The transition was subtle, so subtle I didn't even notice at first. One second, I was walking across the scorched ground of the Inferno Abyss, flames dancing across the cracked earth, and the next... everything felt wrong.
I stopped mid-stride, my boots crunching against what I thought was ash, but when I looked down, it wasn't ash anymore. It was something darker, thicker—like charred soil mixed with shadows.
The trees rose up around me, towering and twisted, their bark glowing faintly like embers that refused to burn out. Their branches curled upward unnaturally, clawing at a sky I couldn't see. Everything smelled sickly sweet, the acrid tang of burnt sugar clinging to the back of my throat.
I took a slow breath, steadying myself. "Alright, Abyss, what fresh hell is this?"
The System flickered into view, jagged text stuttering across my vision:
"Trial of the Eternal Grove Initiated. Locate the Lake. Survive the Night."
