A trap?

The crimson portal sparked to life, glowing ominously the moment the switch was flipped. A soft hum filled the air as energy pulsed through the portal, casting an eerie red light over the group.

They each took a steadying breath, exchanging glances filled with silent resolve. Then, one by one, they stepped inside, vanishing from the headquarters in an instant, swallowed by the portal's strange, flickering light.

Only seconds passed before they materialized in a completely foreign area. They found themselves standing in what seemed to be an endless, haunting forest.

Massive trees loomed overhead, their leaves the same unsettling shade of crimson as the portal that brought them here. Crimson grass covered the ground in dense patches, and broken branches lay strewn across the forest floor, crunching softly beneath their feet as they moved.