As the ominous force pulled her downward, a girl figure descended from the sky, her voice slicing through the air. "HARUTO!" she shouted, her tone carrying an extreme boyish mannerism. The dark abyss swallowed her, and before she could plummet to the ground, a boy rushed to intervene.
In a desperate attempt to catch her, the boy extended his arms, but his strength proved insufficient. Both the boy and the girl tumbled to the ground, landing ungracefully on their bums. Amidst the chaos, the girl remained oblivious to the boy's efforts, still caught in the throes of her own distress.
The descent had taken its toll on her, as she crashed through the dense canopy of trees in the forest she ended in. Luckily, the branches softened the impact, preventing a more disastrous outcome. Despite the buffer provided by the foliage, the girl couldn't escape unscathed, her body bearing the marks of her tumultuous fall. The branches, though they lessened the blow, left her with visible signs of injury.
Shaking off the disorientation, the distressed girl gingerly pulled herself away from the boy. A mix of frustration and pain contorted her features as she punched the muddy ground beside her. "Haruta, that idiot! What was he thinking?" she muttered in a soft voice, her exasperation tinged with concern.
Her surroundings seemed unfamiliar, and panic flickered in her eyes. She scanned the area, her mind racing with uncertainty. "Wait, where am I?" she questioned herself, her fear palpable.
Noticing the boy nearby, though unable to see his face clearly, she instinctively retreated behind a nearby tree, shielding herself. Fear etched across her face, she demanded answers from the boy. "Who are you? State your demand!" she declared, her voice a mix of trepidation and assertiveness.
The boy, still trying to make sense of the situation, recognized her voice. "You!? Is this you?" he responded, his tone carrying a blend of surprise and realization.
"For now, let's go somewhere else; it's not safe here," the boy suggested, his soft manner imbued with politeness and a familiarity that put the girl at ease. Despite the strangeness of their situation, his presence exuded a sense of reassurance that prevented the girl from panicking.
As an invitation to venture into the unknown, the boy extended his hand toward the girl, who remained concealed behind the tree. She hesitated for a moment, contemplating her options, and then cautiously accepted his offer. Taking his hand, she stepped out from behind the tree.
"You must have just arrived here just now. What do you have on you? Do you have any electronics? Make sure to turn them off; you won't be able to charge them in here," the boy advised, his concern evident in his soft-spoken words. Despite the unsettling circumstances, he maintained a calm demeanor.
The girl responded, "I only have my phone on me." She reached into her pocket to retrieve it, but to her surprise, the familiar rectangular shape was absent. Instead, her hand closed around something unexpected – a hard candy, strawberry-flavored. The discrepancy momentarily puzzled her, but there was a more pressing realization awaiting her.
Looking down, she finally noticed her attire. Her eyes widened in shock as she observed that she was now wearing a skirt.
Startled by the unexpected about her clothing, the girl instinctively pulled her hands down to check for her men's jewelry. Before she could confirm, she received a warm slap from the boy. His shout cut through the air, "DAIKI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
The force of the slap caused the scarf covering the boy's face to loosen, revealing a glimpse of his neck. The girl, already in a state of shock, stared in disbelief as the scarf slipped down, exposing the face beneath.
As the scarf revealed more of the boy's face, the girl recoiled and curled into a ball position. Her mind, struggling to process the surreal turn of events, couldn't reconcile the incongruities before her. Muttering to herself, she desperately tried to grasp onto a semblance of reality. "Wake up, it's just a dream. Wake up; it's just a dream," she repeated, seeking solace in the hope that this bewildering encounter might dissolve into the fabric of her subconscious.
The boy took a deep breath, exhaling a sigh as he composed himself. "Daiki, stand up; it's not safe here. Let's go to my hideout; I'll tell you everything I know," he urged, his voice carrying a mix of urgency and reassurance.
Though still in shock, the girl, now identified as Daiki, found a glimmer of trust in the familiarity of her own name and the face she now recognized as her own. The surreal realization settled in as she slowly uncurled herself, nodding in silent agreement. Despite the lingering confusion, she decided to follow the boy.
In shock, Daiki tightened up as she observed the ghostly figure passing on the other side of the tree. As the apparition moved further away, the boy released his grip on Daiki's mouth. The moment he let go, she dropped to her knees, still reeling from the encounter. Her eyes welled up with tears as she tried to make sense of the surreal situation. "Daiki, it's a dream; you will wake up soon," she murmured to herself in an attempt to find comfort.
The boy took a deep breath before responding, "I have been here for 1i days now; it's real enough."
Daiki nodded, now realizing its somewhat not a dream as the boy reaffirmed the reality of their surroundings. He pulled her along to walk beside him, beginning to share what little he knew of this mysterious place.
"I don't know much, but let's start with what I know of this place," the boy began. As Daiki tried to process the information, she pulled her hands away from him, prompting him to stress the importance of staying close. "This forest is a dead one; you won't find animals or fruits. If you want to eat, you have to consume whatever you can find. Luckily for us, there's still water."
Daiki, visibly shocked, replied, "You have not been eating for 11 days?!" The boy, maintaining his composure, responded, "No, I've been boiling the tree branches to soften them. That's the best you can get here."
The boy continued to share his knowledge, revealing more about the nature of their surroundings. "You will find a lot of creatures here; some of them can speak a manner of English, and some act like beasts. They are not animals, though. They don't leave flesh behind when they die; instead, they turn into a form of energy," he explained.
Daiki, still grappling with the situation, mumbled, "Ah, this is too extreme." The boy emphasized, "The monsters consume each other once they attack their prey. Watch out not to encounter any of them directly." Daiki, with a hint of understanding, remarked, "Ha, so they are creatures based on energy."
Continuing his explanation, "Lastly, we are not on Earth. The forest we are on is a floating platform, disconnected from any other land. There are a few floating around. I saw one close to this one with humans on it, but I couldn't make my way to it." Daiki, now hopeful, exclaimed, "There are humans here! Let's go to them now!"
However, the boy smacked Daiki on her head, saying, "I just said that I couldn't make it myself there!"
