Axel cautiously made his way toward the large reddish leaves, blue streaks running along their edges like glowing veins.

He stopped just short of them and slowly raised the Gishiki. He poked one leaf with the tip, barely a nudge—then instantly jumped back as if expecting the plant to snap shut and bite his arm off.

His eyes darted everywhere, scanning for abnormal movement.

Nothing moved.

Except the leaf itself.

It swayed lazily from the poke, brushing against another with a soft, wet sound.

"…I'm not having that," he muttered.

He poked it again. Harder this time, producing the same result.

Then he poked another leaf.

Same result.

"So just plain old normal leaves," Axel finally conceded with a scrunched-up face, deeply offended by how underwhelming that was.

Still careful, he reached out and pressed a fingertip against the leaf's surface. It was warm. Soft. Slightly slick with moisture, like dew mixed with sap.

"What's the meaning of this?" he mumbled, brow tightening. "This wasn't here before. Not even close."

And this wasn't some tiny sprout he'd somehow missed in the panic. This was like an entire tree—multiple massive leaves, each as broad as banana plant fronds—completely covering the entrance of the cave.

Axel took a slow, steady breath and shook his head.

"With everything going on," he murmured, "this is the weirdest part so far."

Gishiki in hand, he pushed one of the leaves aside.

The world beyond the cave opened up.

He took in a deep, sharp breath. The smell of wet tree sap rushed into his nose, thick and sweet, blended with something metallic that made his skin crawl. His shoulders slouched back as disbelief and awe twisted his face into something between a grimace and a smile.

"…What in the actual hell," he muttered, clamping a hand over his mouth.

Where barren rock had been moments ago, a jungle now sprawled beyond the cave—dense, alien, alive.

Plants he'd never seen before rustled in a damp, whispering wind. Glowing vines crawled along the ground like lazy serpents.

This was definitely not here a few minutes ago.

Everything was dyed in faint red hues, like the world was lit by bleeding embers, yet the blue glow was still more prominent.

Axel staggered back into the cave as if the jungle had physically shoved him. His legs hit a rock and he tumbled, landing hard on his backside.

"What is this… what in hell is this…" His voice cracked as he stared from the safety of stone at the forest beyond.

"Perhaps I'm hallucinating," he murmured weakly.

He rubbed his hands over his eyes, hard enough to see stars. He counted under his breath. One. Two. Three.

But as he opened them, the jungle was still there.

He stood up slowly and stepped outside again. The croaking of frogs echoed from somewhere deep within the foliage. Crickets chirped in uneven rhythms. Something wet splashed in the distance.

"Nope," he muttered. "Can't be real."

He slapped himself across the cheek. Hard.

The sound cracked sharply in the air.

"Ow—okay. That's… not a dream."

Still, doubt gnawed at him. He spun slowly, eyes wide. "But what if my brain's faking everything? It can simulate pain, right? It can stimulate any feeling—how do I know if what I'm feeling is even real then?"

He groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "Let's not go full philosopher mode."

The last thing he wanted was to spiral into an existential debate right now. Not when the world had apparently been replaced by an alien rainforest.

Still…

If not a hallucination, then what?

He swallowed and glanced around again. A thought crept in, ice-cold.

Could I be dead?

"I did pass out… at least, I think I did."

To make sure, he marched up to a nearby tree and punched it with all his strength.

The bark bit into his knuckles like stone wrapped in thorns.

"Ow!" he hissed, yanking his hand back.

He immediately darted back into the cave, eyes wide, heart racing. The echo of his shout faded into silence. No gigantic roar followed. No thunder of wings. No shadow passed over the jungle canopy.

He blinked.

Then he let out a shaky laugh. "The pain's real. Guess that means I'm alive… or my brain is officially screwed."

He blew a raspberry and examined his knuckles, already reddening. For now, I'll believe I'm alive.

He checked his pulse just to be sure. Steady. Fast. Real.

"Still got a heartbeat. Still hungry. Still sarcastic," he muttered. "Yep. Definitely alive."

Then something struck him.

Silence.

There was no dragon roar.

No distant thunderous movement.

No earth-shaking breathing.

Does that mean it's finally hibernating like I hypothesized? Maybe this is some kind of seasonal shift—an abrupt one at that.

A grin stretched wide across his face.

"But first…" He stepped fully out of the cave, lifted his head, and yelled at the jungle, "To hell with you!"

The shout echoed through the trees.

For half a second, nothing happened.

Then a bush ahead trembled violently.

Axel sucked in a breath and tightened his grip on the Gishiki. Every nerve in his body screamed incoming monster. The shaking intensified—branches rattling, leaves tearing—and then something small and purple hopped out.

Axel froze.

The creature blinked up at him innocently. It had two oversized fluffy ears that drooped to the sides of its head, a pair of short stubby horns peeking through its fur. Its eyes glowed faint violet. Buck teeth caught the light as it twitched its nose.

"…You've got to be kidding me."

The creature titled its head, clearly as confused by him as he was by it. After a few seconds of silent staring, it squeaked softly and bounced back into the brush. The leaves shivered, and it vanished.

Axel exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Then he started laughing.

He leaned forward, clutching his stomach as he laughed, the echo rolling through the jungle. "I knew it," he wheezed. "If that dragon was still roaming around, it would've heard that—my shouting… my laughing… everything."

He clutched his ribs mid-laugh and winced sharply. "Ah—almost forgot about that."

The pain grounded him again, sealing the reality of it all.

Then his smile faded.

Wait.

Doesn't that mean other creatures are out now too?

And not all of them are going to be harmless, buck-toothed fluffballs.

"And I'm here laughing like a lunatic," he muttered. "Might as well be yelling 'Dinner's ready!' to every monster within a mile."

He glanced toward the entrance of the cave.

A massive tree had grown directly over the rocky outcropping. Its weight bent the branches downward, and thick vines and overlapping leaves cascaded over the entrance like a living waterfall, forming a natural curtain.

A perfect camouflage.

"Okay," Axel whispered. "That's… actually nice."

Then a distant roar ripped through the jungle.

Not the dragon.

Something rougher.

Hungry.

Axel's smirk vanished instantly.

"Yeah, no. I'm not auditioning for 'Survivor: Hell Planet' today."

He turned and sprinted back into the cave.

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