Hotel Between Worlds

Elara found it absurd that Darian could live long-term in an "Otherworld" without realizing it but Darian thought the entire world was absurd.

"According to you, this world is full of these 'Otherworlds,' right?" Huddled in the corner of the ruined temple, Darian casually chatted with Elara in his mind. "It's just that most people can't interact with them? Because they can't observe them?"

"That's about right. But as for whether the entire world is like this... I'm not too sure," Elara replied. "The world is pretty big, after all. But at least within the bounds of 'Jie City,' the appearance rate of Otherworlds is quite high, which is why people seem to call this place something like 'the Boundary Lands'... I don't know the exact details. I've been stuck inside the painting too long, my mind's a little muddled."

"The Boundary Lands?" Darian raised an eyebrow. The name stirred a faint sense of déjà vu, but then he caught something else in her words.

She had specifically emphasized within Jie City meaning this vast, seemingly endless city... actually had an "outside."

He hesitated for a few seconds, then couldn't help but ask, "What's outside of Jie City?"

"Outside of Jie City? Maybe more cities? Or... maybe the sea or something?" Elara's reply was vague. "I really don't remember. I've been inside this painting too long. I only remember a few things about this city…"

She suddenly paused and asked, a bit puzzled, "You don't know? You've never left Jie City either?"

Darian's lips twitched, and he fell silent.

How would he know! He had only been here for two months, forget the outside of Jie City, he still hadn't figured out the bus routes four blocks from his house!

But after a long silence, he decided not to mention this. he wasn't ready to reveal this particular secret of his to a "cursed painting" he'd only just met.

"I've never been out. I'm kind of a homebody... Anyway, let's not talk about that," he brushed it off and changed the subject. "Let's focus on how to deal with my current problem. How do I get out of this so-called 'Otherworld'? By the way... is it even possible to leave an Otherworld?"

Elara was quiet for a moment, seemingly trying to sort through her fragmented memories, chaotic after being sealed for so long. After quite some time, she finally responded, "There are many types of Otherworlds. Sometimes it might just be a house that doesn't exist on any map. Sometimes it's an extra platform on a bus line. Sometimes it might even be a forest, or a realm behind a wardrobe door. basically, smaller Otherworlds usually have relatively fixed and obvious exits, or they follow certain rules that allow you to return to reality. But the larger the Otherworld, the more complicated things get."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "I don't remember too many specifics. There's supposed to be a whole classification system for Otherworlds, and something like 'depth levels' and 'danger levels'... but honestly, I've been in that painting too long…"

Her voice gradually lowered, sounding a bit disheartened.

Darian had been about to complain, this doll had rattled off a whole bunch of stuff but remembered nothing actually useful but after hearing her soft murmur at the end, he closed his mouth and didn't snap back like before.

She really was trying her best to help. she had just been sealed away for far too long.

"We'll find a way out. There's always an exit," Darian shook his head and looked out toward the valley beyond the ruined temple. "This place seems pretty large. At the very least, I can see mountains on both sides and a forest in the distance. If what you're saying is true, getting out... might not be so easy."

"Yeah," Elara replied softly. "You can start by searching around your original 'entry point', the place you first arrived after entering the Otherworld. Look for anything that feels out of place with the surroundings. something that immediately makes you think it doesn't belong there. Usually, the exit to an Otherworld will be nearby. If there's nothing around, find a higher place. See if you can spot any reflections like a mirror or hear a continuous wind sound...

"But even if you find something like that, don't touch it recklessly. It might be a trap leading to a 'deeper layer.' I can't say for sure. You'll have to rely on your instincts."

"My instincts?" Darian couldn't help but ask.

"...Yeah. Strictly speaking, what it requires is 'inspiration' a kind of spiritual intuition. Trained investigators can develop this kind of perception I know you've never trained, but there's no other option now. You'll have to tough it out.

"But don't worry too much. Spirituality exists in all sentient beings. Even untrained people have it, it's just never been awakened. If you focus, you will feel those warnings and premonitions that come from your core self. And if you really run into something you can't figure out, just tell me. I'll... do my best to help."

Darian agreed, slowly stepping out from the corner where he had been hiding, cautiously making his way toward the entrance of the ruined temple. That unsettling feeling of being watched and the gnawing sense of hunger still lingered around him. It had even seeped into the very air, becoming part of the valley itself but he forced himself to move forward anyway.

Because based on Elara's information, he had to find an "exit" as soon as possible to get out of this place. no door was going to open for him if he just sat in a corner and waited.

And at the same time, probably to distract himself from the rising tension, he kept chatting with Elara in that half-casual, half-serious tone.

