Reid hesitated at the edge of the opening, his trembling hands gripping the glowing vines that framed it. The booming noises resonated through the colossal tree, making the very ground beneath him quiver.
Each thunderous crack sent vibrations up his spine, but curiosity,stupid, reckless curiosity pushed him forward.
"Alright, Reid," he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible over the cacophony. "If it hasn't killed me yet, maybe it's not meant for me… Right? Right."
He peeked out cautiously, his breath hitching as he strained to see through the thick canopy below.
The once serene, endless forest was now alive with chaos. Bright flashes of light erupted in the distance, illuminating the dark jungle in brief, blinding bursts.
"What in the actual hell ..." he whispered, his voice lost to the wind.
Another explosion shook the tree, sending a cascade of glowing spores and loose vines tumbling from above but the tree was unshakened.
Reid instinctively ducked, his heart racing as he glanced up at the hollow expanse of the tree. His earlier fears returned tenfold.
'Whatever's above… Please, don't let it come down here,' he thought.
He took a deep, shaky breath, forcing himself to focus. His heightened senses kicked in again, unbidden but welcome. He could hear everything, the sharp crack of branches, the faint cries of animals fleeing through the underbrush, and something else, something deeper.
A low, guttural roar, distant but unmistakably threatening.
"That… that doesn't sound like an explosion," Reid murmured, his face paling.
"Oh no. Nope. Nope. Nope. This is how people die in horror movies."
But even as he tried to convince himself to retreat, his feet refused to move. Instead, he found himself inching closer to the edge, his knuckles white as he gripped the vines. He squinted, trying to make sense of the chaos below.
The scene was surreal. Shadows darted across the forest floor, far below, as massive shapes moved through the trees.
They were moving too fast for Reid to get a glimpse of, leaving behide a trail of carnage and destruction wherever they went.
All he could see from the battle was two distinct aura. One green while the other red.
The green and red aura were in a constant struggle, none gaining the upperhand as they detarch and attach each other leaving shockwaves at their point of impact.
" That's ... That's insane," he breathed, his voice barely a whisper.
" What am I even looking at!! ?"
The fight was primal and brutal. Full of roars and shrieks that manifested physical force.
Reid was flabbagasted by the sheer scale of the fight, the level of destruction was like no other he had seen before.
The forest's smaller creatures cries and roars echoed through the Jungle with defiance, showing their unwllingness to die as Cannon fodder, as collateral.
...
Since when were the cries of cattle ever affected the butcher.
" Thanks the heavens am not down there."
Reid heaved a sigh of relief as he observed the carnage left behind.
It didn't last long.
"Damn it, I jinxed it!!"
Looking up, Reid almost wet himself. The fear he felt ,the disdain for his circumstance and his inability to do anything about what was about to happen froze him in place.
He stared at the moonless sky. He watched it being tainted with oppressive greens and red, which was beggining to cover his sight more and more.
Then he reacted ,his instinct kicked it.
Flight!
He ran.He ran inside the shelter of the behemoth tree. His speed surmounting bullets and sound.
Even he was surprised but he did not care. Whether it was adrenaline kicking in or the trickling static he felt as the ran , he did not care.
He knew what was about to happen.
And no sooner had he crawled into the deepest corner of the tree than ....
BOOM !
An oppressive red pressure that seemed to carry dispair descended.
The tree shook, but did not falter. It stood still like a mountain rooted onto the Earth. Like a nail pinned into wood. Like haddened cement plastered onto a building.
But..
There no such thing as absolute in this world.
No being or thing was meant to become absolute.
In the face of enough power, all things are fragile.
Reid understood this as he saw the tree crack from the inside out as outrageously powefull, destructive green entered his vision.
Aaaaaah!!
Thud!
He collapsed.
What he saw last was carnage and destruction but what he understood was fragility.
A feeling he had felt before. It was too familiar .. too familiar .