CYOA Wednesday 2025 #5 [Beyond the Woods 5]

This fantasy CYOA story continues today. Synopsis below:

When Derek, Jade, and Clara go camping, they stumble upon a portal to another dimension filled with strange creatures and sexy seductresses.

After going through the portal, Clara, Jade, and Derek are transported to a strange crystal forest and are separated. Now what? You decide.

Read the fifth segment below:

5 – Another World

When Clara was taken by the portal, her body was broken into a million pieces. Each fragment was a minuscule shard, a whisper of her essence drifting through the vast chasm between realities. She began dissolving as if she were made of vapor and light, spiraling into a realm devoid of time and space.

It was more than mere demolecularization; it was an unraveling of her very being as if each atom had been whisked through a cosmic sieve. It felt like she was both everything and nothing at once; a kaleidoscope of sensations whirling through a void where there were no rules.

In this state of flux, Clara became acutely aware of the colors swirling around her—brilliant hues that defied all known shades. They danced like fireworks through the vortex, morphing from deep purples to radiant golds, bathing her in warmth and a sense of serenity that belied the chaos of her disassembly. Each fragment of herself seemed to resonate with these colors, responding to their ethereal rhythms like a long-forgotten melody returning to the forefront of her consciousness.

Then, just as floating sensation appeared unending, a sudden jolt interrupted the process. It was as if the very fabric of reality had been woven back together with threads of light and shadow. A rush passed through her shattered form, a powerful pull that beckoned her back into existence.

The pieces of her essence began to converge at dizzying speeds, each shard darting toward an unseen center where she seemed to be both the architect and the construct of herself. She could sense them colliding, merging, knitting together like stars igniting in a forming galaxy. The warmth transformed into a vibrant heat that surged through her, igniting every nerve ending and giving them new purpose.

With an exhilarating force, she was pulled into a single shape, and amidst this cacophony, Clara screamed—a primal release of emotions pent up in the nothingness. The vortex closed around her in a blinding flash, stitching her limbs back into place and sending her body rolling away from the portal. She had survived the trip, but where was she?

As Clara’s senses adjusted, the world around her began to come into focus. She found herself sprawled on a soft, luminescent carpet that glimmered with iridescent colors. Lifting her head, Clara gazed in awe at the towering trees surrounding her, their trunks spiraled like delicate glass sculptures stretching toward a sky awash with swirling violet clouds.

The air was rich and sweet, saturated with the fragrance of blooming flora that glimmered like jewels: flowers shaped like lanterns dangled from silver branches, their petals translucent and glowing with an inner light. As they swayed, Clara could hear a melodious chime emanating from them—a sound reminiscent of wind chimes dancing in a summer breeze.

She stood, marveling at the way the forest refracted light. Sunbeams shimmered through the crystal-like leaves above, casting prismatic reflections all around her. It was the most beautiful and breathtaking thing she had ever seen.

“Where am I?” she muttered. The words escaped her lips like a gentle breeze, dissipating into the enchanting atmosphere.

As she took a hesitant step forward, the ground beneath her shimmered in response, creating ripples of color that pulsed with each movement. Clara’s heart raced with wonder and a tinge of fear. She reached up to touch one of the hanging flowers, its luminous petals cool against her fingertips.

To her left, a stream danced through the crystal forest. Tiny fish darted beneath the surface, their scales reflecting every hue; they leaped playfully in arcs that glinted in the soft light, while delicate dragonfly-like insects flitted overhead. Clara kneeled beside the stream, entranced by its beauty, and cupped her hands to take a sip. The water was cool and tasted of honeyed sunshine.

As she straightened herself, Clara noticed something peculiar. Ethereal creatures floated among the trees, small beings crafted from pure luminescence that flickered like stars. They were ravishing like everything else around her, but that only made the hair on the back of her neck stand to attention. The perfection on display could be a facade, hiding something dangerous underneath.

Clara returned to the point of origin only to be taken aback by the cruelest of revelations – the portal was gone!

***

Jade’s hands slipped through Derek’s fingers the moment they walked into the vortex. Like Clara, they spiraled into nothingness, each fragment of their being flung apart by a cosmic force that was as exhilarating as it was terrifying. As they hurtled through the darkness, Jade felt a warmth dissipate around her, transforming into a frigid chill that pierced to her core.

And then, with an abruptness that made her stomach lurch, she landed—not on soft ground or warm earth but upon something hard and cold. Jade blinked as colors erupted behind her eyelids, blooming like fireworks in a moonless night. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself sprawled atop a smooth obsidian plateau, surrounded by jagged cliffs that rose into the sky like ancient sentinels guarding forgotten secrets.

As for Derek, he had also tumbled from the vortex, landing nearby, though a deep shadow loomed over him. A low rumble echoed through the air—a sound akin to distant thunder or the growl of some slumbering beast. He pushed himself up and squinted into the soft light that illuminated their new surroundings, casting elongated shadows across the crystal landscape.

“Jade?” he called out, his voice uncertain and swallowed by the vastness. “Clara? Can anyone hear me?”

The silence that followed was thick, almost tangible. Derek struggled to his feet, his senses heightened in this realm of contrasts – light and dark, warmth and cold. He looked around, absorbing the sharp edges of the rock formations that surrounded him. Each cliff face shone with an inner glimmer, fractured reflections dancing across their surfaces as if alive.

A movement caught his eye – something moving between two massive stone columns that stood like ancient guardians on either side of an immense opening further along the path. It was there he noticed it: an entrance to a cave, its mouth gaping wide and dark against the shimmering stone and two pairs of golden eyes, looking at him with malicious intent.

“Shit!” he exclaimed.

To decide what happens next, head over to my Patreon (you can join for free), and vote on the poll there until next Sunday. 

If you’re new to these CYOA stories, here are the basic rules:

1) You can only choose one option;

2) If there’s a tie at the end of the poll, and the competing options can be combined somehow, I’ll do that. If not, I get the deciding vote to keep the tale going.

3) The process continues every Wednesday until the story runs its natural course.

Have fun.