《Pace》 Chapter 1: Running Shouldnt Be That Hard It was the first time Trad realized that running could be this painful. He''d been on the move since sunrise, chased by men dressed head to toe in black. For once, his athletic skills were being put to real use ¡ª and not for medals or records. But even with exhaustion clawing at his lungs, Trad couldn''t deny it. The adrenaline felt good. The rain hammered down, soaking him to the bone, but the cold barely registered. "These guys have been chasing me all day. Not even someone like me can keep this up forever." His steps were getting slower, his legs heavier. Hiding from a massive organization was impossible. At best, the city streets and the cover of night were buying him time. Then he spotted it. A narrow, half-hidden alley with a dead end. It wasn''t much, but it would do. Trad ducked inside and slumped against the wall, panting. For a moment, he allowed himself to breathe. To feel. He dropped the bag onto the rain-slick ground. Inside was money. A lot of it. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "If they''re trying to take my freedom... I might as well take something from them." He zipped the bag shut and tilted his head back, letting the rain hit his face. Running was all he had left. The only thing that made him forget everything else. But then... a light. At the far end of the alley, deep in the shadows, something glowed white. "What the hell? Am I tripping?" Trad squinted. There, standing over another man, was a figure cloaked in black. Nearly two meters tall, with a massive sickle resting on its shoulder. The man beside it looked terrified. Trad watched as the creature raised the sickle. But when it swung, there was no blood. No scream. Instead, a shimmering light ¡ª almost like a glowing spirit ¡ª was dragged from the man''s chest. The body crumpled, lifeless, but untouched. The figure groaned. "Come on! I don''t want to hit you a third time. You''re making me look like an idiot. Just give up already. Dying''s not that hard, is it?" With one final pull, the glowing soul detached completely. The Reaper slung it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Trad blinked. "I don''t remember taking any LSD today..." But the Reaper heard him. "Who''s there!?" It said. Trad froze. "Huh?" "You shouldn''t be here." "What do you mean? I''m being chased by a hundred guys right now. Do you really think there''s a place I should be?" The Reaper paused. "Well... if you''re running, doesn''t that mean there''s somewhere waiting for you?" "...That doesn''t make sense. Does it?" "I don''t know." "What? You really don''t know what you''re talking about, do you?" "Anyway... looks like you''ve gone too far." The Reaper stepped closer. The sickle gleamed in the pale light. And this time... it was aimed at Trad. Chapter 2: Facing Death Shouldnt Be That Hard Trad was in a bad situation right now. There was still a way out behind him, but the guys searching for him were blocking his path. And right in front of him, a strange figure stood, holding a sickle aimed directly at him. "Well, this is it, huh?" Trad chuckled, even though a weapon was pointed at him. His breath came out in a ragged laugh, and the sound of the rain crashing down only added to the eerie atmosphere. "You''re not scared?" the creature asked, its voice low and almost like a whisper, but it was clear and firm. "Hmm? Well, it''s not like I''m not scared," Trad replied. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest, his legs still trembling from the chase. "Things are just... too unreal right now. I mean, what even are you? What is this? Some kind of joke?" The creature took a step forward, its shadow engulfing the alleyway. "I am a..." it began, but its words were foreign to Trad, too strange to understand. "What? Say that again?" "Uhh... honestly, what am I doing trying to have a conversation with a human? Maybe the crazy one here is actually me..." The figure sighed, almost in frustration. Trad blinked in confusion, his eyes narrowing. "What... are you talking about? Are you really... real?" The creature stepped closer again, its sickle raised, the black cloak billowing behind it like a storm cloud. The air seemed to grow colder with every passing second. Trad could feel a shiver run down his spine, but he refused to show weakness. He tried to get a glimpse of the creature''s face, but the darkness, coupled with the hooded cloak, left only shadows. Nothing of its true form could be seen. "I shouldn''t be doing this again, but... what are you thinking right now?" the creature asked in a voice that was oddly human. "Usually, humans try to run or beg for their lives. But you... you''re just standing there." "I''m just tired of running..." Trad muttered, a sigh escaping his lips. "I mean, running is fun, but it has its right and wrong circumstances, you know?" The creature paused. "Does that mean you don''t care about your life?" "What? No! I''m just saying, I can''t do anything anymore! What do you expect me to do? Run like a madman, panicking for no reason? It''s like trying to get to a toilet that''s always out of reach... Everything has its limits, man." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The creature took a long, heavy breath. "Oh... poor creature." "What?" Trad frowned, his confusion deepening. "I can take you out of that torment," the creature said, its voice almost soft now. "What? I already told you, I''m not one of those depressive maniacs!" Trad''s hands clenched into fists at his sides, frustration rising in his chest. "What? Then what do you want?" the creature asked. "Don''t you think you''re talking too much for a... reaper?" Trad raised an eyebrow, the tension still thick in the air. "Reaper?" The creature''s voice faltered for a moment. "Yeah... I mean, black cloak, a sickle. You''re wearing a reaper costume, right?" "Costume? ...Enough talk." The figure snapped, sounding almost offended. "You''re talking like I''m the one asking questions..." Trad shot back, his frustration mingling with the weirdness of the situation. Finally, the reaper raised his sickle, the blade gleaming in the dim light. Trad instinctively closed his eyes, bracing for the worst. He had no idea if this was real or just some fever dream. But what did it matter? He was already trapped, wasn''t he? He kept his eyes shut, waiting for the blow to land. The seconds felt like hours. He clenched his fists tightly, preparing for the impact. His throat felt dry as he swallowed, but no matter how much he tried to calm himself, his body was on high alert. So he waited. Nothing happened. "What?" Trad thought, still trying to make sense of the situation. He