“HUH?! AM I DEAD?!” I screamed out loud while drenched in sweat and with a racing heart, I woke up disoriented from the nightmare, unsure of where I was or what was real.
I'm not at a hospital, am I? So, am I dead? Is this what happens after death? However, I imagine the entire place to be white, with golden staircases and possibly some angles as in movies. Instead, I see the huge blue sky, which appears to be normal, but I have the distinct impression that I am not on my own planet. I know this because, when staring at the huge blue sky, I can also see skyscraper-tall trees, as well as hares flying through the trees, using their long ears as propellers to help them ascend.
Hares can jump incredibly high, but not so high that they can fly. What the hell am I doing? I rose from the crisp green grass underneath me and began strolling through the ancient, under-brown jungle. It stank of age as I took brief glimpses at rodent-like beasts wrapped in moss, although they were somewhat cute.
While walking, I became aware that I was walking as if I were going up the steps, despite the fact that the ground in front of me was flat. I looked down to see and realised I was walking on a massive serpent whose skin and scales were camouflaged with the khaki green grass.
HISSSSSS!!!!
The rattling of the serpent's angry jaws as it stretched out its purple tongue in my direction. The colour of its tongue tells me this snake is dangerous, even if it doesn't look like a typical snake. Before the enormous serpent could get too high for me to leap off, I jumped off.
In an effort to escape the imminent threat, I dove headfirst into the mazelike interior of this primordial jungle. The further I ran, the more mystical and spellbinding it became. A paper mantis that looked foldable like origami paper, monkeys with fists on the end of their tails, a gigantic elephant with a turtle shell, and exotic fishes painted in vivid colours all walk on four legs.
This doesn’t seem like heaven or hell? Am I on drugs? Where are my parents, now that I think about it? They were also involved in a car crash, and shockingly, they shielded me, but this was most likely due to father's need for a successor to his company. I remember the final words my father uttered to me ringing in my head as soon as I thought of that.
“Have you ever seen me and your mother ever loving each other?”
Screw them. But I also need to figure out where I am so I don't screw myself. Suddenly, I tripped on a root that was growing from the ground, forcing me to fall and roll over the ground.
"Argh! Damn it. "I hope no one witnessed that." I muttered to myself.
"Don't worry, were not going to laugh"
Huh? Could that be someone else's voice? To my astonishment, a gang of monstrous beings perched precariously on the boughs of a nearby tree caught my eye. The gang included a peculiar being that wore cargo pants, a man-like physique with less than 5% body fat, a feline face, and a strong jawline equipped with formidable fangs at the very tip of its tail. The length and shape of its whiskers gave the impression that it possessed a mind of its own, as they wiggled around elegantly. Brown caramel fur covered its entire body, which bore several scars.
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“A talking cat?!” I blurted out loud again.
“A cat? What the hell is that?” The cat-like being arched an eyebrow in response.
A little, round, blob-like thing wearing a red cap backwards, lands before me as it leaps off the branch where the gang of monsters are. Its colour is ultramarine blue. Its features included two stubby arms, a pair of red feet, and two oval eyes framed by greenish pupils. The spherical creature was already adorable, but the addition of fish barbels to its face just made it more so.
"Leave this puny human to me, Jaspa," the blue blob stated in a tone similar to someone inhaling helium gas, referring to the cat-like creature.
"Get out of the way, you useless blob," Jaspa yelled, booting the blue blob as he ricocheted through the jungle trees.
I didn't even notice the Jaspa creature move from the trees; it was as if he reappeared in front of me the minute I blinked.
"Alright human, strip."
The three words that Jaspa uttered left me befuddled.
"Strip? Why should I-" CRUNCH!
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" a frantic scream erupted from my lungs as Jaspa's man-eating tail pierced my shoulder.
"Why are you doing this?!" I cried out in agony.
"It's because you're human." Jaspa stated this while giving me a look that reminded me of how my parents looked at me.
I was naked from head to toe a few minutes later, while I covered my private parts with my left hand and held onto my left shoulder that was bitten earlier with my right hand. I could feel the chilly breeze caressing against my exposed skin as I trembled in horror.
What exactly is going on? Is it true that I'm in hell? But I don't believe I've done anything bad on earth. Why is this happening to me?
"What should I do Jaspa?" As he hurried to Jaspa, the blue blob quickly jumped back up on his feet.
"Hey, you guys, take him to the shadow world," Jaspa stated as he completely ignored the blue blob.
Shadow world?
The remaining anthropomorphic beasts descended from the trees and encircled me. Are they planning to kill me? They claimed they were bringing me somewhere else. The shadow world—what is it? All of a sudden, the three humanoid monsters that had been encircling me began to shift their shadows and form a circle beneath me. It was as if the round shadow had become quicksand, and I started to sink into it.
As I sink farther into the shadow, my body is enveloped in it, forgetting the pain that was inflicted on me, and the world around me grows black and empty. As I plummet, I witness an infinite number of distorted, floating staircases that seem to go on forever; purple flames illuminate them from all directions splashing iris and neon violet lights across the terrain. As I gaze upon the innumerable floating islands, each perched on a greyish cloud that generates purple static electricity, I can't help but feel as if I'm actually in the outer space.
“HUUUURAAAAAAAAHHHHH!”
A mighty rumble resounded from below, as if a legion of Spartans were preparing to launch an attack. Upon looking below, I saw a massive stadium populated with various monstrous creatures. As if it were a game, two monsters on opposite sides of the arena, and both of these monsters have an individual human wielding weapons fighting for their cause, as they state commands to them to follow. While still falling I observed the savage fighting between the humans, who appeared fatigued, battered, and dressed in shabby clothes, the monster spectators let forth howls and chants.