I'm twenty-five.
I'm walking home from work — another ordinary day in this life.
It's not that living is hard, but with each passing day, I see less and less meaning in it. I just don't understand why anyone should live in a world like this. And yet, time moves on anyway.
Hmm… yeah.
When I get home, I'll suffer from my own thoughts again.
Work should be boring, but for me, it helps distract myself. As long as I'm busy, I don't have time to overthink. So, it's not that bad after all.
Still…
I wish I could get transported to a fantasy world. At least life would be more interesting there.
I sighed.
I need to stop by the store for groceries. Let's see… which ones are open now?
Ah, the nearest one is Asura. It's on my way.
I stepped inside.
Alright… what do I need…
Bread, water, eggs, milk… and maybe an energy drink.
My money is running low, and payday is still a week away. I need to be careful.
I opened the energy drink as I left the store.
My home was already close. I just needed to cross the street at the green light — and I'd be home.
I reached the middle of the crosswalk.
— Cough… cough… cough…
I choked on the energy drink. Of course — I hadn't drunk anything all day.
And then…
— Huh?
A truck appeared, speeding straight at me. I didn't even have time to react.
Impact.
I was crushed.
But… I was still alive.
— Ow… ow… ow…
The pain was unbearable. I wanted to scream, but somehow, I couldn't. My vision started fading.
The last thing I saw was doctors desperately trying to save me.
Cough… cough… cough…
I woke up.
In the middle of a plain.
Something strange filled my mouth. I spat it out.
— What…?
Pink feathers.
— Flamingo…?
It felt strange, like they were not just in my mouth, but somehow inside me too. Maybe it was just my imagination.
I looked around.
No one. No buildings. No signs of life.
— Where am I…?
And then I saw a tree.
No…
It was moving.
And fast — heading straight for me.
— Hey! Hey! Hey! What the hell is this?!
I didn't know what it was, but I felt danger instantly. Fear hit me, and I ran with all my strength toward the forest.
I spat out the remaining feathers as I ran.
— What's happening?! Why the hell is a tree moving, and why is it so aggressive?!
I ran and ran, for about two hours. Heading into the forest wasn't a good idea — there could be more monsters like that.
But the fear of dying was stronger than any logic.
Ahead, I finally saw a long stone wall.
— A stone wall? Maybe there are people there?
I kept running until I reached it. I was about to catch my breath when I noticed they were surrounding me.
Trees.
— Damn… where are so many of you coming from? And why are you even alive?!
I barely had the strength to breathe. I couldn't understand the situation.
The only thing I realized — if they fully surrounded me, I was done for.
I ran along the wall until the last possible moment.
It felt like I had found a second wind.
If there's a wall, there has to be an end eventually.
At some point, I noticed the monsters had stopped chasing me. I could only see a few silhouettes deep in the forest.
But I didn't stop. It was too dangerous. They were still close.
Finally, I reached the end of the wall.
Guards stood there.
— Finally…
I was completely exhausted.
They immediately tensed as I approached.
Why…?
And why were they dressed so strangely?
There were two of them. One stepped forward and started speaking in a language I couldn't understand.
— What? I don't understand you.
The guards exchanged confused glances.
In the end, they searched me — like checking for weapons or illegal items. After that, they let me pass through the gates.
I stepped inside. It seemed like a city.
I took a few steps… and stopped.
My gaze went straight to the sky.
There, a floating island hovered.
And in the middle of it stood a castle.
I was stunned.
— How… is that even flying…?
And then I finally put it all together: the strange land, the language i couldn't understand, the living trees, and the floating island.
No doubt remained.
This was another world.