wondered if he''d fallen asleep or if this whole thing was some kind of joke. It felt like he''d been standing there for much longer than it had actually been. When he finally opened his eyes, he found himself still standing, the reaper only inches away. The sickle hadn''t touched him, and the creature was still swinging it around as if nothing had happened. A strange realization struck Trad. "Wait... shouldn''t I have, like, some white light or something by now?" The reaper scowled. "Uh... shut up!" "What?" Trad asked, genuinely puzzled. The creature continued to swing its sickle, but again, no blow landed. The reaper''s movements grew more frantic, but still, nothing touched Trad. After a few moments, it seemed the creature grew tired of the useless motions and stopped. "Argh... this is exhausting," the reaper groaned, its voice tinged with frustration. "Hey, c''mon! Weren''t you about to do your job?" Trad called out, a smirk tugging at his lips. "What''s going on now? Was this just some fake fantasy?" "I am real!" the reaper snapped, its voice rising in anger. "Hmm... maybe you are," Trad muttered. "But it''s not normal for a weapon to just... pass through my body." A shiver ran down his spine as he processed what had just happened. "So you just realized that now?" the creature asked, sounding almost condescending. "Uh... I''m not fully convinced," Trad responded, a frown crossing his face. "If you were real, I shouldn''t still be alive right now." "Well, that''s because you weren''t blacklisted," the reaper explained, its tone flat. "Blacklisted?" "It means I can''t kill you, since your death wasn''t confirmed in the Black Agenda." "The Black Agenda?" "You''re not supposed to die." Trad blinked, trying to process what the reaper had just said. "Oh... really?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face. "That''s pretty good!" "...Until now," the reaper added, its tone darkening. "What?" "You shouldn''t be in a place like this, watching me do my dishes..." "So what are you going to do?" Trad asked, raising an eyebrow, unsure of what was coming next. "You''ll have to come with me," the reaper said, his voice heavy with finality. Chapter 3: Stairways Shouldnt Be That Hard It''s been a long time since Trad had been walking again. He was holding onto a straight stairway in a completely white space, where he couldn''t see anything but the black creature right ahead of him, leading him the right way. It had been almost 20 minutes since he met the reaper. After the reaper''s failure, he opened some kind of crack in the air, leading them to the space they were in now. Trad wasn''t bothered at all by the fact that he was walking on what seemed like an endless stairway, but he was still holding the bag of money in his arm, and also, the reaper made him take the body of his victim in his other hand, which made it feel a bit too heavy. "Hey..." "What?" "Are you really sure that this guy won''t just... wake up and bite me, or something like that?" "Why would something like that happen?" Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "I don''t think that''s the kind of question I should try to answer right now..." Now that Trad wasn''t in a dark place anymore, he wondered again about the reaper''s face, trying to get a better view from the side. "What are you doing? You said you weren''t a person who doesn''t care about their life." "What do you mean?" "Take a look! You''re on the edge of the ladder?" "Oh... really?" "What were you trying to do?" "Oh, c''mon! You really expected me to see anything in this... place?" "Anyway," the creature sighed heavily, "just walk in a straight line before me. We''re almost there." "Really?" At this point, Trad was feeling a bit tired. He hadn''t eaten a proper meal in the last 24 hours, and that extra heaviness was making it difficult for him. "Are you already tired? You''re weaker than you look." "I''m not weak. Actually, you''re the weak one here!" "What do you mean?" "We''re just here because you couldn''t do your job properly, and as if that wasn''t enough, you gave me the job of carrying this... this guy." "Well, if carrying things is a problem for you, why don''t you just leave the bag?" "Don''t talk about my bag!" "Why?" "Its value is huge." "Value? So, you''re saying you care about the bag?" "It''s not about the bag, it''s about what''s inside it," Trad said, as if delivering a philosophical quote. "Oh... humans are really strange... anyway, here we are." Trad looked up, and a black door was there. Everything was white, so he couldn''t tell if it was at the end of the stairway, if the stairway continued, or even if the door was just floating there. But it seemed to be positioned a bit to the right. "Get ready. We''re going to leave." Chapter 4: Unreality Shouldnt be that Hard When they finally reached the door, the reaper opened it, and Trad followed him. They were in a different place now. It was still a white room, but this time, Trad could see properly. The door was at the beginning of a corridor, and straight ahead, the small corridor led to a larger square room. To the right side of the room, there was a gigantic cage, but it was completely black¡ªTrad couldn''t see anything inside. On top of the cage, there was something similar to a balcony, which seemed to have some natural lighting, even though Trad hadn''t noticed where it came from. Although the square room was large, there wasn''t another door besides the one they had just passed through. So, the reaper walked straight to the center of the room, with Trad still following him. "So... what do we do now?" Trad was analyzing the room when he glanced at the infinite darkness beyond the cage. Somehow, it looked hypnotizing, but then, Trad recalled looking into two terrifying eyes behind the bars of the cage. "Hey, don''t look at the Biargas for too long." "Biargas?" The eyes staring at Trad weren''t just figments of his imagination¡ªthere was something really there. Trad knew this because the reaper started talking to something while looking at the cell. His voice became eerie, but the other voice beyond the cage was horrifying. Still, Trad couldn''t understand a single word from either of them. Seconds later, they both stopped talking, and the reaper approached the cage. It was so large that they could easily pass through the bars. