I enter the rift.
I have the same sensations as when I first entered, only now I can clearly see the landscape around me.
I no longer have the sensation of falling, but of floating while I observe what surrounds me in wonder.
My eyes can see fragments of what appear to be different worlds intertwined in a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes.
As I move forward, I feel a vibrant energy pervading the air, as if the laws of gravity seem to vary, sometimes making me feel as light as a feather, other times as heavy as lead.
I begin to hear strange, melodic sounds floating in the air, like echoes from other dimensions overlapping.
The place expands and contracts, creating the impression of being in a living, conscious place.
The light becomes so bright it almost blinds me.
Suddenly I start to feel the climate change and become hotter and more humid...
I slowly open my eyes and realize I am on top of a gigantic branch.
I can't feel my legs anymore... I collapse onto the branch and hold myself up by wrapping my arms and legs around it.
I'm so scared that I can't open my eyes... I've always been afraid of heights... But I can't let these little things stop me from my goal...
After the initial fear, I look around, admiring the landscape.
Huge, redwood-like trees tower toward the sky, creating a thick canopy that filters the sunlight.
The undergrowth is full of lush vegetation, such as giant ferns and exotic plants.
... It almost feels like being in prehistory...
I hear strange noises that make me jump. I hide among the leaves of the branches.
I can see... WHAT?! DINOSAURS?!
I see what look like brontosauruses grazing placidly, stretching their long necks to eat the leaves of the redwoods.
One of them starts eating the leaves I'm hiding in.
His size is frightening, but I can't help but approach him and touch him gently, as if to caress him.
Despite its imposing size, its eyes have something gentle about them... It's as if I were petting a cow... The only difference is that this cow weighs as much as 3 adult African elephants and is as tall as a building 4 floors...
... It's incredible... I can't believe that such amazing creatures also populated my old world millions of years ago.
I'm really lucky to admire these living beings in person... I think all paleontologists would sell their soul to the devil to see real live dinosaurs.
... Now I should find a way to get down... I should be a super human thanks to Pany's evolution pill... But I'm not sure I would survive a fall like that...
I take one of the leaves and hand it to the brontosaurus, which begins to approach. I hold the leaf over the trunk so that the brontosaurus lowers.
I try to make a small leap to climb over her head, but due to the strength that I cannot yet control, I make a three-foot leap, going over her head and landing on her back.
The impact scares the dinosaur, which begins to move frantically. His movement makes me fall to the ground.
If I had been a normal man, he probably would have killed me, but I only feel a slight pain in my back.
...Crazy...
I get up without problems and start walking.
... I wonder if there are sentient living beings in this world to talk to... I wouldn't mind some beautiful elf wizards... Or tall, muscular lizard women... Damn, I have to adjust. If I expect too much I might be disappointed.
While I'm thinking, I hear a chilling noise in front of me... I see a group of three dinosaurs in front of me... They look like velociraptors that are eating prey...
I can hear their teeth biting the flesh off the prey's corpse, as they gorge themselves on whatever the prey has to "offer"...
One of them turns towards me with blood on his mouth...
I am petrified with fear... I can't move a muscle, only watch... My heart is racing and beating in my chest like a drum...
The three of them begin to circle around me, as if to surround me... I hear them making hungry noises...
The only thing my ears hear is..."Eat"...
... No... NO!... I CAN'T DIE HERE... I HAVE A MISSION TO COMPLETE...
I have always been a failure... I have failed every opportunity and task I have had in my life, but this time it won't happen...
If I close my eyes... I see their happy faces... I see Vlade, Jerte and all those who helped me...
I can't disappoint them too... I... I WILL LIVE!
With a sudden sprint and eyes full of ferocity, one of the three attacks me... But his movements are much slower than I would have expected...
His claws can't even touch me... It's true... I have been empowered... he Who knows how strong I am...
My reflexes are impeccable, you can anticipate his every move.
... In middle school I did kickboxing for a few years... Maybe those lessons could finally be useful to me here...
I feel a wave of power wash over me... My muscles tense like steel strings and my senses are sharper than ever before.
I gather all my strength in my fist, and with a strong and decisive blow, I send the velociraptor crashing into a tree.
The sound of bones breaking fills the air for a second. Faint was the sound of his gasp of pain...
... What is this feeling?
Adrenaline flows through my veins, while the feeling of being invincible fills me with satisfaction...
I feel like the world has stopped...
As they watch their companion's life slowly fade away, the ferocious eyes of the other two velociraptors turn into eyes of terror.
... Yes... You got it right... Now you are the prey!
A sadistic and satisfied smile is printed on my face.
I feel like an unstoppable hunger inside me... With a jerk, I take the second's face.
I open his mouth and begin to tear his body in half, pulling at his jaw and jaw.
I can feel his flesh tearing easily, as if it were a piece of paper.
The last velociraptor is so terrified that he starts running.
I can reach him. Apparently I'm fast too.
The terror in his eyes is... Exciting!
... Now I'm the one who decides about your life, you filthy inferior being!
I start punching him.
His voice changes from small, weak yelps of pain to a weak breath.
I look at his swollen face as I hear the last breath of the third velociraptor...
I feel different... I feel strong... I feel... Like a God...
After a few hours, the sun begins to set.
During this time I found a small shelter inside one of the trees. I skinned the bodies of my prey and ate them, after cooking them on the fire of the bonfire I built...
Velociraptors are good. They taste like turkey.
... I feel like an animal. After killing my prey, I'm eating them without having too many problems...
...Am I really human?...
How can I say for sure after what I did?... Maybe... Those velociraptors had puppies to feed...
I am an intruder... I am not even part of this world... But I influenced the lives of those puppies... Just because of my thirst to kill...
For me it seemed as easy as in a video game... But I killed living beings... Just because I was stronger than them...
... Why did I have to... Or rather... Why did I want to kill? Why was it easy? And did that make me feel better?
...Shit...
As these thoughts torment my mind, my eyes begin to close.
I wake up to the warmth of the sun's first rays hitting my face.
... Yesterday's experience still haunts my mind.
I see everything that happened, but from the perspective of the velociraptors... I see myself killing myself... Over and over again...
As much as they were animals, they had a minimum of conscience...
... I need to find someone... Someone who can talk to me... I need it...
... I won't stop until I find someone... Even if it takes me months...
I pass through large expanses of tall grass, dotted with a few hills and rock outcroppings. The sky is vast and open, with occasional flocks of pterosaurs flying overhead.
Triceratops and stegosaurs move in packs, while tyrannosaurus rex and other predators chase them, in an attempt not to starve.
Through rugged and steep mountain ranges, with snow-capped peaks and deep gorges. The slopes are covered with primitive pines and tough shrubs.
Here small climbing dinosaurs and flying creatures such as pteranodons nest on the cliffs, while predators such as allosaurs patrol the valleys.
I also visit wetlands with stagnant water, covered with water lilies and reeds. Fog often rises in the morning, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
Semiaquatic dinosaurs such as baryonyxes and deinosuchians thrive in these areas, along with myriad giant insects.
I visit active and dormant volcanoes dotting the landscape, with flowing rivers of lava and lava caves offering refuge to many creatures. The ground is black and infertile near the craters while dilophosaur-like creatures inhabit these areas, adapting to the harsh environment.
I find myself in another large forest.
I find myself back where I started...
"HELP! SOMEONE HELP US!"
A voice breaks through my thoughts...