Chapter 8

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Gasping loudly, he opened his eyes while sitting upwards from his slumber, not from the nightmare or any voices whispering to his ears. No, it was the overwhelming sounds of his surroundings that had completely taken his attention elsewhere.

Sitting upwards, his eyes scanned around the new environment he was in; the morning green grass with small hills stretched across the eye could be seen while mountains filled the horizon. He could also feel the light of the sun shining down on him and the cool breeze on his face.

Seeing the lushness and freshness of nature around him, Seth would be in panic about being transported to a different place once again, but it didn't happen; instead, he felt the peace and tranquility of his new surroundings that he entered himself into.

Slowly getting up with his holy crucifix still in his right hand, he sighed in relief to know that he still had his only source of comfort as he gazed down at his current attire. He is still wearing the same brown robe that he has worn ever since being forcibly transported into another world.

However, his attention is not on his troubling thoughts but more on the present moment: "How did I get here?" Seth remembered that he was asleep on the bed, that is, until somehow being here all of a sudden, "Why am I in a different place?" Raising his eyebrow with a curious look.

In a logical sense, he would believe himself to be dreaming, as it is not outlandish to think that people can experience very vivid dreams after falling asleep. So in that way, he can simply ignore this as a lucid dream, but unfortunately, that is not the case.

Every detail is far too realistic—the sensations, the sights, and the sounds—all of them are so clear and distinct that they felt like he's not actually in control of his own body, like his puppet being manipulated by an unknown force as he stumbled back at his own feet.

"Why am I not terrified?" Looking down at his hands with the crucifix being held tightly, Seth's expression turned to perplexity when he realized that he was not having a panic attack, which is a surprising occurrence considering how fearful he usually is.

"What's going on?"

He doesn't know anymore; the dreadful feelings that always occupied him behind his back have disappeared since he was transported into this strange place. Perhaps it's better to see what's going on than idling here in a confused state.

Because if he isn't feeling awful or worried when exposed to the elements of this environment, then he knows in his heart that this place isn't dangerous. With a heavy heart, he made the choice to walk forward, hoping to find out where he ended up and how he got there in the first place.

Stumbling out of his spot, Seth inhaled the refreshing air and stared out into the vast fields. He was awestruck by the beautiful view and felt a sense of calm and peace. He then began walking among the rolling green hills and gazing at his surroundings.

Birds—lots of them—began to sing their sweet songs while the green pastures were being swayed by the calm wind, the sun gently bathing the countryside in its rays. It was so surreal but pleasant at the same time. He didn't realize it, but Seth was smiling with a serene expression on his face, happy to see nature in its prime.

Kneeling down to get a closer look, he carefully touched the soft green grass, experiencing a sensation of tranquility. "I have never seen nature up close like this before." He mumbled to himself quietly as his eyes fixed on the field ahead of him.

"Grass..." He had never seen one up close; he only heard of them in the past, long ago, when the global cooling didn't happen, turning the earth into a frozen wasteland of ice and snow, "amazing," and taking pleasure in the feeling of the plants being softly touched by his fingers.

Standing up, he looks up at the blue sky as small clouds separate from the vast, light blue atmosphere. This is truly peaceful, the boy thought while admiring the view that he would never tire of seeing. This place is safe and comforting.

This feels like heaven, a place where people can enjoy life in tranquility and harmony with family and friends, having not felt such a feeling for years. It's like an emotional bomb that Seth didn't notice until he arrived here in mysterious circumstances.

Its so warm, everything is; like a burning candle that shines through darkness, giving hope to those who lose faith in the world, as his eyes became teary to see such magnificent beauty for the first time in his life. This place is heaven on earth in itself.

Dropping his cross, he knelt down once again with his knees touching the moving grass as tears dropped out from his eyes, covering his face with hands as the emotions were being bottled up in himself until they burst open like a geyser, crying his heart out in full-blown sobs.

"Is this... is this really happening to me?" Crying in euphoria while not understanding what is happening to him, "it's just..." His voice quivered and shook, making the boy continue weeping in this state. "So..." It was almost impossible for him to make any coherent sentences with how hard he's blubbering like a small child.

He is so overcome with emotions that it was not possible to utter any word without stumbling on every syllable; it was as if someone was choking him from the inside when his throat tightened every second that went on, leaving him speechless from being trapped in this blissful world.

The firm but gentle wind continued to blow as his hair swayed to its rhythm, and the song of birds' filled his ears like music that echoed throughout the skies. It was truly a wondrous sight to behold, feeling alive after feeling isolated in a brutal world full of suffering, pain, deaths, and cruelty.