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "Hey, wha¡ª" Trad started to speak, but seeing the unknown, he decided it was better to keep quiet for now. Then, a giant red, ugly mass appeared inside the cage, near the bars. The reaper approached and jumped into it. Trad hesitated at first, but he didn''t want to be left alone in that place, so he followed. When he placed his hands on the red mass to steady himself, he felt the texture¡ªit was rough, damp, and similar to a tongue. Then, the thing started moving, and they drifted further and further away from the light. Trad could hear a strange noise, something like an animal''s breath, getting closer. But then, everything suddenly went dark, and the noise stopped. In the blink of an eye, Trad didn''t know what had just happened, but he found himself floating in the air. "Aah!" Trad screamed, not knowing what was happening. But then... "I got you!" A guy with blue skin and big arms caught him. He wasn''t wearing a shirt and was a bit furry, with a curved spine and a broad torso. He gently placed Trad on the floor. "Oh, thanks." "Yeah, you should really thank me! By the way you were spit out into the air, you could''ve been crushed!" "What!?" "Why were you just spat out like that? Are you really that weak?" "He''s a human," the reaper said, standing behind the blue guy. "Ah... so it was your idea, Uwnrien. What were you thinking, letting a human enter the Biarga''s mouth? You wanted him to die?" The guy slowly realized, "Oh... I don''t even know why I asked that question..." When Trad turned to look at the place he had been "spat," the only thing he saw was a giant cubic block floating in the sky. The block had an upside-down river, with upside-down flowers and strange thin trees. There was a gigantic chain in the center of the upside-down river, but Trad couldn''t see the end of it. He was standing on the edge of a precipice, and the view of the cliff was blocked by white clouds. "No way..." "Oh, this is your first time here, right? It''s been ages since I''ve seen a human around here." "Okay... I guess the LSD is hitting too hard..." "LSD?" "Yeah... where are we?" "Hmm," the blue guy smirked. "Welcome to The Sanitary Appliance!" Chapter 5: Air In The Face Shouldnt Be That Hard "The Sanitary Appliance?" Trad was a bit confused, wondering why a place would have a name like that. "Alright, you''re here to do other things, not to learn new things." "Hey, aren''t you acting a bit too heartless now? You seemed more interested in things before." "It''s different..." Uwnrien picked up the body of the man who was on the floor. "If they find out I just took a human from Tarth to mess around without permission, they''ll kill me!" "Kill you?" Now that the light was hitting the Reaper, Trad could finally see him. He was a thin, white creature, his mouth completely black, with small eyes that had yellow sclera and blue pupils. His chin had some pointed shapes, as if his skull had teeth protruding from the bottom part beneath the skin. "You mean... even more?" "Even more?" "He''s trying to say you already look like a corpse," the blue-skinned guy said with a tone of mild annoyance, as if tired of having to explain. "Do I!?" "You''re really surprised about that, dude?" Trad was genuinely shocked by Uwnrien''s reaction. "Anyway," Trad continued, grabbing the bag from the floor, "how were the bag and the guy intact after all that impact?" "I just held ''em." "Oh... that makes sense..." "Now, let''s go." "Uh? Wait! You won''t even say goodbye to your friend?" Trad asked with difficulty while trying to put the bag on without getting too far from Uwnrien. "See ya, blue guy," Trad said without looking back. "Hmm... Uwnrien talking to a human he didn''t kill, and even taking him to Garth?" The blue guy smirked. "That''s so unexpected it doesn''t even make sense..." The place they were in looked like a mountain, completely surrounded by clouds. Trad was wondering if it was another crazy spatial thing or if they were just insanely high up in the sky. Looking at it, he was still surprised by the giant cube with the upside-down river, but he noticed that wasn''t the only strange thing in the sky. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He saw some massive black globes scattered throughout it. But the space was just too cloudy, and he couldn''t see much. If he stared at the clouds for too long, he could even spot some lightning. "Well..." Trad just noticed the mountain didn''t have any clear way down. "What do we do now?" "Isn''t that obvious? We''re going to jump." "Jump?" Uwnrien picked Trad up under his arm. It looked like he was searching for a specific spot, even though Trad couldn''t figure out why. "This is it. Hold your bag." "Wha¡ª" Uwnrien jumped and passed through the clouds, but it didn''t take long for the fall to stop. When Trad opened his eyes, he realized they were on one of those black globes floating in the sky. "Oh... as I thought, you weren''t just gonna kill us, right..." Trad exhaled hard. "What are these?" "They''re floatways." "Hm... a very suggestive na¡ª" Once again, without hesitation, Uwnrien jumped and landed on another floatway. "Hey! You have to warn me when you''re gonna do stuff like that!" "Why?" "I almost lost my bag!" "But I told you to hold it well..." "Well... just tell m¡ª" "Jump." Once again, he jumped, cutting Trad off mid-sentence. "Argh..." Trad was having a rough time with the dense air hitting his face. It was a different, worse feeling than when he ran marathons. They continued going down the mountain that way, jumping from floatway to floatway. Their path was anything but straight, and they ended up getting pretty far from the mountain. Trad noticed that the farther they got from the mountain, the clearer the vision became, and the air got less dense. At some point, he was finally able to keep his eyes open as Uwnrien jumped. The first thing he realized was how far apart the globes actually were, making him understand just how strong the creature with him really was. Also, they were still very far from the ground, but Trad could already see what it looked like below¡ªa rural zone with some wells of water. Then, Uwnrien jumped directly toward the ground, even though it was still pretty far away. Trad figured it was probably because there were no more floatways, since he couldn''t see any nearby. When they finally set foot on solid ground, Trad was surprised. The wells of water he had noticed earlier weren''t water. They were some kind of blue ore that seemed to hold a crystal liquid inside, partially buried in the uneven earth. They had to walk a bit after landing. The trail was clear enough, even as they made their way through woods made of lighter trees with almost yellow leaves. And along the way, there was more of that ore with its unique liquid. After some time walking, they arrived at a place with a cylindrical wall formed from something similar to the lighter wood from the trees. The place had a large entrance, completely