Permafrost Hollows We All Float Down Here

dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn

Alarian wasted no time in taking off after her, but a strange sound reached his ears and he instantly felt that something was wrong. The boy opened his mouth to say something to Korei, to warn her to stop-- but then the ground beneath him seemed to disappear, and everything was so loud for a moment, and then he was covered in dirt and darkness.

Immediately when things had settled, Ali thrashed frantically, kicking and flailing in the dirt around him until he felt air. He stilled, then began to wriggle towards it until he was flopping onto cold, solid ground. A fair amount of dirt followed him, and he coughed and sneezed for a couple of minutes, shaking himself in the pauses to get the dirt off of him. He was still a little covered when he finished, but it was better at least-- that made him feel better, until he looked around.
It was dark, and all he could make out was that he stood before a mass of disrupted earth. The boy began to panic. Where was Korei?