What Is Wrong With This Place?

"Hold on, we can talk about my stay later. What's going on with the sky? I don't think it's supposed to look like that,"

I cowered at the sight of the sky.

"That? Yeah, it happens frequently. I said this land has a lot to offer, right? Well, as you see, nothing is perfect. Even though this land is special, it also has its weaknesses."

Without even gazing at the boy, I could be sure that he wasn't shaken by the horror in front of us.

Before I had the chance to speak, lightning struck in the sky.

"We should probably get going," the boy chirped.

"Where to?" I asked him.

The boy carried the sheep and gestured for me to follow him, "Quick! It's not looking good here."

Then, a whirling column of wind touched down and caused damage in the area. The tornado was merciless; it left a huge trail of destruction on the meadow.

I followed the boy. We ran together, avoiding the horrors. He was having a hard time keeping his pace steady while carrying that sheep,

"Do you have to carry that sheep?"He was sweating a lot as we were running.

"I cherish this sheep, I don't want anything bad to happen to this fella."

It sounded silly to me. If it were a dog or a cat maybe I would understand his feeling.

"You said this thing happens frequently, is it always this bad?" I asked him.

"No, in fact, it was never this severe. I wonder if this has anything to do with you," He answered with a cold tone.

"How would I know something like that?"

His previous reply was confusing to me. He was acting very friendly and even promised me help. But, somehow I felt like he was intimidating me.

As we were getting further from the meadow, I could see a village ahead of us.

"That's our destination. It's an entry point so, it's safe."

The sky wept tears of fire, its once familiar blue swallowed by an ominous red tide.

"Is this blood?!" I screamed at the sight of red liquid dripping from the sky.

"We should run faster," He said.

A gate came into our view; it was the gate of the village. We quickly ran and entered it. The whole running thing exhausted me; I could barely catch my breath.

"Wha- what do you mean this village is an entry point?" I inquired.

He was caring for the sheep, making sure it was okay. Even though the sheep was red with red liquid and looked messy, I'm pretty sure it was okay.

The sheep seemed to trust the boy a lot; it didn't even budge when the boy carried it while running.

"How do I put this? Usually, the lord appears at certain places. He doesn't just teleport to random places such as the meadow. This village is one of the entry points; he'd appear here using a door. Possibly the same door you used."

The boy explained. His body was wet with the red liquid too.

I noticed that I couldn't feel the drops from the sky anymore,

"You mentioned that an entry point is a safe place. Why is that?"

He frowned after hearing my inquiry, "There are things only the lord knows."

"Just, what is this place? This world is nothing like mine."

He straightened his back and smiled politely,

"You look like you could use a bath. I'll guide you to my place; you can stay there while waiting for the lord to appear."

Then, he led me to his place which turned out to be a wooden cottage. I trailed him inside his cottage.

The interiors were simple yet radiated a homey atmosphere. I watched his figure as he was searching for something in a drawer,

"Why are you doing this? Helping a stranger like this wouldn't benefit you."

He grabbed a towel and gave it to me, "There's always a space for kindness, I guess. Also, you're an outsider. It would be very hard to comprehend, let alone adapt to your situation without someone to inform you what kind of place this is."

I received the white towel, "Then, what kind of place is this?".

The boy smiled faintly, "The kind of place which is full of surprise."

He continued while pointing a door in the corner of the room, "Now, you should probably clean up. The bathroom is over there."

I nodded, feeling a mix of confusion and gratitude.

As I entered the bathroom, I couldn't shake off the bizarre events that had unfolded since my arrival in this peculiar world.

The air in the cottage felt different – a strange mix of familiarity and foreignness.

I turned on the faucet, and the water flowed out, clear and refreshing. I let the cool liquid wash away the remnants of the red sky, and as I dried myself with the towel, I couldn't help but ponder the boy's words about this being a place full of surprises.

Exiting the bathroom, I found the boy sitting on a wooden chair, still holding the sheep in his arms.

The sheep seemed remarkably calm as if it had adapted to the unusual circumstances.

The boy looked up at me with a reassuring smile, "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks. But I still don't understand what's happening. