The soldiers braced for impact as the rushing wind around them intensified, their screams piercing the endless void of their descent.
Some shut their eyes tight, bracing for the inevitable crash that would surely end their lives, while others kept their eyes wide open, unable to look away from the darkness below.
The panic was unbearable, their voices hoarse from screaming. Then, all at once, the chaos shifted.
A deafening, otherworldly roar erupted from the depths, silencing the wind itself for a split second.
Before they could comprehend what was happening, their bodies slammed into a surface—not hard and unforgiving like rock or ground, but pliant and alive.
It was warm and pulsing, with a texture unlike anything they'd ever felt, as though they had landed on a living mountain.
The impact sent ripples through the surface, but instead of crushing them, it absorbed their momentum.
For a moment, there was silence.
