"Okay, gang, we'll cover more ground if we split up," Jake said, hands on his hips like a Saturday morning cartoon hero. "Temple scouting time!"
"Splitting up in a magical jungle is literally the worst idea," Remy groaned, brushing a beetle off his shoulder.
"Correction," Vanessa said, adjusting her goggles, "it's the second worst. The worst idea is letting Jake lead anything."
Jake rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. Democracy time. We split into teams of two. Reggie and Vanessa—you two head to that temple shaped like a big frog. Remy, you take that one with the snake pillars. Isabella, you and I will check out the one that looks like a… uh…"
"Exploding pinecone?" Isabella suggested.
Jake snapped his fingers. "Yes! Exploding pinecone temple it is!"
The cousins high-fived and set off in different directions, trudging through tangled jungle paths and overgrown ruins.
---
Jake & Isabella – The Exploding Pinecone Temple
The moment Jake and Isabella stepped into the temple, they could feel it—power humming through the air like low thunder.
The inside was dim, lit by beams of sunlight cutting through cracks in the stone walls. Vines dangled from the ceiling, and glowing moths flitted lazily around.
"So… creepy and magical," Isabella whispered.
Jake stepped forward, his eyes narrowing at the ornate carvings on the walls—giant elf-like figures, beams of energy bursting from their hands.
At the center of the temple was a pedestal.
And on that pedestal: a floating rune stone, bright blue, spinning slowly, etched with symbols that shimmered with life.
"Is it… calling us?" Isabella asked.
Jake's hand moved without thinking.
"Wait—Jake, maybe we should—"
But Jake already grabbed it.
The moment his fingers touched the stone, everything exploded in a blinding burst of color and energy. The rune stone pulsed violently—then shot out a beam of magic into the sky through the temple roof.
All across the jungle, the ground rumbled.