The moment Jason's feet left the edge, time seemed to stretch and distort. The air around him seemed to thicken, the weight of the chasm pulling him down into its dark depths. His heart pounded in his chest as his body fell through the cold void, a sensation of weightlessness surrounding him, as if the world had become suspended in an endless fall.
The echoes of the world above grew distant, drowned by the rush of wind in his ears. He tried to steady himself, but the swirling darkness around him made it impossible to see, to grasp onto anything solid. All he had was the uncertainty of the fall and the feeling of something watching him—something far more ancient than the forest, than the realm itself.
Suddenly, the fall slowed. The air grew still, the rushing winds ceasing as if the abyss had swallowed them whole. Jason's feet found the ground, his knees buckling as he landed softly on the stone floor. The faint light from the surface was now gone, replaced by an otherworldly glow that emanated from the walls around him.
Jason rose shakily to his feet, his hand instinctively reaching for the flashlight, only to find it missing. Panic surged in his chest, but before he could react, the walls illuminated, revealing an enormous underground cavern. The cavern was vast, stretching beyond what his eyes could fathom, with columns of stone rising like the pillars of an ancient temple. Strange symbols were etched into the walls, glowing faintly in a language he didn't understand.
The air was damp, heavy with the scent of something ancient. The floor beneath him felt uneven, as though it had been worn down over centuries by something far more than just time. And yet, it was eerily silent—no animals, no creatures, no movement except for the faint glow of the symbols.
Ahead, in the distance, a silhouette appeared, a figure standing motionless in the center of the cavern. Jason's breath caught in his throat as the figure turned to face him. The face was familiar, but warped, as if a mask of memories had been stretched over a stranger's features.
It was his own reflection.
"Welcome, Jason," the figure said, its voice cold and empty, yet undeniably his own. "You've come far. But this is where it ends. Or where it begins, depending on your choice."
Jason's heart pounded in his chest as he took a step forward. "What is this place?"
The figure smiled—a cruel, knowing smile. "This is the heart of the truth. The place where everything you've seen, everything you've been through, becomes clear."
Jason's head swam as the weight of the words sunk in. "I'm… in my mind, aren't I? This is all a test."
The figure nodded. "A test of will, a test of choice. This world, this place, and all that you've faced are reflections of your deepest fears and desires. To move forward, you must confront what lies within."
Jason's breath hitched as the floor beneath him trembled. The cavern seemed to expand, the walls stretching impossibly wide, the symbols twisting and warping. The figure's smile widened.
"You cannot outrun your past, Jason. You can only face it."
With those final words, the cavern shifted again, and the ground beneath Jason's feet crumbled, sending him into darkness once more.