Way Back

The moon was getting higher, it was in the middle of the night sky. It was getting dark around there with trees spaced and the ground snowing.

Neman looked around, the dark forest, the quiet atmosphere, made Neman shiver. Neman returned his gaze to Vania who had walked quite a distance from him.

Neman was afraid of the atmosphere there, he did not dare to walk alone in the cold dark snow forest. Neman also walked a little faster towards Vania, the footsteps of his shoes make a footprints on snow.

Vania realized that Neman chose to follow her. They both walk side by side.

"Hey, four eyes," Neman called Vania disrespectfully.

Vania is fed up with Neman, she hastened her way.

"Sorry sorry, umm, I mean, Vania. Your name is Vania, right?"

"What?" Vania responded briefly.

"Where are you going?"

Vania paused a bit when Neman asked her again. "I want to go home."

"But, how?" asked Neman.

"I retrace the path I took earlier, I want to go back to where I fell earlier."

Neman looked around the place with hidden fear. "By the way, are you not afraid, of the atmosphere here?" Neman didn't want anyone to know that he was very afraid of mystical things like ghosts.

"No, why should I be afraid."

"Yes, yes, why must be afraid," Neman chuckled while seeing around.

"You're scared huh?"

"Huh? I'm scared? Of course I'm not." Neman spoke the lie, he was so scared, he just tried to keep it a secret.

As the two of them walked, they were close to the cave that Neman had pointed out as a hiding place. Suddenly a strange squeaking sound came from inside the cave, Neman felt a little scared.

Several bats came out of the cave. Neman who witnessed that glared and gulped his saliva instantly. He was relieved that the sound that frightened him was the sound of several bats.

Vania noticed the expression on Neman's face that seemed afraid, Vania smirked when she saw that. Neman didn't notice that Vania smirked at him when he looked scared.

They both walked back towards the previous direction.

After walking for a while, Neman re-opened a chat with Vania. "You're a very quiet person."

Vania did not respond again, she chose to continue walking with a view that continued to stare ahead.

"Eh, Vania," said Neman, "I'm sorry, because I yelled at you earlier."

Neman is confused about what actually happened why he could fall here. "Eh, tell me, how did we can fall to here, and also tell me why you threw me into the abyss, but said you wanted to save me."

Vania's annoyance melted a little when she heard Neman apologize to her, but Vania still hated her for what she did in the past.

"I don't intend to kill you even though you often bully me. I threatened you earlier because I wanted you to stop bothering other people," answered Vania. "Before we were fall to the abyss, I saw you walking alone into the high cliff, I called you and you didn't answer, that's why I helped. When I managed to help you, we were already on the edge of the abyss."

"Oh I see, it turns out I was sleep walking again."

Vania turned her gaze towards Neman as she continued to walk forward with a limp, "Before this, did you ever sleep walking without realizing again?"

"Yes, I have, maybe several times," replied Neman. "Even, some are the worst."

Vania is interested in Neman's story. "Worse because of what?"

"Well, I used to sleep while walking, then, when I realized I was on the side of the road, there were some people there who asked me how I was," said Neman who was walking, while looking up at the ceiling to remember the story he had told. "I think, I almost died by a truck that time."

Vania was surprised to hear Neman's story, her eyebrows raised up. "Did you have any injuries at that time?"

"Nope. But people were worried about me at that time."

The two of them continued to walk under the bright moon, past the snowy ground with a view of the pine trees in the distance.

Suddenly, Vania make a little laugh when she remembered Neman's story earlier.

Neman was wonder, when he see Vania laughing for no reason after a few minutes of silence as them walked forward. "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

"Sorry, sorry, I heard it was funny when you almost got hit by a truck-kun, it make me remember the anime that entered the world of isekai after being hit by a truck-kun."

"Eww, you're a weeb, huh," Neman chuckled, smiling. "By the way, what's the fun about watching Japanese cartoons?"

"Many of their stories are cool, just watch it later."

Neman was curious about Vania's previous statement. "Hey, what happens if an anime person gets hit by a truck?"

"They will move to isekai," explained Vania.

Neman was confused and curious. "Isekai? What is it?"

"Isekai is a kind of different world from ours, the setting is like the earth too, but it's a kind of imitation. Sometimes the isekai in anime has a beautiful place. Anime characters who enter isekai will usually have a different appearance from their real bodies, and sometimes there are also who still has the same body and entered the isekai."

Neman was curious about Vania's story, "You mean, after being hit by a truck, a Japanese cartoon character will enter Isekai? So, isekai is the afterlife of a Japanese cartoon character?"

"No, it's not like that, I'm confused, don't know how to explain. The point is, it's like come to another worlds, but still living ..."

While Vania was explaining, Neman stare ahead. Suddenly, Neman pulled Vania's hand by force, Neman took Vania behind a tree to hide.

"Wha—"

Neman cupped Vania's mouth with his left hand. Vania was surprised by Neman's behavior.

There was the sound of the footsteps of a four-legged animal running, coming from three wolves who were about to go in the opposite direction from Neman and Vania's wanna go to.

Neman tightened his left hand even more as the wolf got closer.

Neman's left hand stinks, making Vania even more breathless. Vania held Neman's left hand with both hands, aiming to remove Neman's hand from his mouth.

Neman glared at Vania with his brows furrowed down, "Shhh." Neman partially covered his lips with an erect index finger.

One of the wolves stopped, sensing something was wrong with the surrounding area, his mouth chattered.

'What da dog doing?' Neman thought in wonder.

With a slow way, the wolf drew closer to the tree where the two of them were hiding. While the other two wolves had run away, that wolf was the only one there to check.

Vania glared when she realized that a wolf was approaching them.

AWUUU!!!

A wolf howl was heard some distance away. Without thinking, that wolf again ran in the opposite direction from Neman and Vania's wanna go to.

After the wolf had gone away, Neman removed his left hand from Vania's lips slowly, then checked the surroundings to see if it was safe. After checking around and feeling safe, Neman continued his way. "Let's go."

Neman walked faster in front. Vania followed Neman from behind at a slow pace because her legs still hurt.

Time has passed, Neman and Vania have walked for quite a while, lost in the middle of a darkening snowy forest.

Neman looked at the clock on his left wrist. His watch showed it was 7:10 am in the morning.

Neman is confused about the clock hands that don't match the surroundings. On his watch it was showing morning, but the surroundings were still pitch black like still at midnight.

Neman took the cellphone that he kept in his right trouser pocket, he compared the cellphone clock and his watch which had a time difference of 1(one) minute. "Huh?!" Neman was surprised for a moment he looking at his cellphone screen.

"Hey, you, come here," Neman called.

Vania drew closer to Neman, following his orders.

"Look, it's already seven o'clock at this hour, but why is the light still dark?"

Neman showed his cell phone to Vania while still holding it.

Vania also pays attention to the clock on Neman's cellphone screen which shows 07.10 am in the morning. For a moment she thought. "Before I went into the forest and met you, I checked my friend's watch, and it was 3:00 am."

After looking at Neman's watch, Vania realize and remembered something. "After i thinking, we fell and walked all the way to here, and it took about four hours, the sun should have risen by now."

Vania was worried when she realize about it. Without thinking, Vania walked back towards the previous direction with an accelerated tempo of movement, even though her legs still hurt so she had to walk while limping.