As I plummeted through the air, a fleeting glimpse of a massive figure caught my attention. It stood on a thick branch in the distance, its white fur shimmering beneath the moonlight, an ethereal beacon amidst the shadows.

  This creature was easily three times the size of the others, its imposing form a testament to its power and dominance. My mind struggled to reconcile the sight as I noticed the six tails that swished behind it, their majestic movement both mesmerizing and terrifying.

  The creature let out a roar that shook the very foundations of the forest, its booming echo mingling with the thunderous beat of its fists against its chest. It was a display of raw power and authority, a chilling declaration of its status as a formidable force in this otherworldly realm. My brief glimpse of the beast was shattered as my head collided with a branch, the impact sending me tumbling into the abyss below.

  Darkness claimed my vision, and with it, the last remnants of my consciousness. I could do nothing but fall as I spiraled deeper into the shadowy depths of the forest.

  Agony flooded my senses as consciousness returned, my body consumed by an all-encompassing fire.

  A scream tore from my throat, raw and desperate, as I surveyed the devastation that was my chest—a sunken mess that refused to draw breath. My ribs had completely caved in at this point, which explained why I could no longer breathe. I could feel my sharp rips piercing into my lungs—the agony was jarring.

  Panic seized me as I realized I was being carried, helpless and vulnerable. A white, two-tailed monkey held me aloft by my leg, dangling me above a branch like a prized possession. The forest floor stretched out below, an eerie tapestry of blue-glowing plants and flickering lights that whispered of an energy both alien and unknown.

  The triumphant cry of my captor echoed through the air, but its victory was short-lived. The other monkeys, their eyes blazing with jealousy, lashed out in a savage display of dominance. A larger, three-tailed beast pounced, its jaws clamping down on the throat of my captor in a brutal attack.

  As I was transferred from one captor to the next, my body a limp, broken mess, I struggled to gather the last vestiges of my aether. Each feeble attempt to harness my power was met with failure, my life force slipping through my fingers like sand. My weapon was also long gone, lost to the shadowy depths of the forest below. As the new, four-tailed monkey bounded effortlessly through the treetops, my broken bones ground together in a macabre symphony of agony, a cruel reminder of my helplessness.

  With each jarring leap, my vision wavered, consciousness threatening to abandon me to the merciless jaws of these savage creatures. The grim reality of my situation bore down upon me, an oppressive weight that stoked the dwindling embers of my resolve. I knew that if I succumbed to the darkness, I would be at the mercy of these insatiable beasts, my fate sealed as their next meal.

  Just as I teetered on the precipice of oblivion, the monkey carrying me was struck by an unseen force. I was flung into the air, my limp form sailing through the darkness as yet another adversary entered the fray. This new contender, its four tails whipping through the air, seemed intent on claiming me as its prize. I remarked with a detached bitterness that each monkey higher up on the food chain was taking their chances to fight over me!

  Its victorious howl was interrupted though, for a white arm had abruptly pierced through its chest. This arm was bulging with an uncanny strength, and its sharp claws looked to be at least three inches long. I watched in astonishment as I saw that its clawed hand was holding the dislodged heart of the other monkey!

  They roughly clenched their fist and destroyed the monkey’s heart in a splash of gore, splattering me with blood. As the attacking monkey discarded the other monkey’s corpse, I became able to see it in full view.

  The monkey’s white fur shone bright under the moonlight, and it was so thick that it was akin to armor. Its limbs bulged with terrifying strength—just the creatures clawed hand was nearly as big as my entire body. It was hard to tell from this angle, but I estimated that it was at least eight feet tall. This towering monkey didn’t scream or holler as it stared at me, and all I could hear was its deep, rumbling growl. It's domineering presence sent shivers down my spine.

  Belatedly, I realized that this monkey actually had six tails, and I figured that this was the one that had initially hit me with that vicious rock.

  I blacked out before it could grab me from the air. In my mind I was just happy I would not have to be awake to suffer my fate.

  To my great misfortune, the monkeys did not plan on letting me have a quick death. I awoke to find that I was laying on what appeared to be some large block of stone. My body was also completely numb, and I couldn’t feel an ounce of pain.

  This was actually very concerning, for I knew that I had a number of life-threatening wounds. I could see that the sky above me was dark from the midnight, and I saw the faint light from the moon shining down upon me. After regaining my vision, my next sense to come back was my hearing.

  My ears trembled as they picked up an intense wave of sounds that rivaled a heavy metal concert. Instead of music though, my ears were greeted with the screams and shrieks of hundreds of monkeys.

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  I strained my head to see that I was on some type of stone platform. To my horror, below me sat a sea of white figures, all jumping up and down as they screeched at the top of their lungs. The monkeys stood in a wide field that had been cleared of trees, and it was easily the size of three football fields. Behind the clearing I could see the silhouettes of trees as the forest loomed in the background.

  Off in the distance sat the colossal tree that had initially brought me here. The tree's sapphire leaves shined brightly in the night sky, releasing their radiance on its surroundings. It became obvious that these monkeys lived right next to that massive tree. I had unknowingly flown right into their territory.

  Strangely, my body seemed to have returned to an almost functional state. Where my chest had previously been caved in, there was now just rough bruising.

  I sat up from the stone platform and gasped as I realized that I was standing dozens of meters up in the air, on what appeared to be a monumental stone platform. The stone platform was shaped like a square, and it was more narrow on the top where I was.

  The stone bricks that made up the platform were worn away from untold centuries of disrepair, and green moss stretched across it surface. I saw that there were also a series of staircases leading towards me from either direction, and I belatedly realized that I was actually on a huge pyramid. This stone pyramid was as wide as it was tall, and I sat right at its peak. I had seen enough history shows about the ancient Aztec of my previous world to know where this was going.

