//------------------------------//
// Enigma forest 
// Story: A Dreamless World 
// by SilverHoof1 
//------------------------------//

The land here was strange, seeming to constantly warp and shift, bulging and stretching out like taffy in front of their eyes. The grass under their feet twisted into green thorny bushes while trees sprung up in sprays of dirt around them. In a matter of minutes, the three found themselves in a lush and dimly lit forest, complete with speckled sunlight poking through the trees. “Wow, how is this even possible?” Pomella murmured, looking up and around at the trees which only seemed to continue to burst from the soil. Bio nodded, struck silent both from awe and confusion. 
She was a personification of mutation, which meant rapid growth was in her field of expertise. But none of this was natural, no science involved. As she watched a tree near her pop up she let her eyes see the energy of the tree, the life of the tree itself. To her shock though the tree had no swirling lines of green and blue to signify it was alive, instead a glowing streamer of red and brown traced itself through the branches and trunk. The tree wasn’t real, yet when she rested her hand on its rough surface she found it warm and lively. Red indicated it was inanimate, which meant if she ever wanted to mutate such a substance it would take a considerable amount of effort since to mutate such a thing it has to change on the atomic level from when it was produced. 
If she touched a tree and willed it to grow, she could make the green and blue merge to cause an explosion of growth, making the tree able to contort in any way she wished and change in almost any way she liked. The amount of energy to do such a thing would only be equivalent to a 20-meter jog. But for the same amount of energy, she could only make an inanimate object grow nubs of plastic, and the more refined the material was the more effort it took to do less. This meant, to cause such rapid growth of a non-living substance that yet also felt so incredibly realistic meant that reality itself was twisting. 
Her thought bubble was broken by a gentle shaking on her shoulder, and she looked to the left to see Selena watching her with a curious glint in her eyes. Bio shook her head, unsure how to phrase her discovery and began walking after Pomella. The more she watched her the more she compared her to an energetic child, skipping ahead while taking in the surroundings with open-mouthed awe. A small grin pulled at her lips that she just couldn't help, and she quickened her pace to keep up with her. 
The air began to grow misty, and the trees grew crueler, their branches twisting and contorting as the bark itself seemed to grow gnarly, the sight somehow seeming to scare their image into her eyes. Bio found herself grateful for once to her inability to show emotion, both Selena and Pomellas' expressions souring as they took in the sight. Chittering and the sounds of clicking began to sound around them, golden eyes glowering from the trees and woods surrounding them. 
The eerie setting, which only moments ago had been sparkling and cheerful, now filled all three with a sense of foreboding. The grass grew unkempt and long, taking a purple-ish tint while creepers with wicked-looking thorns began to circle the tree bases. The three of them pressed into a tight circle, keeping as much space between them and their environment. 
"How can such a place go from breath-taking to horrific so suddenly?" Selena muttered under her breath, glancing at her companions.
"It's as if it's alive, it's become so claustrophobic now..." Pomella added, glancing nervously at the flash of a translucent eye. 
"That's the horrifying part, it's not alive,"
"What do you mean Bio? How could something like this not be alive?"
"It's a farce, a mockery of life that spits in the face of science and mocks reason," Bio snapped, glaring at the thorny vines that snaked toward their feet, seeking to rend and trip. It felt as if the forest itself was breathing heavily along the back of her neck, its warm breath moistening her skin. 
Pomella glanced around, and without warning, her eyes flashed into a dazzling blue glow that illuminated the entire forest in a cleansing light. The trees shrieked in pain and discomfort as the light brushed along their exterior, rippling as if it were a muscle. Lies blazed away, all that was left was a sucking, glossy darkness that seeped away from the purging light. All that remained was the ground they trudged along, made of a lightless stone devoid of color. 
Bio whirled on Pomella, staring at her as if her companion had abruptly grown a second head. 
"What in the bloody blue blazes was that!?" she blurted, thrusting an accusatory finger at Pomella. "When did laser eyes become a thing?!" 
She blinked, cocking her head to the left and shooting a confused look. "That isn't normal?"
Bio, flabbergasted, turned to Selena hoping she could clarify. She released a long breath, then focused her gaze on the white-haired bird-girl. 
"No, shadow destroying glowy laser eyes are not normal, in fact, that's probably the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my entire life,"
"Oooh... are you sure? I feel like that's still a normal occurrence,"
Bio sighed, tilting her head up and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Pomella, you wouldn't happen to be a personification would you?"
"Oh yeah, the personification of rebirth," she recited automatically. 
Bio took a moment to digest this information, then nodded. At Selena's uncomprehending expression, she elaborated, "A personification is capable of things within their domain, I'm assuming she cleansed the forest because it wasn't alive..." she finished with a shrug, unsure the capabilities of 'rebirth' as Pomella phrased it. "Personally, I'm a personification of mutation capable of manipulating living tissue, but in that artificial forest I couldn't do anything," 
Selena took a moment to process the information, then waved her hand toward the path beneath their feet. "good to know... anyway, we should probably continue on if we want to get anywhere,"
"I don't know, I feel like the scenery around her is something to marvel at," Bio jested, keeping a straight face. Pomella turned her head to give her a strange look, her lips curling into a small smile as she shook her head. "Your humor is a bit on the dry side, huh?"
She shrugged, and Selena chuckled softly. Then the three of us were on the move again, Selena taking the lead with Bio and Pomella following close behind. The stone beneath their feet began to warp and twist in a liquid-like manner, leaving Bio unnerved. It formed into a looming entrance 10 meters away, resembling the likeness of a cavern. Then the three were swallowed by the maw of the cave, vanishing into the void. Unbeknownst to the three, the path behind them crumpled like a tin can, folding and cracking on itself before crawling up the cave's surface, cutting off their only escape from what lied ahead.