Jack's vision blurred as the brilliant light of the portal surrounded him. A strange, weightless sensation gripped his body as if suspended between time and space. The world twisted and churned in chaotic colors until, in an instant, everything stopped.
He stumbled forward, the cold air of the Ice Age replaced by a warm, humid breeze. The scent of damp earth and fresh vegetation filled his nostrils. His boots sank slightly into the soft ground, and as his vision adjusted, he took in the sight before him.
He was in a dense jungle.
Towering trees with broad leaves stretched high into the sky, their canopies forming a thick, green roof that filtered the golden sunlight. The calls of unfamiliar birds echoed through the air, and in the distance, Jack could hear the low rumble of some massive creature moving through the underbrush.
Sigurd emerged beside him, his eyes widening at the alien landscape. He turned in a slow circle, his spear gripped tightly. "This… is not home."
Jack's stomach dropped. The portal was still open behind them, a shimmering gateway between worlds, but the land they had stepped into was not the one they had hoped for.
"I don't understand," Jack muttered, pulling out the artifact that had activated the rift. The symbols still glowed faintly, but they had changed—shifted into a new pattern he didn't recognize. "I calibrated everything right. It should have taken us back."
Sigurd frowned, kneeling to examine the ground. "The air is thick, full of life. This land is old… perhaps older than the one we just left."
A sudden, guttural roar split the air, sending a shiver down Jack's spine. From the shadows of the jungle, a creature emerged—massive, scaled, and unlike anything he had ever seen before.
It was a dinosaur.
A towering predator, resembling a Tyrannosaurus but bulkier, stomped forward, its golden eyes locking onto them with predatory intent. It sniffed the air, its nostrils flaring as it tasted their unfamiliar scent. Jack and Sigurd remained frozen, their instincts screaming different things—Jack wanted to run, but Sigurd, ever the warrior, tightened his grip on his spear.
Jack slowly reached for the artifact, praying he could reactivate the portal before they became a prehistoric snack. His fingers fumbled over the glowing surface, trying to realign the symbols.
The beast roared again and lunged.
Sigurd shoved Jack aside just as the dinosaur's massive jaws snapped shut where he had stood. Jack hit the ground hard, rolling through the underbrush as the beast turned its attention to Sigurd, who stood defiantly, weapon raised.
"Jack! The portal!" Sigurd bellowed, dodging a swipe of the creature's clawed foot.
Jack scrambled to his knees, focusing on the artifact. His fingers danced over the surface, adjusting the symbols as he tried to replicate the original configuration. The portal flickered, its surface rippling like disturbed water, but it remained unstable.
Sigurd fought bravely, dodging and countering with swift, practiced movements. He was faster than the beast, but one wrong step would mean instant death.
Jack took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. He had opened the rift before—he could do it again. He twisted the artifact, aligning the symbols with painstaking precision. The portal pulsed then steadied, the swirling light stabilizing into a solid gateway.
"Sigurd, now!" Jack shouted.
The warrior leaped backward, narrowly avoiding another lunge from the creature, and sprinted toward the portal. The beast roared in frustration, charging after him. With no time to hesitate, both men threw themselves through the glowing rift just as the dinosaur's jaws snapped shut behind them.
The world twisted again, and then they were falling.
Jack hit the ground hard, rolling onto his back, gasping for breath. The sky above him was blue, clear, and full of strange, metal birds soaring through the air.
Airplanes.
He sat up quickly, his heart hammering. Skyscrapers loomed in the distance, cars rumbled along paved roads, and the sounds of a modern city filled the air.
They were home.
Sigurd groaned beside him, rubbing his head. He looked around in awe, his mouth slightly agape at the towering buildings and strange machines. "By the gods…"
Jack let out a breathless laugh, a mix of relief and disbelief flooding through him. They had done it. They had survived the Ice Age, crossed through time, and somehow made it back.
But as he looked at the artifact in his hands, still glowing faintly, a question gnawed at the back of his mind.
Had they really made it back… for good?
The adventure wasn't over yet.