"You said the place I've been living in is an 'Otherworld.' How did you figure that out? I never felt anything weird about my house…"

"I could sense it," Elara replied. "It's that 'inspiration' I mentioned. I could clearly feel something was off about the building even though it all looks perfectly normal on the surface... I don't know why that is."

"More of that intuition, huh…" Darian shook his head. "So basically, every day when I go home, I'm stepping into an Otherworld, and every time I go out the door, I'm leaving it. Sounds like my house is a free-entry, non-lethal 'friendly Otherworld.'"

After a couple of seconds, Elara spoke again, her voice soft and slow, "...But walking out the door doesn't necessarily mean you'll arrive where you intended to go, does it?"

Darian's expression stiffened. He suddenly remembered exactly why he had ended up stuck in this place.

He might finally know what's wrong with his "home."

Come to think of it, the fact that he had lived peacefully in that big house for two whole months... was a miracle in itself!

As they spoke, he had already returned to the clearing in front of the ruined temple. his original "entry point" when he first arrived in this Otherworld.

"I didn't find anything," Darian said after carefully inspecting the area around the clearing and confirming there was no "out-of-place key object" like the kind Elara had described. "Looks like it really won't be that easy."

"Yeah, not surprising," Elara sighed. "Then try walking further out, but remember don't touch anything that glows or suddenly starts moving in front of you. And unless it's absolutely necessary, don't eat or drink anything in the Otherworld…"

"I know… Though wouldn't it be better to wait until daylight to search?" Darian glanced up at the sky above, which seemed to be perpetually shrouded in a murky veil. "Wandering around outside at night just feels creepy."

"The Otherworld often defies common sense. Daytime doesn't necessarily mean it's safer or even that there will be a daytime," Elara replied immediately. "I still suggest you find an exit as soon as possible. The longer you delay, the more likely things will change on your side."

Darian curled his lips in frustration and had no choice but to walk further away.

And just as he stepped beyond the bounds of the ruined temple, a sound... reached his ears.

At first, it was merely a faint, indistinct breath.

Darian instinctively turned toward the source of the sound and saw a wisp of white mist slowly dispersing in the air, as if some invisible beast had just exhaled a cloud of stale breath.

He heard the sound, and thus the beast's breath came into being.

He saw the mist, and thus the beast's presence began to take form.

A black shadow emerged in the air, nearly three times Darian's size, slowly taking shape in front of him, accompanied by heavy breathing.

Now, he could see the beast's outline - the beast existed.

Darian's heart clenched in an instant. An overwhelming sense of danger came crashing down on him, even more suffocating than the pressure that frog had exerted back in the rain!

And in the moment he felt that intense fear, the shadow solidified.

It was something Darian had never seen before, was it a bear? A lion? An eagle? A tiger? A snake? Countless grotesque, bizarre, and vaguely familiar limbs were jumbled together on a massive, hideous ball of flesh. It was like several wild beasts had been melted together in a single pot, fused into a monstrous mass, and crawled out from within. This nauseating, horrifying creature supported its massive body with swollen limbs of various shapes and sizes as it loomed over Darian. And in its chaotically layered eyes… was nothing but hunger.

Darian slowly lifted his head and met the beast's gaze.

Without hesitation, the creature lunged at him and in the split second before impact, Darian dropped his body low, narrowly dodging one of the beast's gaping, bloodstained maws.

Only to fall into its other gaping mouth.

The savage jaws snapped shut, and half of Darian's body was instantly torn apart. Yet in that moment, the searing pain strangely faded into a distant, numbing illusion. Everything around him seemed to slow down. He saw another snake-like limb stretch out behind the beast, another massive mouth biting into what was left of his torso, he saw his own heart.

It throbbed slowly… then disappeared into the snake's mouth.

"F*** you!" Darian roared one last curse from the depths of his throat. He knew he was dying again, but he refused to go down without a fight.

While he still had the last bit of strength left in his muscles, he twisted his head and sank his teeth into whatever part of the beast was closest to him. he didn't know what part it was, didn't care if it would help at all, only that his teeth sank deep into the creature's flesh.

If he was dying, he'd at least tear off a piece of it.

Darian poured all of his remaining strength into that final bite. He gnawed at the beast, and the beast gnawed at him, blood and flesh, claws and fangs, prey and predator...

And just before his consciousness faded into complete darkness, a final thought surfaced in Darian's mind. he softly called out to Elara, far away in some unknown place:

"Elara…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing really, just... I'll hang up now."

Elara froze, caught off guard.

And then Darian was gone.

(End of Chapter)

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