unguarded. "Look, human. This is the place where you''ll either live... or die." Chapter 6: Understand Me Shouldnt Be That Hard Trad and Uwnrien were walking toward the large structure that loomed ahead, the path still unclear but their destination undeniable. Trad felt the weight of fatigue creeping in. His body was hungry, aching, and his mind was struggling to piece together what was real and what was a mere illusion. The longer he walked, the more the idea that this was all just a dream faded, replaced by a gnawing sense that this bizarre reality was truly unfolding before him. "Woah..." "Did you say something?" Uwnrien asked, his voice calm, not even bothering to look back at Trad. "Maybe this is real, actually..." Trad muttered, almost to himself, as if speaking out loud would make it easier to accept. "You''re still wondering about that?" Uwnrien''s tone was flat, like it didn''t make sense to question this. "I don''t see why you''d think everything here is fake." "Are you kidding me?" Trad retorted, frustration beginning to show in his voice. "Look around! Where are we? What part of the world is this? I''ve never seen anything like it... And... is this where dead people go? Am I dead?" Uwnrien paused for a moment before responding, his voice still indifferent. "Don''t worry. You''re still alive. But I''m not the one who decides if you stay that way." "So... you''re leading me to my fate then?" Trad asked, unsure of the gravity of the situation. "Yeah, something like that," Uwnrien said without hesitation. Trad slowed his pace and looked around, feeling the unease grow. "Look, I followed you here because I didn''t take any of this seriously... But hasn''t this all gone too far? I mean, where are we going, really?" "Well, you''re not wrong," Uwnrien admitted, his voice unchanged. "Bringing a human here... yeah, that''s already too far. But leaving you in Tarth after what you saw? That would''ve been worse." Trad''s mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. "So you''re going to kill me because I saw you doing ... a crime? Or whatever it is that you did back there? Sounds like something I''ve heard before." "A crime? No. It wasn''t a crime," Uwnrien corrected him. "What?" Trad''s confusion deepened. "How is it not a crime? You literally killed that guy!" He pointed at the body Uwnrien still carried. "No, don''t get it wrong," Uwnrien said, his voice almost amused. "I didn''t kill him. He was already dead when I found him." Trad stopped walking, his face pale. "What? He was already dead?" The realization hit him harder than expected, and he backed away a bit, his mind trying to process the information. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "It''s complicated," Uwnrien explained, unfazed by Trad''s shock. "And honestly, explaining it won''t matter if you''re not going to be alive long enough to care." Trad stopped in his tracks, looking at Uwnrien with wide eyes. "Wait a minute... I''m walking to my own execution, aren''t I?" "Execution?" Uwnrien turned slightly, his eyes narrowing at Trad''s sudden outburst. "Yeah," Trad muttered, his voice growing faint with anxiety. "Why should I keep following you if this is just leading to me dying? It almost feels like I''m just handing over my life to you." The air between them grew heavy with silence. Trad''s mind was racing, but he couldn''t stop walking. Uwnrien, however, remained unbothered, waiting for Trad to process the situation. "I wouldn''t put it like that," Uwnrien said finally. "Do you think you deserve to die?" Trad was taken aback by the question. "What? How do you expect me to answer that? Of course not. No one thinks they deserve to die." "Then you shouldn''t worry about it," Uwnrien said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "It''s not that simple..." Trad''s voice wavered. "This... this doesn''t make sense." Uwnrien stopped walking briefly, then spoke again with a touch of empathy. "Things weren''t exactly simple where you came from either, were they?" Trad looked down at the ground, conflicted. "Well... no. But that doesn''t mean I should just give up on everything." Uwnrien regarded him with something like curiosity. "So you''re refusing to just let your life be taken? You are actually very similar to the other humans, in the end... I just can''t understand it." Trad looked up, eyes narrowing. "I''m not just going to hand my life over to you, not without understanding what''s going on." Uwnrien turned and continued down the path, not waiting for Trad. "Anyway," he said, his voice filled with a calm certainty, "you''re not here to die. You''re here because it''s your only chance to keep living." Trad''s mind was still reeling, but he couldn''t argue with that logic. He followed Uwnrien, his steps heavier now, unsure of what awaited him at the end of this strange journey. They were getting closer to the large structure, and Trad noticed something odd. The closer they got, the less it felt like they were walking toward walls. Instead, two massive, irregular structures flanked them, stretching far beyond what should have been normal. It was as if these structures had risen organically from the earth, their massive forms blending into the landscape. As they approached, the woods around them began to thin out. The trees started to become sparse, the ground more open, until they reached the entrance of the strange structure. "Is that... is that the entrance?" Trad asked, his voice filled with disbelief. The entrance was enormous, unlike anything he''d ever seen. It wasn''t guarded, and there were no visible threats. It was just an enormous, open space between two colossal walls, as if waiting for them to pass through. The walls themselves had an irregular shape, starting thin and tapering outward as they extended upwards, almost like the roots of a giant tree. The pair entered through the archway, stepping into a vast open space. The walls grew taller as they advanced, towering above them, and Trad couldn''t help but marvel at the unique architecture. This wasn''t like anything he had ever seen before. Inside, the space felt... surreal. There were doors embedded in the tree-like walls, and in the center, a brilliant mass of light floated, shimmering like a blue ore. The liquid at the base pooled in a golden-encrusted scratch on the floor, making it look almost like a fountain. Trad moved closer to it, mesmerized by the sight. "Woah... this is actually beautiful, isn''t it?" he said, his voice filled with awe as he gazed at his reflection in the liquid. But as he stared deeper into the fountain, something caught his eye. A figure¡ªno, a woman¡ªwas submerged beneath the surface, her