maybe even being able to recover the remains of an ancient civilization.

He continued onwards, towards the dense growth of palm trees while almost in a daydream. Riven was unaware that he had left his duffle bag with all equipment on his dinghy. His preparation was gone without notice.

----

Riven had long entered deep inside the dense rainforest. By the time he realized he was lost, it was already too late as the overgrown jungle had left no clear path of where he came from.

With no tools to determine his direction, and the thick canopies obstructed any sunlight, Riven continued further towards the island's center.

The jungle around him was unlike any other kind he had visited a huge variety of colorful flora surround him, although it felt out of place as if it didn't belong on Earth. Strange noises surrounded him, not the singing of birds you would typically hear. It sounded like something was crying. Not quite…, it's screaming in agony! Riven covered his ears, but the sound seeped through.

After a while, his ears were numb to the sound. His curiosity about this island had long gone and now he just wanted to leave. His hands shivered with every step forward, there was only regret now.

----

Riven stopped when he saw a small opening, where the sunlight finally leaked through. His sense of time had disappeared but this faint glow behind the outcropping became a beacon for the hope he had lost.

Moving through, he cleared away the leaves. His pocket knife had gone blunt some time ago and he had to use his body to push through. His hands and shoulders ached, and blisters formed on his heels after walking for what felt like an endless amount of time. The ground became much more rocky and coarse the deeper he went into this hellscape.

Riven suddenly became aware of a presence behind him. The once deafening screech had now turned into a playful hum. The hum was also awfully close. Right behind him.

Riven slowly turned, sweat dripping from his forehead. His breathing turned rugged, almost choking on his breath. An abomination faced him.

The monster bore its plethora of sharp long teeth almost in a twisted smile. Its unnaturally long arms dwarfed the rest of its body. Two hind legs extruded firmly onto the ground; the legs strangely disjointed like they were broken and bent backward. The creature had pale gray withered skin that was tightly wrapped around its body, exposing a human-like ribcage.

Riven met its gaze and saw two gored-out sockets staring back at him. He could hear the soft dropping of fresh red blood oozing out of its eyes like it was crying.

The young explorer's knees trembled and his body froze in fear. This 'thing' definitely did not come in peace. With traits like its sharp dinosaur-like teeth and a gigantic hulking figure, this creature would be at the top of the food chain in any world. Even as mayhem erupted in his mind, Riven put his emotions aside and decided on one option, the only option.

Run.

He sprung back and sprinted, adrenaline coursing through his veins. At that moment, he noticed something, he felt something he had never felt before. Maybe it was the thought of being right next to death, but Riven knew one thing. He found something undiscovered, maybe in the real world but especially within himself. A feeling he had never felt before, living in a world already explored by others before him.

The thumping of the monster's herculean legs echoed briefly through the rainforest, but Riven had no intention of turning back.

Riven was in the high of his new achievements, but then his worn-out boots had caught a small tree root, launching him forwards at the last stretch to safety in the sunlight.

A soft bed of weeds cushioned Riven's fall, he knew the monster had caught up. He desperately scrambled forward before collapsing from his exhaustion, burnt out from traversing through the jungle for eons. Riven stared at the evening sun, orange haze contrasting with the bright yellow ball. He closed his eyes admitting to fate and waited...

And waited...

And waited...

Riven's eyebrows raised and he lifted his back towards the path he had come from. The monster stood there frozen in a frown and leered at him. In a surprise, Riven slowly crawled backward, suddenly hitting a rock.

It instantly reacted by screeching in alternating pitches. The amalgamation's head reared around and bent in impossible ways. Its legs snapped backward violently as it lurched forwards, into the sunlight. It began rotting as if years went by in a second. Its movement speed dwindled the closer it got to Riven. Just as it reached out to its goal with its rotted frail arms, the monster's body froze and collapsed turning to dust.

Riven watched, terrified, and uttered the only words that came to mind.

"What the fuck."