[ Blood and fire. It felt like home, in the very, very worst way. He went through the portal without thinking, without hesitating - with the world quaking under his feet, hesitation would have meant ending up crushed under a building. But he dropped right into the ocean, which he didn't expect; portals to the Other World were always solid, not unstable like this one had felt.

When he gets to the beach, feeling scraped raw from the impact of the ocean, he can tell he isn't where he was supposed to be. This isn't the Other World; even in the darkness, he has an incredible sense of being displaced. Nothing here feels like it should, and Jaden falls to his knees, the water still lapping at his feet, his clothes hanging heavy over him.

He doesn't spot the little moon-like shape that comes zipping towards him, making happy little robotic noises. ]

Where the hell am I?

[ Xistentia, the little moon says. Jaden spits out blood in the sand. ]

[ Somehow, he makes it to the forest, dragging his feet, tiredness making everything difficult, heavier. He doesn't even realize he's been following the wisps until it's too late, and he looks around only to find himself surrounded by them, beautiful and eerie. He reaches out to one, helpless to resist, but movement in a nearby shrub startles him, making him turn. ]

Who's here?

[ His mouth falls open on a silent gasp at the voice that echoes around, like a rush of wind that makes him spin around wildly for the source. Let's play catch! it says, giggly and happy, followed by the thump of small footsteps. ]

Cody? Cody!

[ Jaden follows the footsteps helplessly, taking off into a run as he tries to catch up. Cody is here, Cody is alive, did this place save his little brother? He runs, and runs, Cody's voice tantalizing.

He's not looking at his feet. He's not looking at the ground. He entirely misses the ditch - a ten-foot drop he falls into at full speed, turning over to his back. So he doesn't see, either, the branch sticking out from the dirt like a spike or the fallen tree it belongs to, lying in the bottom of the ditch.

But he feels it, when it pierces through his thigh, a scream tearing through his throat as it does. ]

[ Jaden ends up in the hospital. He wakes up, disoriented and thirsty, but his leg is fine - due to his own regenerative powers, or the recovery bed, he isn't sure.

One thing is for sure, though, is that he doesn't expect any visitors... ]

Maybe I should just make myself a home here...

[ Hit me up with anything! Will match brackets or prose! ]