eyes locked on him. Trad recoiled in shock, his heart racing. "What? What is that?" he exclaimed, stumbling backward in fear. Chapter 7: Stare Shouldnt Be That Hard Trad always had a natural ability for sports, especially athletics. When he was 17 years old, Trad joined the annual athletics championship at his high school. Trad used to stand out when running, and since his childhood, people noticed that. But he didn''t care too much about that. He knew he was gifted, that he had something special. But to him, it was simpler because all he could feel when running was the adrenaline. There he goes, the instructor gives the signal, and they start to run. There are 10 competitors, some bigger than Trad, and others even smaller. But all he could notice while running were the flashing lights, the cheers, and the air against his face. Finally, it didn''t take much time for Trad to win and feel the pleasure of victory, especially when his friends came along to celebrate with him. For a moment, Trad couldn''t think about anything else. Life felt good. For some minutes, he didn''t have to think about those problems. But when high school finally ended, Trad always saw that black car waiting for him at the school''s exit, and now, everything came to his mind ¡ª his fear of those guys in black suits and his hatred for the person who wanted to take away his own will: his father. "Hey, wake up!" Trad felt a slap on his face. When he came to his senses, he realized he was lying on the floor, with Uwnrien beside him. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Ouch! That hurt." He passed his hand over the sore area. "Why did you decide to take a nap right here?" "What? I was sleeping?" "Don''t worry, it was my fault," a woman said, coming from behind Uwnrien. She was extremely pale and was wearing a white dress made of some kind of thick and smooth material, but Trad was almost sure she had been naked before. She had green curly hair falling to her breasts. Her pupils were orange, but her irises had a horizontal shape, giving her an inhuman appearance. "Oh..." Trad started to remember his awful reaction. "You know, that was really rude," said Uwnrien. "Oh, really? I''m sorry," he said without looking her in the eyes. Then he got up and patted his clothes. "Uwnrien told me your story while you were sleeping." "Really? What exactly did he tell you?" he asked, still avoiding eye contact. "It doesn''t matter." "Uhm... why?" "I have a better way to know a person." She approached Trad, grabbed his head with her hands with big black nails, and pulled it toward her, making Trad look at her. She was smiling, and there was some kind of desire in her eyes ¡ª not something evil, just something like curiosity. But then, Trad felt like he couldn''t keep looking at her because her eyes looked like an abyss. The more he looked at her eyes, the more they looked into him, and some negative feelings started to come into Trad''s mind again. "Oh, I''m sorry." She released Trad and took a few steps back. "I was just too excited to have such a special visitor here." She laughed after saying that. "Is it that ''oh, a human!'' thing again? At this point, it feels like I''m some kind of celebrity in this... place." Somehow, after she made him look into her eyes, it felt a bit easier to do that. She smirked. "Of course you are." She paused for a moment, her eyes glinting with something between amusement and seriousness. "Humans... here, they''re considered gods." Chapter 8: A Conversation Shouldnt Be That Hard "What?" The woman didn''t answer Trad''s surprise. Instead, she walked over and sat on the edge of the golden decorations around the large ore fountain, moving her bare feet while still wearing a smile on her face. "Why are you so surprised?" "How can you compare humans to gods? Aren''t we like the worst creatures alive?" "Aren''t humans gods of the place you come from?" "Well... I don''t think so." "Really? What do you think a god should be like?" "They should be strong and virtuous... with the power to change the world, and also ahead of all other living beings." "So?" "So what?..." Trad paused, looking at the floor for a moment in silence. "Well... maybe we have the power to change the world, but we aren''t strong or virtuous." "Is that what you think? Well..." She glanced at her reflection in the liquid. "Don''t you think strength is subjective?" "Er... I''m not that open-minded, actually." Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "I can help you with that," Uwrien said, standing beside Trad. "Help me with... being open-minded?" "Yeah." "So you just turned into a philosopher now?" "Philosopher?" Uwrien asked in his indifferent tone. "No! I mean, I can open up a big space in your head, if you allow me," he said naturally. "Bro..." Trad felt a shiver down his spine, hearing Uwrien say something like that as if it were nothing. "Do you allow me?" Uwrien asked, approaching Trad. "No, no! I don''t," Trad replied, instinctively raising his arms. "Why? I thought you wanted help." "Really? You are really crazy..." Trad said, laughing nervously. "That''s interesting... You''re just acting like two big friends!" "Friends? How could he be my friend? He was trying to kill me just some hours ago! Actually, he just tried again!" "I wouldn''t have tried to kill you if you weren''t in the wrong place, at the wrong time!" "Uwrien..." The woman spoke in a deeper voice. "Are you really talking about being in the wrong place?" "... I''m sorry," Uwrien lowered his head. "Ahh..." She tried to relieve herself. "You really got me some problems." "... I''m sorry." Trad was surprised by what he had just witnessed. Hearing a creature like Uwrien apologize wasn''t something Trad had ever expected, especially not twice in a row. But the subtle change in the woman''s voice scared him a bit. Does that mean she''s, somehow, stronger than Uwrien? What is this strange woman really? "Anyway," she sighed, "we have to decide what to do with you." "Oh... So will my execution begin right now?" "If you prefer it that way." "What?" "See, if you just accepted being killed, we could do that and then pretend you never existed," she put her hand on her chin, thinking. "Actually, it would really take a lot of work for me..." She looked at Trad again, with an excited face and a soft voice, almost as if asking for a favor. "Would you do that for me? I''d be really grateful!" Trad went quiet, staring at her in disbelief, but expecting to see any sign of it being a joke. "... Guess that the Reaper isn''t the only crazy one in this place..." Chapter 9: Forests Shouldnt Be That Hard Trad was having a hard time trying to keep his composure