We survived

A vast green grassy slope, immensely wide, spanning the size of hundreds of billions of football fields. At its center stood a towering pillar, as thick as dozens of mountains, with a dark green color. It stretched endlessly into the sky, resembling a support for the heavens, with dense mist surrounding its highest visible point.

With a thunderous, flowing roar resembling that of thunder, it hinted at the presence of massive waterfalls.

They couldn't see what was beside the towering pillar due to the vast distance, but they could guess that a lot of activity was happening there.

"Is this... heaven?" Julian opened his eyes, mesmerized by the breathtaking view before him.

"At last, a vast, open space," Hinako exhaled in relief.

She had spent what felt like endless 'hours' trapped in a suffocating forest, where the overwhelming density of trees not only blocked their vision but seemed to cloud their thoughts and stifle their ability to make decisions.

"It was right in front of us all along, but we just couldn't find it," Julian said as he stepped forward, his eyes wide and his mouth agape in amazement.

With his first step, and already exhausted, he failed to notice the slope under him. He tripped and fell flat on his face, immediately starting to roll uncontrollably down the grassy incline, covering a great distance in mere moments.

Hinako watched him with a blank expression before calmly walking forward.

After a few minutes of walking on the grass, Julian had drifted far ahead of her, still rolling without showing any sign of slowing down.

"How..."

"long..." 

"will..."

"I keep..." 

"rolling..." 

"like..." 

"thiiiiis..."

Julian's body shook violently as he rolled, and if not for his empty stomach, he would have vomited a long time ago.

Were it not for the softness of the ground and grass, his bones would have shattered, and he might have lost his life.

After a short while, just as he was about to lose consciousness, his rolling slowed and finally stopped.

He spread his arms and legs across the ground, staring at the sky. Everything spun like a whirlwind around him, and though he was lying still, he still felt as though he were rolling.

After a long walk, Hinako finally reached his location. He was still there, recovering from his dizziness.

She ignored him and continued on her way.

With a sigh, Julian picked himself up and followed her toward their destination.

It had been a long time since they started heading toward the colossal pillar, yet it still seemed impossibly far. Even when they looked back at the peak they had descended from, it had shrunk into a tiny speck on the horizon.

"How much longer are we going to keep walking?" Julian whined like a spoiled child on the verge of tears, groaning and complaining the entire time.

'Could it be 777 steps again?' Hinako recalled the words of the handsome young man once more.

And so, she decided to start counting every step she took.

After 666 steps, the features of the land began to appear, and with 100 more steps, they saw an endless herd of animals. They were all herbivores, with no predators among them.

The closer they got, the more the place seemed to pulse with life. Despite the overwhelming number of animals, their presence felt insignificant compared to the vastness of the land.

"Is this the place that person told us about?"

The animals grazed and played joyfully with one another.

"We need to find a water source," Hinako said, her gaze shifting toward the towering pillar. "Wait!! Is that... is that a tree?"

Hinako couldn't believe her eyes.

Its trunk was as wide as mountains, and as they approached it, branches filled with lush green leaves came into view, swaying downward like long, thick hair on a light brown trunk.

"Fruits! Real fruits!" Julian ran toward the dense branches, overflowing with a variety of fruits. 

The entire trunk of the tree was covered in these bountiful branches, bursting with ripe produce.

You could even cling to the branches and climb higher to gather even more of the diverse fruits.

"They're real... they're real, and they're delicious too!" Julian began to cry as he bit into a strange, juicy purple fruit.

Hinako approached, plucked a fruit, and took a bite herself.

'It's really delicious,' 

They continued devouring the delicious fruits, and Julian was still crying tears of joy.

After tasting various delicious shapes and kinds of fruit, they sat on the ground, leaning their backs against the tree. The grassy ground beneath them was as soft as dough.

A sense of calm began to wash over them.

As long as they stayed under this tree, they wouldn't starve.

The view before them was serene—a vast green land where animals grazed peacefully under a clear blue sky.

Rustle … Rustle … Rustle.

'What was that?' Hinako's heart suddenly leapt in fear, and was about to scream.

A small, adorable reddish-brown monkey was clinging to the branches next to her, holding a white flower in its hand.

"Thank you," Hinako hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take the flower the monkey offered.

The little monkey smiled brightly, then climbed back up the tree through the branches and disappeared.

"It seems that monkey has fallen for you," Julian laughed.

Hinako ignored him, then stood up and walked around the side of the tree. The waterfall, or at least the water source, wasn't far.

The tree was terrifyingly massive, and surely the waterfall would be behind it. All they had to do was circle around it.

"Fruits aren't enough; we also need some meat," Julian said as he followed her, his gaze fixed on the grazing rams nearby.

He certainly didn't underestimate them—they could very well be as fast as lightning.

But what reassured him a little was the fact that the fruits here were edible, meaning there was a high chance the rams and deer were also natural and safe to eat.

Hinako quickened her pace, ignoring him as she moved ahead, trying to put some distance between them. She wanted to run—desperately—but doing so would make her look like an easy prey.

There was nothing around that could serve as a weapon. Even if they wanted to hunt something, it would be impossible. Not even a single stone could be found.

After walking for some time, she finally stumbled upon a precious source of water.

Seven streams of water flowed down from the towering trunk of the colossal tree. From where she stood on the ground, it was impossible to see where the water originated from, making it appear like divine waterfalls descending straight from the heavens.

The grassy ground where the water landed remained completely unaffected by the pressure—no splashes, no stray droplets, not even the sound of water meeting the earth.

"This isn't the source of that tremendous noise. They're far too small for that," Hinako thought as she approached the final stream, leaving six others between her and Julian.

After ensuring the ground was safe and the water wasn't corrosive like acid or scalding like hot oil, she stepped directly under the stream.

The water was slightly cold—not unpleasant, but refreshing.

After what felt like hours of wandering through this desolate place, teetering on the edge of death, bathing under this pristine stream was nothing short of pure bliss.

Julian stepped under the stream as well, still fully clothed. He had gotten dirty while "playing" on the grassy slope.

After washing himself briefly, he began removing his clothes to enjoy the water more freely.

Hinako glanced at him, then quickly left after drinking her fill and rehydrating her body.

'I need to stay as far away from him as possible.'

'But as long as this is the only place we can survive, we're bound to cross paths.'

'I can't find anything to defend myself with.'

Hinako was deep in thought as she wrung the water out of her clothes, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any place that might be safe for her alone.

Just as Julian was about to finish, the streams suddenly stopped. There was no sign of the water decreasing gradually—it just ceased entirely.

"What the...?" Julian looked up, confused.

"Don't tell me I'll have to find another water source now."

"Huh, Hinako's gone. Looks like she's trying to run away from me. I messed up earlier... I should've made her fall for me. With my looks and charm, no girl would reject me."

"No matter. I'll try again. She doesn't really have another choice."

Julian grabbed his clothes and started walking, following Hinako's trail.