It is this wonderful environment that Seth found himself in, a place where he can relax and enjoy life with nature without worrying about anything else aside from what is important, slowly allowing his hands to become limp on the sides while sobbing with mixed sniffing noises.

The tears continue to roll down his eyes while he thinks back to his time with the kind priest, one of the only happiest memories he has, and it was all gone. His father figure is dead, and the one person who understood him more than anyone was taken from his life. "Father, I'm sorry," Seth's voice cracked, "for being so weak." Crying even more, he could not stop the sobs that wracked through his body or the tears that poured from his eyes. "I'm so sorry; please forgive me."

Smell suddenly enters his nostrils, immediately noticing the sweet aroma that reminded him of freshly baked bread and cooked meat. "Uh...?" Wiping away his tears with a sleeve, he stood up in a confused expression and said, "Something smells good." Inhaling deeply through his nose, Seth tried to make out what it was.

It was a familiar smell, a scent that he doesn't know all too well but something that he can connect to; perhaps there is a town or village nearby that he can visit to explore it. "Where is this coming from?" Inhaling once more, his eyes looked down at his cross on the ground that he had dropped earlier.

The crucifix was glimmering in and out with a bright holy radiance that resembled the sunlight—a mystifying display of yellow colors that enthralled Seth's attention like moth to flame. Slowly bending down, he picked it up while staring at the object with wide eyes.

He had never seen his beloved cross glow like that before; it was always the same, not holding any significance other than being a weaponized holy instrument. But now, this is different for some reason; something must've been affecting it in ways that he doesn't understand.

He was confused but not frightened or worried; he was just wondering what was going on in the first place. In the end, his mind was filled with curiosity over this unusual phenomenon as his eyes looked back at the bright cross. Trying to find a reason for this unusual phenomenon.

As he continued looking at it, the alluring smell continued to grow stronger, surprising him as he looked around to find the source of it, his head frantically turning in all directions to find the location. Seth wanted to figure out what it was, but he couldn't detect where it was coming from.

Even in the far distances, not a single person responsible for the source is found. Only a vast scenery of rolling green fields and blue skies meets his eyes—nothing more than what is in front of him. "Maybe I should just go around..." He wondered in curiosity as he moved in a random direction.

Walking aimlessly while heading towards an unknown destination, he felt the holy instrument becoming lighter and more pleasant to hold, something he noticed while following his sense of smell. However, it didn't take long for him to encounter a hilltop.

When he reached the summit, he found himself standing on top of a hill and overlooking the world below him, which was filled with more fields and birds flying about. He took in the sight of the vast scenery as his gaze wandered all across the land.

But soon his eyes noticed something rather perpendicular: a figure of a woman in a yellow flower dress and hat standing far away from his spot but nonetheless directly looking at him, waving her hand to greet him with a beautiful smile that made Seth blush lightly. "W-who is that?" Muttering with a shy voice, unsure what to make of this strange person who had appeared out of nowhere in his vicinity,

At first, he wanted to run away from her, as Seth always does whenever he meets a person in strange places, but something about that woman brings him comfort—a weird feeling that he doesn't understand nor grasp in the slightest.

"It wouldn't hurt to see what she wants from me," he said in a low tone, not seeing the woman as a threat anymore because of how she appeared nice and friendly. "Maybe she can help me explain why I'm even here in the first place." His voice speaks of shyness and a growing need to have an answer.

Inhaling and exhaling heavily, Seth took several careful steps towards the woman from the hill and decided that talking to her wouldn't cause any harm since the mysterious woman wasn't holding any weapons. However, his mind was on edge the entire time, and his heart was nervously pumping like crazy.

Socialization isn't really his thing. Seth knew that she might be friendly, but he also knew that looks can be deceiving. But for some reason, his footsteps weren't hesitant in walking towards the person; it was as if he was excited to meet her like an old friend or acquaintance, which is odd since the boy was normally against these interactions with people due to his fear and social anxieties.

As he finally reached the ground, he noticed how far the lady was from here, giving a short reflection of himself on whether doing all this effort was even worth it in the first place. He was shy, nervous, and afraid of being judged by my people again.

This is how he is: always dreading being in a crowd of people when it's overwhelming for him; he feels small and insignificant, as if the entire world is against him in some way or form. Being the timid weakling that he always is, he is quite pathetic from many people's perspectives, which is partially true in that regard.

Glancing down at his crucifix, it's still glowing like crazy, but this time it's in a permanent state of luminescence, giving him some comfort despite how strange it is for some reason. Placing his focus back on the stranger, Seth pushed the nagging fear away and headed towards her with caution.

She was still waving at him, never moving in her spot as her eyes were always shut closed, not even opening them in the slightest. Causing Seth to wonder if the woman has a strange condition or perhaps that's what her personality is.

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