while talking to the woman. She didn''t seem like a bad person, nor did she appear to have bad intentions toward him, but he just couldn''t tell when she was being serious or just messing around. "You''re evil!" she said. "You''re really going to refuse to help me? So that''s why you said humans are the worst creatures alive!" "C''mon..." "You wouldn''t lose anything doing me that favor." "Yeah, except my life," he said ironically. "Why don''t you just kill me? I''m pretty sure the Reaper said I could probably die here. Doesn''t that mean you can actually do that?" "Oh... he said that?" She stared at him, but he pretended not to notice. "Well," she looked back at him, "we do have the power to do that, but only if you committed a crime against Tarth." "A crime? And what would that even be?" "Like..." She raised her finger to her throat and made a cutting gesture. "If you killed someone from Tarth." "I didn''t do that!" "I know." She smiled. "What?" Trad was surprised and a bit irritated. "Then why am I even here?" "Even though you didn''t commit a crime, you did witness a creature from Tarth in your home. So it''s not like you did nothing." "I don''t really get it, but... does that mean I can live?" "Err... I''ll have to think about that." "What?" Trad felt like this conversation was getting harder and harder to follow. And as if that wasn''t enough, instead of answering him, she just laughed again. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "What''s so funny?" "I''m sorry." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "It''s just funny how you always look confused, like a little dog taken away from its home." "I mean... that''s kind of accurate." "Are you considered a dog in your home?" Uwnrien asked. "Huh? I didn''t say that." "It sounded like you did." "It doesn''t¡ªugh, whatever." Trad grabbed his bag from the floor. "This is a waste of time. Feels like this was all just a big joke." He turned to walk away. "Wait, where are you going?" Uwnrien asked. "Home!" "But how¡ª" "It''s fine," the woman interrupted. Trad was feeling a bit irritated, so he just walked away without saying anything else while Uwnrien and the woman watched him leave. "Is it really okay to let him go?" Uwnrien asked. "Don''t worry," she replied. "I was curious about his capabilities. This is the perfect way to see what he can do." But after walking a bit and calming down, Trad remembered he was practically in some kind of otherworldly place, with no idea how to get back home. Still, thinking about his situation back home, he started to wonder if staying a few days here wouldn''t be so bad¡ªassuming no one tried to kill him again. The only problem was that he had no idea where to go. He pulled out his phone from his pocket to check his location. The time read 2:00 a.m., but judging by the sky, it felt more like midnight. When he tried to check his location, the system couldn''t find anything. Trad sighed and tried to figure out what to do next. So far, the forest only had one trail since he left Uwnrien and the woman, so he didn''t worry about getting lost. But as he went deeper, the trees grew denser, and somehow, it got darker. The air smelled fresh, though, which wasn''t bad at all. After a while, the trail disappeared completely, and Trad realized he was really lost. Even though it was dark, there was a strange glow that made it easy to see around. As he walked, he noticed a pattern. Between the trees were small clearings, almost circular, where the light was stronger. Some of these clearings had small animals in them, while others didn''t. It didn''t make much sense, but Trad came up with a plan: follow the clearings that had animals. It was the only pattern he could find. Slowly, he moved from one to another, always choosing the ones with animals, and backtracking if he found an empty one. It took a while, but the forest gradually got brighter. Trad hoped that was a sign he was finding a way out. Eventually, the trees opened up, and Trad didn''t hesitate to follow the path ahead. But when he saw where it led, he wasn''t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Before him stood some large stones blocking the way. Near them was a small wooden structure, like a tiny house¡ªtoo small to actually live in. Beside the little house were the remains of a burned-out campfire and a narrow passage under one of the larger stones, clogged with thick vines. As Trad approached to get a better look at the place... He heard the door of the small house creak open. Chapter 10: Meows Shouldnt Be That Hard "Argh!" A small creature appeared from the door, screaming. It was tiny, barely tall enough to reach Trad''s knees. The creature was covered in white fur, resembling a cat. On its head was a thick black fabric, shaped like a cap, and around its small neck, a thin red scarf was awkwardly tied close to its chest. Its large, expressive green eyes gleamed like a cat''s, and honestly, its entire face was feline. Aside from a pair of black shorts, the creature was shirtless. Right after its outburst, it grabbed a handful of sticks and started throwing them at Trad, who raised his arms to shield himself. "Hey, what''s your problem?" "Get away from my home!" "Wait! I''m not here to do anything bad!" "Don''t lie to me! I can smell that disgusting human stench all over you!" "What? Do I smell that bad?" "Yes! Now get out!" "Hold on! At least hear me¡ª" Before he could finish, the creature ran out of sticks and hurled a pan at Trad, smacking him right on the head. "..." Trad stood there silently as irritation began bubbling inside him. "So that''s how you want to play it, huh..." "W-wait," the creature stammered, raising its tiny fists in a defensive stance. "You said you didn''t have bad intentions!" Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "Guess what..." Trad smirked. "I was wrong." Trad lunged forward to grab it, but the creature was surprisingly fast, darting away on all fours and disappearing deeper into the forest. "So... he attacked me and then just ran away?..." Trad sighed, dropping his bag to the ground. "Well, if he cares about this house, he''ll come back." Night was starting to fall, so Trad decided to squeeze through the small doorway the creature had left open. It was a tight fit, forcing him to crouch just to get inside. The interior was simple. A bed made of dry straw lay on the floor, and in one corner sat a small lantern beside an assortment of tools¡ªsaws, knives, and other metal scraps. Nearby, a worn red carpet covered part of the floor. Trad was exhausted. Without thinking much of it, he collapsed onto the straw bed and shut his eyes. The forest outside was alive with sound, but strangely, it wasn''t unpleasant. There was something peaceful about the natural hum of the night. Some time passed before the small creature returned. Slowly, it nudged the door open, sniffing the air, clearly aware that Trad was still inside. Instead of attacking him directly, the creature crept quietly toward the corner, eyes locked on one of the knives. It grabbed the handle gently, trying not to make a sound. But just as it turned to face the bed... "Hello..." Trad was standing right behind it, bent over with his hands resting on the creature''s tiny shoulders. Startled, the creature dropped the knife on the floor. "I gotta say, I''m a little offended," Trad said. "Here I was, trying to be friendly, and you were already plotting to kill me? How''s that fair?" The creature didn''t reply. It just stood there, frozen in shock. Trad wasn''t sure if the little guy was overreacting or if he was just genuinely that weak. Either way, it was kind of pathetic. "But don''t worry," Trad continued. "Lucky for you, I''m a humble and generous person. I wouldn''t hurt someone like you..." "Really?..." the creature asked cautiously. "Of course! As long as you''re willing to cooperate." "Cooperate? I thought you were humble, not a freeloader!" "So you''re saying no?" "N-no..." "Good choice." Trad released its shoulders, but the moment he stepped back, the creature bolted for the door again. This time, though, Trad was ready. Thanks to his athletic reflexes, he snatched the creature by its red scarf before it could escape. "You really thought I''d fall for the same trick twice? What do you take me for?" "S-so..." The creature struggled to breathe as the scarf tightened around its neck. "What do you want from me?" "It''s simple." Trad loosened his grip and let the creature fall to the floor, gasping for air. "You''re going to help me escape from here." Chapter 11: Distrust Shouldnt Be That Hard The day was starting to dawn, and the forest was growing quieter. However, it was a completely different scene inside the small, odd house in the middle of the woods. Trad had hoped the cat would calm down after their conversation, but as soon as he gave the creature some space, it tried to escape again. Trad quickly caught him, but this time, by his white tail. Instinctively, the cat flinched and scratched Trad''s hand, which made him angry once more. The creature was also growing more nervous. He clearly didn''t like having his tail grabbed. Both of them, unable to control their impulses, began to spar around the house, knocking things over in the process. Trad had thought he would easily catch the cat, but the cramped space made it hard for him to move properly. He ended up with several scratches on his arms, forehead, and cheek. The cat was taking full advantage of its agility, and Trad was also yanking at its fur in retaliation. But when Trad accidentally brushed against the lantern, causing it to swing and flicker, the cat immediately darted towards it, preventing it from falling. He sighed in relief once he had it safely in his paws. "Fine, fine!" the creature exclaimed. "I''ll help you, but don''t destroy my house!" "Hm... you really care about your home, huh?" Trad muttered, glancing at his scratched arms. "But it''s hard to trust you after all that." The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "Don''t act like I didn''t have a reason to do that!" the cat shot back. "But you didn''t really have to!" Trad sighed. "But... if you actually help me, I''ll forgive you." "It''s not like I did anything that needs forgiveness¡­" the cat sighed again. "But if I agree to help you, what do you want me to do?" "As I said, you just need to help me escape from here." "Escape? What do you mean by escape? Escape from what? From who? Are you a criminal?" "No! I mean, how am I supposed to get out of this forest?" "The same way you entered." "...Well..." Trad thought about the path he''d taken with Uwnrien until he ended up here. "I don''t think something like that is possible." "Why? How did you get here?" "I would have a hard time explaining it¡­" "Are you hiding something?" "No¡­ I''m just saying, I don''t even think I could explain how I ended up here." "Are you sure you''re not a criminal? What do you plan to do once you escape? Commit crimes again?" The cat gave him a disapproving look. "I told you I''m not one¡­ Anyway, I just want to go back home." Trad paused, subtly catching himself. How was he supposed to return? Trying to explain what happened to him before arriving here was already hard enough, and actually doing it felt like an impossible task. But he knew that standing still wouldn''t do him any good. "Alright," the cat said, clearly annoyed. "I don''t want to keep talking to someone like you," he added arrogantly. "I''ve already noticed you don''t know anything about this place, right?" "You sure are cheeky," Trad sighed. "But you''re right." "Doesn''t matter," the cat said dismissively. "I''ll make sure to take you far from my house." "I''ll take that as a favor from you," Trad responded with a grin. As the morning arrived, the cat left the house with Trad following him. "Argh..." Trad stretched, feeling relief after finally leaving the suffocating house. "How do you manage to live in such a small place?" The creature gave him a pointed look, clearly unimpressed. "Come on," it said, taking a few steps forward. "Wait¡­" The creature stopped and turned around when it noticed Trad had hesitated. "Where is my bag?" Chapter 12: Thieves Shouldnt Be That Hard Trad and the cat were walking in the darker part of the forest. The small creature was walking in the front, as he was the one who knew how to navigate in this place. "Will it still take too long?" Trad asked. "You shouldn''t care about how long it will take... don''t you remember? We are here because you wanted to." Earlier, when Trad noticed his bag wasn''t there, he didn''t want to take the cat''s route until he caught his bag back. When the cat asked him what he had in that bag, Trad told him it was money, or gold. Fortunately, it seemed like the small creature actually had a good knowledge of the place, as he said there was a race in the forest that was attracted by gold, and now he was leading Trad to a place where he might find it. "Are you sure we aren''t just walking on a random path?" "Why would I do that?" "I''m just saying... because I can''t see how you would localize yourself in this place, there''s no trail or something like that to guide us!" "Are you dumb, human? What would you need something like that for if you can feel the smell?" "Smell?" "Yes. As you must have already realized, the forest has a soft and