They walked around the edge of the lake, their footsteps the only sound in the silent valley. The massive stone statues of the forgotten kings watched them pass, their serene faces unchanging. They reached the shore of the small island and stepped through the shimmering white portal.
The transition was gentle this time, a smooth, pulling sensation rather than a violent jolt. They stepped out of the portal and into a world that was both strange and hauntingly beautiful.
They were standing on a high, wide balcony made of a dark, greenish stone that felt like smooth, polished jade. The air was cool and smelled of damp earth and a faint, sweet scent, like blooming night flowers. The sky above was not a normal sky. It was a vast, dark cavern ceiling, and from it hung thousands of massive, glowing crystals that pulsed with a soft, blue-green light, like a sea of captive stars.
