The fog tendrils started to coil the area around Cyrus, leaving him no other path than the cave. His heart clenched, and his muscles tensed up. He was ready to run through the swirling mist if this got any worse.
What rationale would Cyrus have to keep on moving closer to the cave? Fear? Excitement? The chance to see something more than the mundane before his death?
It was most likely all three mixed together.
He narrowed his eyes as he peered into the dark cavern. A gasp escaped his lips as he caught sight of what lay within.
Its entrance was perfectly round but did not look like an artificial creation. When Cyrus stared at the entrance, a sense of distortion washed over him, akin to peering through a fisheye lens that warped his perception. The tunnel also seemed anomalous; As he focused on it, it played tricks on his senses. It appeared to stretch into infinity, a seemingly endless path disappearing into the depths of the earth. Yet, paradoxically, it also seemed to be short at moments.
The way the fog moved within the tunnel reminded him of a whirlpool, with each twist and coil resembling the swirling of a vortex. The mist exuded an otherworldly beauty reminiscent of clouds illuminated by the setting sun while bathed in a golden hue. The source of the golden glow came from within the tunnel.
Click.
The otherworldly view didn't stop Cyrus from brazenly taking pictures...
How could he stop? In what could be his final moment of living before the unknown swallows him, he wanted to take documentation of what could be his last few minutes in this world.
But soon, his eyes widened in astonishment as Cyrus peered through the camera's lens. There was something unexpected in the frame—a blur of vibrant green darting through the air with astonishing speed. It was small, almost too fleeting to capture, but there was no mistaking its presence.
His heart quickened as he realized something was hurtling toward him. Yet, the object remained elusive, its true nature concealed within the chaotic motion.
It was fast, too fast.
"Wha?-"
In an instant, before Cyrus could react, a powerful force collided with his forehead, throwing him off his feet whilst dropping his camera. The impact reverberated through his entire body, leaving him disoriented and dazed. As he struggled to regain his senses, Cyrus felt a strange sensation on his forehead.
The green symbol pulsed with an otherworldly feeling causing his body to twitch involuntarily. Then, slowly, it began to merge seamlessly into his head, as if becoming one with his very essence.
Within his mind, a myriad of vivid landscapes unfolded before his inner eye. Floating islands suspended in the sky, their waterfalls cascading down majestic cliffs, their iridescent waters flowing with a magical grace. Crystalline forests with trees that shimmered and glowed with etchings on them. Magical kingdoms with a variety of people and races. Creatures he'd never dreamt possible. Magical and fantastical places he never thought possible appeared before his eyes.
Amazing.
Cyrus' once-dull eyes ignited a flicker of longing as he beheld the breathtaking landscapes unfolding in his mind. The allure of these wondrous realms stirred a deep yearning within him, filling his gaze with an undeniable longing.
But then his eyes turned into something else.
His longing morphed into something darker, contorting into envy, jealousy, and a dangerous fanaticism.
I need to go!
Cyrus' hand shot out frantically, fingers outstretched, trying to seize the ethereal visions as if grasping them would instantly transport him to those enchanting realms.
Muffled sounds and hushed whispers of enticement emanated from within the fog, captivating his senses. Within this shrouded veil, only the ominous presence of the cave remained visible, looking more enticing by the second.
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"I HAVE TO GO THERE!"
The visions and fog awakened his long-lost wonder and yearning. The once dull and gray world was filled with color again. Could this cave be a change to everything? Cyrus leaped to his feet and steadily walked to the cave, clutching his backpack tightly and snatching up his camera.
"A new world."
"To begin again."
Why not go? To travel to new vistas and see the never been seen before. The images show things he has never dared to dream lest he would fall into more depression. But, of course, If it were all a lie, he probably wouldn't live long enough to complain.
His steps became faster until they became a full sprint toward the golden light. As Cyrus poised himself to step through the ethereal veil of the cave entrance, a woman's voice reverberated from behind, piercing through the rush of his thoughts and causing him to look back.
"Cyrus."
A gap appeared through the layers of swirling fog, allowing pure rays of sunlight to pierce through the mist. Beyond that, the vibrant green forest was showing its splendor.
Beautiful.
In that fleeting moment and for the first time, a flicker of clarity cut through the haze in Cyrus' head.
"Right, I have a phone.."