weak smell, which makes it easier to feel different scents." "Really? That''s pretty interesting." "Of course it is. I guess the standard knowledge of humans is really slow." "Ahh... human this, human that, you hate humans, don''t you?" This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "It''s common sense." "Oh... really?" Trad was confused. "I heard someone say humans are like... gods." "What? Did a human say that?" "No... actually, I don''t even know." "Seems like you''ve been interacting with some dubious individuals." "Yeah..." Trad looked at him. "I''ve just noticed that..." "If a comparison has to get such a massive scale, then I would say they are more like demons." "Demons? Do I look like a demon to you?" "Yes, you do. Without a doubt." "But I am curious, what would be a valuable reason for you to hate humans?" "..." "Won''t you tell me?" "Quiet, we arrived." Trad noticed they were in a big open space in the forest now, where the trees were more spaced out. He would have thought it was the end of the forest, but there was still more forest on the other side. What surprised him the most was that there were some structures in that place. Simple, almost cylindrical houses made of some kind of brown, shiny material. There were also other creatures living there. They were smaller than Trad, but taller than the cat. They were all bald with a long nape. Their skin was a grayish tone, with yellow eyes without pupils. Their bottom teeth were bigger than the other ones, and their ears were almost completely round, smaller than a human''s. They looked like they were having a good time, most of them running, laughing, and even fighting, although it didn''t look violent. "What? ...Who are they?" Trad questioned, speaking almost in a whisper. "Miltras... they are a race that lives mostly in forests. And also, they love gold for some reason, and they constantly appear next to my home... That''s why I brought you here." "So... they probably stole from me, right?" "Yes." "Then what can I do knowing that?" "It''s your gold, you need to take it back yourself!" "You said you would help me!" "I will, but first, take what''s yours." "Urgh... alright." Trad started to walk slowly toward them, still hesitating to talk to other creatures in this strange place, especially if they were in groups. But before getting too far from the cat, he stopped. "They aren''t violent, are they?" he asked. "No..." "Hm... I''m gonna trust you." Then, Trad finally walked and approached them enough for them to notice him. When everyone looked at him, they went quiet for a moment. "Uh... Hello?" Trad spoke, not knowing how to approach them. "A human..." one of them whispered. "Yes, it''s a human," another said. "What? Is it really a human?" one asked loudly. Then, progressively, their voices grew louder and sounded more violent, until they all started to scream. "Catch him!" An older one said, pointing at Trad. And, in response, they started to run toward him. "You''re kidding me, right?!" Chapter 13: Being Chased Again Shouldn鈥檛 Be That Hard "Get him!" The Miltras continued screaming, all of them heading towards a single target: Trad. "What¡¯s happening?" Trad asked, looking around, trying to get an answer. The creature was smiling. "It was a pleasure to meet you, human... Or not." "You aren¡¯t serious, are you?" "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stay here, but I won¡¯t help you. If you die, it¡¯s good for me, and if, somehow, you manage to outsmart them... well, I¡¯d continue to help you, but it¡¯s impossible for you to do that. Still, it¡¯s a chance for you to give me some good entertainment!" "I could just run into the forest. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trapped here." "Really? Think about it. Do you really think you¡¯d have an advantage in their natural habitat, especially when you don¡¯t know how to navigate here?" "... You¡¯re right." "Hey, if I were you, I¡¯d focus on other things," the cat pointed toward the Miltras getting closer to Trad. "What?" Trad was surprised because they were almost upon him, so he had no choice but to start running. The Miltras began charging toward him, but he kept running around the open area near the trees. They were faster than Trad thought, and he was very hungry since he hadn¡¯t eaten anything in almost two days. He was getting exhausted far too quickly. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. By the time he made his second lap, starting from the place where the cat had been watching him, Trad noticed the cat was laughing. "Hey, your..." Trad tried to think of a way to insult the small creature, but he was too busy running. "You really won¡¯t help me, will you?" "Of course not... Your bag is yours, not mine!" "Is that so? Just wait until I get out of here..." The Miltras thought Trad was acting oddly, but they couldn¡¯t hear either Trad or the cat¡¯s voices, as they were drowned out by the noise produced by the Miltras. "Humans are that fast?" one of them asked. "I don¡¯t know... are they?" another replied. "No, see!" a third one pointed at Trad. "His steps are getting shorter, we can catch him!" At that point, Trad realized there was no way he could keep running for much longer. Actually, it wasn¡¯t even supposed to be possible for him to still be running, being so hungry. Maybe he was managing it because of his athleticism from when he was a champion in his youth. So, on his second lap, Trad looked at the cat again, but the cat was laughing even harder, almost acting like a sadistic maniac now. Feeling angry, Trad decided to take a risky action. Instead of continuing to run in a circle, he veered off and started running directly toward the small creature. The cat wasn¡¯t paying attention while laughing, so when he realized Trad was getting closer, he was caught off guard and couldn¡¯t react. Trad grabbed him by the arm and started running again. "Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing?" the cat said. "We¡¯re going to die together!" "What? Why? I don¡¯t want this! Let me go!" "Look!" one of the Miltras said. "He¡¯s holding something behind his arm..." "You¡¯re right... there¡¯s some small furry thing there..." "Small furry thing? Isn¡¯t that Mr. Doop?" "What? Wait... is it really him?" "Mr. Doop?" Trad asked, then looked at the cat, but the cat looked away and fiddled with the black fabric on his head, as if trying to disguise it. "What a dirty creature, using Mr. Doop as a hostage!" they continued talking. "Now we really need to get him!" "Oh..." Trad said, realizing something, then opened a smile and immediately stopped. "What are you doing!?" the cat asked nervously. "I just had an idea."