After exchanging farewells, Bora and Tara soon disappeared into the night.
Charlie and I remained outside for a short while, watching them leave before eventually turning around and heading back inside.
The moment we stepped through the entrance, the familiar warmth and noise of the inn greeted us once again. Although the establishment remained busy, the atmosphere had changed slightly compared to earlier in the evening. A number of customers had already left, leaving several empty tables scattered throughout the main hall. Even so, laughter and conversation still echoed from every corner of the building, while servers continued weaving between tables carrying trays filled with food and drinks.
Making our way to the counter, we rented a room for the night and received a key from the innkeeper. Once the brief exchange was finished, we headed toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
The further we climbed, the quieter our surroundings became.
The lively sounds from the main hall gradually faded into the background until they became little more than a distant murmur. In their place came the occasional creak of old wooden floorboards and the faint rustling of movement from behind closed doors.
Following the numbers marked beside the rooms, we eventually arrived at our destination and unlocked the door.
The room waiting inside was small and simple.
A single bed occupied most of the available space, leaving only enough room for a narrow walkway between the furniture. Beside the bed stood a modest wooden table, while a lone window overlooked the street below. Apart from those few furnishings, the room contained very little else.
It was hardly luxurious, but for travelers seeking a place to spend the night, it was more than sufficient.
Fortunately, neither Charlie nor I were particularly concerned about comfort.
I walked over and dropped onto the bed while Charlie spread a blanket across the floor nearby.
Before long, the room fell quiet.
Faint sounds from the inn below drifted through the floorboards, accompanied by the occasional murmur from the streets outside. Yet even those noises gradually faded into the background as exhaustion settled over me.
Lying back against the bed, I closed my eyes and allowed the exhaustion of the day to wash over me. Sleep came surprisingly quickly, and before I knew it, my consciousness slowly drifted away into darkness.
---
I found myself standing in a place unlike anything I had ever seen before. Vast fields of emerald-green grass stretched endlessly in every direction, swaying gently beneath a pleasant breeze. The air carried a faint fragrance from countless flowers scattered throughout the landscape, while warm sunlight bathed the world in a comforting glow.
In the distance stood a magnificent city filled with elegant structures whose designs seemed both unfamiliar and strangely captivating. Their towering silhouettes rose toward the sky, radiating a sense of harmony that was difficult to put into words. Surrounding them were countless trees unlike any I had seen before, their colorful leaves shimmering softly beneath the sunlight.
Far beyond the city, a massive waterfall descended from a distant mountain, its waters glistening like liquid crystal as they flowed toward the plains below.
For several moments, I simply stood there in silence.
Everything felt beautiful.
Not merely beautiful to the eye, but peaceful in a way that seemed to reach deep into my heart. The air felt unusually fresh, and every breath filled me with a sense of calm I had never experienced before. Even the energy permeating the surroundings felt different, carrying a gentle warmth that made the entire world seem vibrant and alive.
If someone told me this was heaven, I would have found it difficult to doubt them.
Without realizing it, I found myself slowly walking forward, unable to stop admiring the breathtaking scenery around me.
Everything around me appeared perfect. The magnificent city in the distance, the endless fields stretching toward the horizon, the towering trees swaying gently in the breeze, and the crystal-clear waters flowing from the distant mountains all seemed to exist in complete harmony.
Then everything changed..!
Without warning, the ground beneath my feet began to tremble. What started as a faint vibration quickly grew stronger, causing the earth itself to shake violently. A deafening roar suddenly echoed across the landscape, shattering the peaceful silence that had filled the world moments earlier. The sound was so overwhelming that it seemed as though the very heavens were collapsing.
My eyes widened in shock.
The elegant buildings that had stood proudly beneath the sunlight began collapsing one after another. Towering structures crumbled as enormous chunks of stone crashed toward the ground. The distant waterfall disappeared behind rising clouds of dust and debris, while the once-clear sky seemed to darken before my eyes.
Cracks spread across the earth like enormous scars.
The ground split apart in countless places, tearing through fields, rivers, and roads alike. Flames burst upward from the depths below, devouring everything in their path. The beautiful scenery that had seemed so eternal only moments ago was being destroyed before my eyes.
Within moments, the peaceful paradise had transformed into a living nightmare.
Panic surged through me as I stared at the collapsing world around me.
"What is happening?"
The question escaped my mouth almost instinctively, but no answer came. The world offered only the deafening sounds of destruction as the chaos continued to spread. If anything, the situation only grew worse with each passing moment.
The earth continued splitting apart as enormous cracks spread across the landscape, swallowing everything in their path. Buildings collapsed into ruin, flames rose toward the darkening sky, and the ground shook so violently that it became difficult to remain standing.
Then the earth beneath my feet suddenly fractured.
My eyes widened as a massive crack tore through the ground directly below me. Before I could react, the land supporting me gave way entirely.
My body lost balance.
For a brief moment, I felt weightless.
Then I began falling.
Instinctively, I flailed my arms and legs, desperately trying to grab onto something, anything, that could stop my descent. Yet there was nothing. The ruined world above rapidly disappeared from sight as endless darkness swallowed everything around me. Wind howled past my ears while a feeling of helplessness gripped my chest, growing stronger with every passing second.
"Ahhh!"
My eyes snapped open.
I bolted upright on the bed, drawing in a sharp breath as my heart pounded violently against my ribs. Sweat covered my forehead, and for several moments I could only sit there breathing heavily while trying to steady myself.
The darkness of the room gradually came into focus as reality slowly returned. The familiar bed beneath me, the wooden walls surrounding the room, and the faint moonlight filtering through the window steadily replaced the images of the collapsing world from my dream.
"It was a dream..."
A long breath escaped my mouth.
"Haaa..."
Only then did I realize how tense my body had become. My heart was still pounding violently against my chest, and sweat covered my forehead despite the cool night air drifting through the room. The experience had felt disturbingly real. Even now, I could still vividly remember the beautiful landscape crumbling apart, the earth splitting beneath my feet, and the endless darkness that had swallowed me whole.
After sitting silently for several moments, I climbed out of bed and reached for the water resting nearby. The cool liquid slid down my throat, helping calm my racing thoughts and steady my breathing. Gradually, the lingering panic faded, leaving behind only a faint sense of unease.