He thought of resting for a few more moments and organizing his thoughts, but a familiar hissing sound made him unable to do so.
He got up on his feet and started running—or more like jogging—careful not to slip and maintaining distance from the forest. Who knows what might come out? He was careful, especially of bushes.
All this while, the rain never stopped, nor did thunder roar even once, making the world seem like a dream—unalive, haunting, and ominous. He ran for a few more minutes.
The cliff was curving, and it became obvious as he went. The cliff ended—more like the space between the forest and the cliff shortened. It also took an almost 90-degree turn. He stopped and let the view sink in.
The forest below was the same, but he noticed a mountain that had an unnaturally shaped tip, as if someone or something had flattened it with a hand. The river flowed normally, and the source was visible as well.
Above the unnaturally tipped mountain floated an island. It seemed like the missing tip of the mountain—half in the clouds and half visible. It was awe-inspiring and ominous at the same time.
A stream of water flowed down into the mountain and fell into the lake that probably formed because of it, and the overflowing water flowed down the mountain and made the river.
He looked at it in shock, forgetting everything else. He had never seen anything like that before. And to think the origin of the river would be a floating island half into the clouds...
'How come there is so much water? Enough to make a river.'
He wondered.
He looked up at the sky—still raining.
'Is something up in the sky?'
He stared at the sky until his eyes hurt but didn't find anything.
He again focused on the cliff and noticed a small village connected with the cliff through what seemed like a wooden bridge. He couldn't discern from here because it looked black, but that was most probably the case.
The village was on a rock—like Ishigami Village in Doctor Stone—but this one seemed unnatural as well. It seemed like it was planted in the ground more than anything else. Like a massive spear tip, big and tall enough to rival mountains.
Because there was no rock around the bottom, nor any possible reason for it to exist like that. But he looked up and saw the floating island and shook his head. The thought that it really might be a spear tip made him shudder involuntarily.
'If the spear tip is that big, how big will be the spear—let alone its wielder?'
He quickly shook his head. That thought was too terrifying.
He was fully wet. His bruised body parts stung. But he composed himself and started walking along the cliff—carefully. It took time, but he reached the bridge.
'It really was made of wood,'
he thought.
He looked ahead into the village. There was no one. Literally no one. It was eerily quiet. His heart started to race without him knowing why. An uneasy feeling gripped his chest.
But he steeled himself and started to walk on the bridge. He had never walked on this kind of bridge. It was a new and terrifying experience for him. The bridge wobbled every time he stepped forward.
He gripped the rope for support. He looked down and noticed that it really looked like it was planted there. But he couldn't tell because it was high up and the trees were obscuring the view. He slowly crossed the bridge and reached the village.
He sighed in relief. He noticed an unnatural massive circle at the center of the village—like a ring that holds a spear onto its long shaft. His theory of this being a spear tip solidified even more, but he pushed it aside. He walked towards a nearby hut. The huts were small.
"Anyone there?"
he called out. No answer.
"Hello?"
He did so again, louder. Still no answer. He did it a few times, almost screaming—but still no answer. The other huts didn't react either.
'Are they not here?'
He thought. But the village looked too new to be abandoned.
'Maybe they left recently,'
He said to himself and opened the straw door.
It was pitch black. He stepped inside—and sudden light assaulted his eyes. He squinted instinctively, but when he opened his eyes, the sight shocked him to his core.
He was in a city alley—a back door of some building. Car sounds and horns in the distance. A modern society of humans. Likely his world. But the sight in front of him had his full attention: a human-like creature with a split head was eating another human, whose body seemed like that of an office lady.
Like the parasite from Parasyte anime. It stitched back its head together and looked at him—eyes dead, head tilted—still holding the lady's body. Blood flowing like a fountain.
"AAAAAaAaaAhH!"
He screamed and frantically entered the door which hadn't closed. He came back out into the village again. He closed the door—heart pounding against his chest. Mind racing. Trying to make sense. The scene replayed in his mind like a movie. He couldn't control it and vomited.
'What did I just see?'
He couldn't wrap his head around it. How one moment he was in some kind of mythical forest, and then in a city where a man-eating monster roamed around in human skin. It was absurd.
He got up and looked at one of the huts. He wanted to know if this was really it. These huts were connected to some different space. But not the one behind him.
He didn't want to be the next prey of the creature. But he didn't have the luxury to think much when he heard a loud roar. He looked to his right and saw a saber tooth—or that's what it looked like. Its mane was blue, and body was black. Two teeth bioluminescent with a blue hue.
The creature looked at him with its glowing golden eyes and started running towards him. But it couldn't gain speed fast enough because it couldn't keep its balance.
He looked at the creature that was closing in—those hungry eyes. His heart almost leaped out of his mouth.
'Run. I need to run!'
He ran towards a hut. He didn't have the time or luxury to choose or contemplate. He ran towards the nearest one, which was on the other side of the one he was standing.
He ran—his shoes splashing water, echoing his desperation. He reached the hut a few moments later. The saber tooth was halfway there. He stepped inside the hut.
He didn't close the door this time either. He may not understand what was going on, but he understood one thing: closing the door means exiting forever. No going back through the same door after closure.
When he fully stepped in and his eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden shift in light—before he could process anything—he heard the sound of honking and shouting.
The terrain was flat and red. So was the sky. Seemed like a battlefield. But that wasn't the main concern. He looked at the sky and saw it was covered in many small lines—arrows. And they were rushing straight toward him.
"AaaAAaAHHHh!"
He screamed as he stepped into the door. He felt like if he didn't scream, he couldn't make his body move. It worked like an alarm for his body to act.
He closed the door behind him, breathing heavily. When he first saw the arrows, he almost felt them digging into his flesh. The thought sent a shiver down his spine.
A roar interrupted his thoughts. He looked toward the source and saw that the saber tooth was already near. The saber tooth looked at him with its golden predatory eyes.
'Shit!!'
He didn't have time. He ran toward the nearby hut, which was across this house—even further than the last.
"Why the fuck would the people make their houses so far from each other?"
He cursed out loud.
He ran, but the slippery and muddy ground didn't make it better. Then he looked back and saw that the saber was on the village ground. It let out a loud roar—seemingly notifying its arrival, or a roar of happiness because it found food.
Hard to tell.
But he didn't care. He ran toward the hut harder. The saber did the same. Its expression looked like it was smiling.
He reached near the hut and the saber caught up as well. It roared. He reached for the door handle, and the saber's paw brushed past his back. He quickly opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it.
*HUFF~* *HUFF~*
The door disappeared from his hand like mist—like it was never there. Just like there was no going back. He was trapped here. If this was like the previous two spaces or worlds, he was dead meat.
But he wasn't yet, which gave him hope.
-To Be Continued