As Nate, Madison, and Amara stepped through the illusionary wall, they were immediately engulfed in a biting cold. The air was sharp, crisp, and carried the scent of something foreign. They stopped in their tracks, their breaths visible in the icy air. Before them lay a sprawling expanse of snow-covered terrain, stretching farther than their eyes could see.
Towering mountains loomed in the distance, their peaks cloaked in thick clouds. A pale sun hung low in the sky, casting a dim but ethereal glow over the landscape. Glittering snowflakes drifted lazily down, their delicate beauty at odds with the harsh environment.
Madison blinked several times, unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. "Is this real?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
"It can't be," Amara murmured, her flames extinguished as she stared in awe.
Nate, however, wasn't looking at the snow or the mountains. His gaze was fixed behind them. The wall they had just passed through was now a shimmering portal, flickering like static on a broken screen. It pulsated faintly, a distorted reminder of the cave they had just left.
"This…" Nate muttered, rubbing his eyes as if to clear his vision. He knelt down, his hands brushing the snow-covered ground. "This isn't possible."
"Are we finally off the island?" Madison asked, her tone a mix of hope and uncertainty. She followed Nate's gaze to the portal, her stomach tightening.
"No," Nate replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "We're not off the island.... W-We may be off." He pointed to the portal. "That… that's not a normal doorway. We just transported through space."
Madison frowned, crossing her arms. "So what? I do that all the time when I teleport. What's the big deal?"
"It's different," Nate said sharply, rising to his feet. His eyes blazed with intensity as he turned to face her. "That's your ability. This—this is technology. Someone, or something, built that portal."
Amara stepped forward, her arms folded tightly against the cold. "What are you saying, Nate? What does this mean?"
Nate ran a hand through his hair, his breaths coming fast. "Don't you guys find it strange? Everything about this place? Why do we have powers? Why are we being hunted by beasts that shouldn't even exist? And now this—an advanced portal buried inside a cave?" He gestured around them wildly. "None of this adds up!"
Madison opened her mouth to reply, but the words caught in her throat. She glanced at Amara, who looked equally unsettled.
Then Nate dropped the bombshell. His voice was grim, his expression dark. "What if… we're not on Earth anymore?"
The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Amara and Madison stared at him, their faces pale.
"That's ridiculous," Madison finally said, though her voice was shaky. "It's impossible. There's no record of another planet suitable for human life. Earth is all we've got."
Nate let out a bitter laugh, one that sent chills down their spines. "Two trillion galaxies," he began, his tone mocking. "Each with at least 200 billion stars. Every star surrounded by its own set of planets. And that's just a fraction of the universe we know." He took a step closer to them, his piercing gaze locking onto Madison. "Do you really think Earth is the only planet out of billions—no, trillions—what am I saying, even the milky way galaxy alone contains around 1-10 trillions of planet. For now there are estimated to be around 20 sextillion planets. Do you think only earth can manage life?"
Madison swallowed hard, her mind racing. She wanted to argue, to deny what he was saying, but the evidence was piling up in her head.
"Think about it," Nate pressed on. "This place—we don't even know where we are. But whoever or whatever brought us here… they've been pulling the strings from the start."
Amara broke her silence, her voice low and unsteady. "If we're not on Earth… then where are we?"
Nate didn't answer. He turned his gaze back to the vast, snow-covered world before them, his mind churning with possibilities. For the first time, he felt truly small—just a speck in a universe that was far bigger and stranger than he had ever imagined.
Nate shook his head, clearing his thoughts. The vastness of the universe and the implications of what he'd just said weighed heavily on his mind, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He needed to focus.
"All I'm saying is just a hypothesis," Nate said, turning to Amara. "There's no need to get worked up yet. Let's focus on what's in front of us."
Amara nodded slowly, though the tension in her face didn't ease. "So what's the plan?"
Nate turned to Madison. "You're the fastest among us. Use your teleportation and see how far you can go. Check if there's anything—anything at all—out there."
Madison folded her arms, her expression doubtful. "And what if I teleport straight into another danger zone?"
"Then come back immediately," Nate said firmly. "You've done this before. Just be quick and don't stray too far."
Madison rolled her eyes but eventually nodded. "Fine. But if I end up in another monster's mouth, I'm blaming you."
Before either Nate or Amara could reply, Madison disappeared in a blur. She reappeared several meters ahead, her form flickering like a mirage against the snowy backdrop. Then, with a final nod of acknowledgment, she vanished completely, leaving Nate and Amara alone.
The silence that followed was thick and awkward. The howling wind was the only sound, but even that seemed distant compared to the tension building between them.
Nate couldn't help but glance at Amara. The memory of the illusion he'd experienced earlier flashed vividly in his mind. The dream had been so real—too real. Seeing Amara now, standing there with her confident posture and striking features, made it harder to shake.
Her age didn't show in her resilience or fiery determination, but her maturity and grace were undeniable. She was in her early thirties, with an athletic build and curves that made her illusionary counterpart seem less like a fabrication and more like a reflection of reality.
"What are you staring at?" Amara's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Her piercing gaze was fixed on him, one eyebrow raised.
Nate flinched, turning his head quickly. "Nothing," he muttered.
Amara stepped closer, her boots crunching in the snow. "It's the illusion from earlier, isn't it?"
"No," Nate said quickly, shaking his head. "It's not that. I'm just… thinking about what to do next."
Amara smirked, her expression both amused and skeptical. "You're a terrible liar."
Nate opened his mouth to protest, but Amara closed the distance between them. Her face was mere inches from his, her breath visible in the frigid air.
"I don't know you well, but I know enough to see you've been acting weird," she said, her voice low and steady.
"Weird how?" Nate asked, his voice cracking slightly as he backed up a step.
Amara followed, her gaze never wavering. "You've been zoning out every time you look at me. Care to explain?"
The intensity of her proximity and the accusation in her tone left Nate scrambling for words. His heart raced, though he wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or the cold.