  My first instinct was to activate my aether and soar into the sky. Surprisingly, my aether responded to my will. I began to float shakily, but I pushed myself to rise as high up as I could. As soon as I took into the air the swarming mass of white below me began to intensify. Their screeches were deafening now, and as I looked down at them, I knew I had no hope of escape. I also noticed that my nose had started bleeding again, and my aether was beginning to shut down. Although I knew I couldn’t escape anywhere far, I still forced my body to rise higher into the air.

  As my vision adjusted to the new landscape, I couldn't help but notice another imposing pyramid, its presence commanding attention. Perched atop this neighboring structure, a mysterious room hinted at secrets hidden within, its confines sealed off from the sky above.

  A weathered stone bridge spanned the gap between the two pyramids, an ancient artery connecting the long-forgotten structures. From my vantage point, I could trace its path downwards, the worn bricks fading into the shadows that clung to the ground below. At the bridge's end, a doorway gaped open, a portal to the unknown depths of this strange pyramid.

  As my gaze lingered on the entrance, a figure emerged, its ghostly white form instantly recognizable. The six-tailed monkey, my presumed captor, strode across the bridge with an air of regal authority, its powerful tails undulating like a spectral cloak.

  I watched with a mix of awe and trepidation, my heart pounding in my chest as the creature closed the distance between us. Its unwavering gaze locked onto mine, those icy blue eyes betraying an intelligence that was both unnerving and strangely compelling. Each step resonated through the ancient stone, a rhythmic reminder of the raw power that emanated from this formidable creature. The sea of monkeys below somehow reached a new pitch and fervor after this six-tailed monkey appeared.

  ‘That guy must be their leader.’ I surmised, seeing that he had his own little pyramid house.

  I knew that I couldn’t hope to defeat that thing in my current state, and even escaping was likely a far cry away with my current capabilities. Suddenly, the head monkey barked out a sharp roar. This roar instantly silenced the army of monkeys below, and the area became eerily quiet.

  The six-tailed monkey then looked up at me in the air, and began to bark and shout at me in low tones. I tilted my head in confusion, was it talking to me? If that thing was asking me to come down there, it was out of luck.

  However, my bewilderment continued when I saw that the monkey looked to be holding some type of glowing ball. It was too far to see clearly, but I noticed that it was made out of some strange stone that glowed with faint blue lines. The blue lines streaked across the stone sphere and pulsed with a rhythmic power.

  ‘What the hell is that?’ I wondered, but my eyes widened as I saw that the monkey was preparing to throw the sphere at me!

  I forced my aether to send me even higher, just in time to see that the monkey was now tossing the sphere up into the air. The monkey didn’t throw the sphere hard, and I watched it slowly approach me. I didn’t plan on letting this strange thing get near me though, for it could be a bomb for all I knew. Before it was several meters away I sent my aether towards it, grabbing it with an invisible wave of power.

  Just this single action caused my vision to swim and my brain to tremble, but what happened next convinced me I had made the right decision.

  The stone sphere violently pulsed with light when my aether came into contact with it, sending bolts of lighting outwards into the air. This lighting was so powerful that a stray blast shot into the crowd of white below and instantly vaporized a number of unsuspecting monkeys.

  I shuddered at the sphere’s power, ‘I knew that thing was a bomb!’ I exclaimed internally, holding the stone object at bay.

  I was lucky that none of the lighting had hit me, for that would have been a tragic end. Surprisingly though, the stone sphere still appeared to be completely intact. An idea suddenly came to me, and I quickly commanded my aether to move the sphere above the teeming mass of monkeys below. After doing this, I began to violently shake the sphere as hard as I could manage. I intended to obliterate as many of these bastards as I could before they took me out.

  However, even after I had shook the sphere for a few seconds, nothing happened. What confused me further was that the vast gathering of monkeys below me had suddenly started prostrating on the floor.

  To my amazement, it looked like they were bowing towards the stone sphere!

  I scratched my head in bewilderment as I turned my attention back towards the leader of the monkeys. Blinking my eyes, I saw that the monkey was holding some small object. This object looked like a normal paper fan, and I wondered what it was doing with that dainty little thing.

  To my dismay though, this fan held some type of profound power. The monkey swiped the fan in the air and torrential gusts of wind swept over me in an instant. The wind sent me flying in several different directions, and for a long moment I felt like a leaf trapped in a hurricane.

  The six-tailed monkey directed the fan like the conductor of an orchestra as he commanded the wind to send me crashing towards the stone pyramid below. While this monkey appeared to be a brute at first glance, it clearly held incredible intelligence. This was evident by its delicate control as it operated the fan. A gust of wind appeared below me to stop my descent, and another swift torrent drifted me back toward the stone surface.

  I gently touched down on the block of stone atop the pyramid, and a feeling of dread started to creep up on me.

  ‘Is this supposed to be the table he’s going to eat me on? That’s probably why he was being so gentle with me, he doesn’t want to play with his food.’ I thought in bitter amusement.

  My power had long since fled my body at this point, and I couldn’t command my aether to so much as lift me a foot upwards. My aether seemed to come back to me in brief intervals, almost as if it was on cooldown. This only seemed to happen whenever I exerted my powers too much, and I doubted I would get them back in time to fend off my attackers.

  I laughed to myself bitterly as I accepted my fate, watching the towering monkey approach my pyramid. His booming footsteps resounded loudly in contrast to the now quiet surroundings. Soon, the behemoth of a monkey had reached my position. It looked down at me as I laid upon the block of stone. Its crystal-blue eyes locked with my own, and I could swear that its expression looked overjoyed.

  Closing my eyes, I prepared for the inevitable.