Falling, falling, falling!
My mind was in utter chaos as I plummeted, clutching my bag like a lifeline.
Why?! A moment ago, I was in an alley, and now I'm here, in the middle of the sky?!
What do you think would happen if I hit the ground from this height without a parachute? That's right—I'd be a pile of human-flavored mincemeat, a guaranteed trauma for anyone who saw it.
Wait, wait, wait... this is insane!
I was in an alleyway; why am I suddenly in the middle of the sky? Logically, something this surreal shouldn't be happening!
And it's not just the location.
I should be falling through the air, but there's no wind resistance, no difficulty breathing... I'm just descending slowly, without losing my balance. That's not normal.
Maybe this is a dream?
Yeah! It has to be a dream!
I came to this conclusion, and my mind felt at ease. The fear of dying was gone.
If it's a dream anyway, I might as well enjoy the view.
The sky was just as beautiful and blue as ever.
I looked down at the ground, a sight I had been too terrified to see until now.
The first thing that stood out was a massive, circular wall enclosing something.
And rising from the top of that wall was a structure that looked like an orange stadium dome.
What is that?
Looking around the dome, I could see forests and, in the distance, a few other similar dome-like structures.
Hmm, what should I do? If I keep falling like this, I'm going to hit that dome head-on...
But there's nothing I can do except keep falling without losing my balance. What else am I supposed to do?
As I pondered this, the dome was getting closer and closer.
Even if I thought it was a dream, it was still terrifying to fall and hit something from this height.
Just before I was about to collide with the dome, I closed my eyes tightly out of fear.
Huh? Wait, where's the impact?
I kept my eyes shut for a while, but there was no collision. Slowly, I opened them.
It seemed the dome was something I could pass through. While my eyes were closed, I had passed right through and was now inside.
Inside the dome, the first thing I saw was a large city surrounded by a wall.
In the center of the wall was a huge castle. Around the castle, many different buildings stood clustered together.
What a beautiful city...
I was captivated by the sight of the city.
Because of this, I was slow to realize that I was falling behind the castle in the center of the city.
By the time I did, I was already just a few feet from the ground.
Unlike the dome I passed through, there's no way I can pass through the ground... but if I don't, I'll hit it.
Even if it's a dream, the terror is overwhelming.
And the ground was getting closer and closer...
Scary, scary, super scary! So, so scary!!
Due to the intense fear, my consciousness faded, my vision blurred...
And finally, I passed out from sheer terror.
Just as I lost consciousness, I felt myself being wrapped in something soft... or was it?
I felt something soft envelop me.
What is that? It smells musty.
The air feels heavy.
I regained consciousness and opened my eyes. My vision was blurry, and I couldn't make sense of my surroundings.
Unlike the bright sky from before, this place was dark, and my blurry vision made it hard to see anything.
...There's a light. What is it?
I saw a single light in front of me. I tried to stand up to get closer to it, but the moment I moved, I felt a pull on my body and fell.
"Ouch!"
As I felt the pain in my ankle, my vision returned to normal, and I could see my surroundings clearly. I looked at my body and was shocked.
My hands were tightly bound with rope, and my ankles were in shackles with a chain connected to the floor, leaving me unable to move.
My bag was gone.
Why? I wondered, looking around.
I was in a small room with walls made of tightly packed cobblestones, and in front of me were iron bars keeping me from getting out.
The light I had seen earlier was a torch mounted on the wall on the other side of the bars.
"Are you kidding me..."
I was suddenly thrown into the sky, and now it seems I'm locked in a prison cell.