Chapter 70: Everything is Green

Chapter 70: Everything is Green

William thought he had grabbed onto something solid, but after he lifted himself into the thick blanket of leaves, he saw that all his hand was resting on were the leaves themselves. His grip on the tree’s trunk tightened exponentially in fear of falling through.

He wrapped his arms around the trunk and reached out with his foot to lightly step on the floor made of leaves, frowning when it felt like it was solid. He dug his fingers into the grooves of the trunk to ensure it wouldn’t slip before using all of his strength to stomp his foot in the same spot.

There was a dull thump from the foot landing firmly on the tightly packed leaves, but other than that, nothing happened. William couldn’t even see an imprint of his boot on the leafy floor. He had no idea how this was possible when that was almost the exact spot where he had climbed into this area. In fact, most of these leaves had nothing supporting them underneath. No thick branches, and now that William thought about it, the leaf floor seemed to just... exist. As if it was separate from the trees themselves.This chapter was first shared on the Ñøv€lß1n platform.

And speaking of the area, he had been too fascinated with how the leaves acted like a solid platform to pay much attention to his surroundings. Something that infuriated William while also making him wonder when it would bite him in the ass.

He shook his head and focused on examining the surroundings. Much like the forest below, it was surprisingly well-lit, considering there was a ceiling made of leaves that looked identical to the floor. Or was it not surprising because of the similarity? Either way, it would take another climb of twenty-ish meters to reach the ceiling, but he was in no rush to do so.

William noticed that all the trees he had seen below were also here, with their trunks extending past the leafy ceiling. However, there wasn’t much present other than that.

Compared to the forest floor, this place was... dead. Other than the sounds William caused himself by moving his hands on the trunk or his feet stepping on the leaves, it was utterly silent. William swore that he could hear his own heart beating if he paid close enough attention, and it was starting to beat faster.

He tried to shake off the sudden nerves before realizing he might be stuck in this place. If a full-powered stomp did nothing to mark the leafy floor, there was almost no hope of returning to the forest. There was the option to use his Impact Boots, but even if it did work, all it would accomplish was falling to his death.

Before his thoughts could spiral out of control even more, William tried something simple before falling into the rising panic. He simply attempted to retrace his steps with the way he climbed up. William didn’t see how it could work since the spot where he stomped his foot was only inches away from the trunk.

However, his eyes grew wide when his foot sank into the leaves. William didn’t stop to wonder why and carefully climbed down, a broad smile on his face when his whole body was out of that leafy hell. He let go of the trunk and jumped onto a platform-like branch before letting out a strained chuckle.

William’s first few steps were slow, wary of experiencing a sudden free fall, but when that never happened, the slow steps quickly changed into sprinting. Though, it wasn’t quite an all-out sprint. He was still trying to be mindful of new dangers that might be hidden in this strange place.

Surprisingly, to William’s happiness, there was no danger to be seen. Just an endless green floor, a similar ceiling, and the massive tree trunks that acted like pillars with significant gaps in between.

The only thing that accompanied William was the sound of his own breathing, the slight movement of his feet landing on the leaves, and his rapidly beating heart. It felt like his thoughts were repeating to fill in the complete silence. He didn’t stop until he could sense the fatigue creeping up on him. He moved to the closest tree trunk to lean on and rest.

William took deep breaths, trying to keep it as silent as possible while staring in the general direction he ran from. If that thing followed him up, there was no way it could move about silent enough that he couldn’t detect it. Not with how quiet this place was.

When William could hear nothing that suggested danger was nearby, that should have been enough to finally let his mind rest. However, something was niggling in the back of his mind, warning him that this place still wasn’t as safe as it seemed.

Maybe it was his already present uneasiness at the eerie quiet, but he was quick to accept that feeling and listen to his impulse.

William could either climb back down to the forest or see what could be beyond the leafy ceiling. Both were similar risks since he had no idea what was waiting for him on either side.

He wanted to wait until he recovered most of his stamina, but he thought he caught the slightest of movements in the distance. It wasn’t the Draebern, that he was sure of since the movement came from one of the tree trunks in the distance. William thought it looked a little greener in color compared to the dark brown trees that seemed far more common. Still, at this distance, it could simply be the color of the green leaves that made up the floor and the ceiling tricking his eyes.

That didn’t mean William would stay here and hope he was right that it was a trick. He immediately tried to climb down to the forest, but cursed loudly in sheer panic when his feet met a solid floor. He tried a couple more times to see if there was another spot that would allow him to leave, but they all had the same result.

Since climbing down wasn’t an option, William would see if he would have better luck climbing up. All he knew was that there was no way he would be staying here. Perhaps he could find a better environment to relax until enough time passed.