Cyrus's hand instinctively reached for his pocket, fingers brushing against the familiar shape of his phone. To his surprise, his phone had several missed calls and unread text messages.
"Are you ok? Where are you? Please call. I feel that something wrong is happening."
Who else could it be besides his Elizabeth, family, and friends? A surge of hesitation gripped him, causing him to retreat from the cave's entrance. The weight of missed messages and unanswered calls reminded him of those who cared for him.
But halfway to the other side, he heard another's voice.
Don't you want to leave?
The words hung in the air, resonating with familiarity. It was Cyrus' own voice, whispered from the depths of his heart. His inner thoughts caused him to close his trembling eyes.
He might never be happy with life if he didn't follow his heart.
As if a reminder, when Cyrus cast his gaze back toward the familiar expanse of the forest, his eyes narrowed at what he saw. The once vibrant hues of the foliage and the radiant sunlight that bathed the surroundings had given way to a desolate panorama of gray and blandness. A disconcerting shift had occurred as if a veil of monotony had settled over the natural beauty he had admired moments before.
The insidious grayness seeped through the gap between the trees, infiltrating the once vivid landscape. Its presence drained the life and vibrancy from the surroundings.
Cyrus's heart sank, a pang of unease gripping him as he beheld this transformation. The essence of life and vitality had drained, leaving only a bleak emptiness in its wake.
If he stayed, would it be like this every day?
To Cyrus, being in a world of only this color was worse than death.
"Why stay if I'm just going to be miserable?"
He always planned to go and travel the world on foot; this situation just made it move forward.
Without hesitation, Cyrus turned his gaze back towards the cave, the grayness disappearing.
Once again, standing at the mouth of the cave, Cyrus found himself locked in a steadfast gaze into the mysterious tunnel before him. His eyes fixated on the swirling depths.
But before he could do anything else, his phone rang. It was a call from Elizabeth. She was his companion for many years, sharing many moments. The call was enough to give him pause and reminisce, but while he enjoyed their time together, it wasn't enough for him.
Click.
Cyrus silenced the ringing phone, setting it inside his pocket without answering.
He couldn't even make a face of sadness while doing it.
The fog swirled faster and faster as if anticipating what would happen next.
Cyrus steeled himself and stepped forward, crossing the threshold of the cave entrance.
Never to return.
As if struck by an invisible force, the fog abruptly stopped, its spinning motion vanishing into stillness. The tendrils reformed, snaking through the air with an unsettling sense of purpose. They moved with an almost taunting quality, a twisted semblance of gloating at the Sun's rays. Whispers of laughter, soft and chilling, emanated from within, carried by the retreating tendrils as they slowly receded into the cave depths.
The cave entrance underwent a mesmerizing transformation. It shimmered with an otherworldly light, its edges blurring and melding with the surrounding environment. It gradually dissolved into nothingness like a fading mirage, leaving only a small concave in the hill where it once stood.
The Sun's rays seemed lonelier than ever after the cave disappeared.
...
"The cave was blatantly false advertising!"
Immersed in a realm that defied all conventional notions of space and time, Cyrus looked around. He floated within a vast expanse of nothingness, no longer confined to a mere tunnel, an expansive black void stretching out in all directions. He felt more like an astronaut than anything else.
In the distance, points of light sparkled like distant stars in a clear night sky. They flickered and shimmered, casting a gentle glow that provided a semblance of orientation in the otherwise impenetrable darkness.
They were enchanting.
"Ah!"
As his eyes remained locked on those celestial beacons within the void, a floodgate of images burst into his mind. Like a cascading waterfall of memories and visions, information appeared within his mind but quickly disappeared. The info in his head was fleeting to Cyrus, like a dream.
As the shrill sound of his phone's timer pierced through the stillness, Cyrus jolted back to reality, a cold sweat trickling down his brow. His heart pounded in his chest, and the passage of time suddenly thrust into him.
Six hours.
How could he have lost six precious hours, consumed by the mesmerizing allure of those celestial beacons?
But before he could gather his thoughts, an unseen force surged forth, propelling him toward the radiant light that had enraptured him.
He instinctively raised his arms and shielded himself with his camping pack, a feeble attempt to protect himself from the impact.
"God, I hope this works!"
In reality, he was lying to himself, and he knew it. Like his backpack could protect him from some magical light... thing.
All Cyrus could see was the blinding light before crashing into it.