□■□■□■..
"Hmmm..." Sane woke up and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. What was he dreaming? It was warm and comforting, cold and freezing, loud and crowded, then silent as a graveyard. It was like looking through a broken screen, each shard a different view, a different life—and all too confusing dream.
He yawned and got out of bed. He was not used to waking up in an expensive-looking room, even though the only furniture was his bed. But seeing gold veining in the marble ceiling as he woke up was a bit too much for his simple taste. But with that said, he couldn't help but enjoy having a constantly warm floor beneath his feet.
Sane stretched, then laid his back on the floor, sprawling his arms and legs. What was he supposed to do here? 'Live, explore, or do as you please.' That's what V said, and he got that part quite clear, but the rest of it... not so much. He glanced at the door, which was still the same as the night before. Rough and solid metal.
After a few minutes, Sane got up, made his way to the door, and with a light push, it opened.
'`'"``"``''''"""`'"``"
Sunlight blinded him with its warmth, and before him lay a grassy clearing. He crouched down, reaching out, plucking out a handful of grass and it was gentle under his touch. Everything felt soft against his skin: the sun, the wind that rustled the trees and grass.
Sane took a step out and felt the grass poke at his feet. He smiled and took another step out. The ground was warm underneath him, and fresh air filled his lungs. He exhaled and again took a deep breath as his chest filled with warmth
Click...
He turned his head back, and the door was closed, its metal body blindly reflecting sunlight. He blinked, and it was suddenly gone. He let out a breath and looked back in front. Of course, he wasn't given a shelter; was it really hard for a god to be generous?
Sane glanced around, then ventured off in a random direction. He ran full speed. Trees blurred as he weaved between them. The wind combed through his hair and pushed against his face. Feeling the warmth in his chest and the coldness of his lungs in each breath. Was this what freedom felt like? Being able to run so freely without any walls to stop him.
He jumped, and the world opened up to him. He saw how beautiful the world truly was: old ruins partially swallowed by the tops of the forest, large unknown creatures flying above in the air, and green valleys nestled between great mountains and hills. For a moment, he felt small in this vast world. And before he even realized it, he had just jumped off a cliff.
| \ , / |
"Ahhhh!!" Sane screamed as he fell. Thin tree branches cracked and snapped as he fell through the forest canopy, slamming and thudding off the thicker branches. Leaves and dirt splattered in a small crater around him as he crashed on the forest floor.
"Ahhh... ha.. ha-ha-ah-ha-"
He laughed in pain, staring at the hole he made through the forest canopy. He felt every branch he'd hit, every twig that snapped against him as he fell through. It hurt obviously, but his pain was a twisted form of reassurance; every sensation was far too strong to be a dream or simulation, and he was truly in another world.
"Engh," Sane let out a whimper as he sat upright. His back and chest twinged, but he felt his body starting to recover, flesh and blood crawling under his skin as they healed his damaged bones and tissues. Looking around, he found himself deeper in the woods, surrounded by large, gigantic trees that he would guess were ancient. The forest floor was littered with dead leaves, bits of shrubbery, and something else he couldn't see clearly under the dappled light.
Sane scooted his back to one of the trees, his back dampened by the spongy moss. Making his clothes slightly messier than they already were, and honestly, he didn't care; it was the least of his concerns after falling from such a height.
He took a deep breath. Earthy scent of the forest filled his lungs, but there was something else- a smell he didn't recognize. Tilting his head back, he took another sniff.
The scent was faint, obscured by the smell of wet leaves, dirt, mud, and several other odors he couldn't identify. But it stood out from the rest of them, an aroma that was vaguely sweet.
GRrrrr....
His stomach growled. He hadn't eaten anything since he got here—no, not even before the facility collapsed, and thinking on it now, he hasn't eaten anything for the past two days.
GRRr...
Again, his stomach growled for food. Instinctively, he took another sniff, and the sugary aroma seemed not that far ahead. But honestly, this would be the last thing he wanted to do. following a sweet smell in an unknown forest and possibly encountering a dangerous wild animal.
GRRR...
He placed his hand on his stomach as it roared for food. His hunger was finally reaching its limits. Slowly, he stood up, supporting himself against the tree as he took another sniff, and cautiously, he followed the sweet scent, with his eyes and ears scanning for threats.
But surprisingly, there was none. He couldn't see anything or hear anything worrying, just the sound of the wind rustling branches and small reptilian and rat-like critters scurrying through the bits of shrubbery around him.
Soon enough, he found the source of the smell. In the middle of a cliffside clearing, a six-meter-tall bonsai-like tree stood crooked and curved, with dark red bark. Pink and yellow flowers bloomed at its top, and golden grapes were hung from its branches.
The sweet smell intoxicated his hunger, and he slowly approached it, reaching out with his hands. The tree's golden fruits glistened under the dappled light. Sane plucked one out, looked at it as if it were a treasure, and then devoured it.
And it was just as good as it smelled; he couldn't even know how to describe it, it was better than anything he had before. Its sweetness was ideal, and its juices filled his mouth with a crisp, pleasant flavor. He reached for another-
Snap!
Sane looked down at his feet. it was rough and porous; it felt different from a twig. He took a step back. It was bone- he knew it from a glance, and it triggered a flood of memories that made him shiver.
He took another step back and looked around the surrounding grass. And all around him, hiding in the grass, were broken and scattered remains of different animals. And in a moment of realization, he felt his entire body shift and writhed, and his mind was only yelling one thing. And that was to RUN!
But before he could even move, he felt a warm, wet drool dampen and sludge off his head. Sane looked up, and it stared back at him with its six large beady eyes.
He felt every muscle ache to a stop. How could he not notice something this massive? Sane's eyes trailed down its body, and it slowly revealed itself. It was cloaking its entire body, hiding under a seemingly invisible cloth of silk.
It clicked and crackled its mandibles.
and his eyes widened as he realized he could understand it.
"Human... no... what are you?" the creature spoke, tilting its head to the side.