The last thing Alex remembered was the library. An old, dust-filled corner where forgotten books lingered, their leather-bound spines cracked with age. She'd been flipping through one such book, its pages filled with intricate symbols and faded illustrations of strange creatures. As her fingers traced an unfamiliar glyph, the world seemed to tilt.
A sudden rush of wind swept through the library, tugging at her clothes and hair, though the windows remained shut. Before she could react, a dazzling shimmer appeared before her, a swirling veil of light and shadow. She reached out instinctively, touching the strange veil—only for it to pull her in with a force stronger than she could resist.
The next thing she knew, she was no longer in the library.
The air was crisp, with the scent of damp earth and something else—something sweet and strange. Tall, twisted trees loomed overhead, their bark a deep violet, their leaves glowing faintly in the twilight. She stood in a forest like none she had ever seen. The sky above was streaked with colors that shifted between green and gold, as if the world was caught between day and night.
Panic surged. Where am I? Alex spun in circles, her heart racing, but the familiar sight of the library, the musty books, and the comforting sound of city life were gone. Only the eerie stillness of the otherworldly forest surrounded her. She was lost—utterly lost in a world that made no sense.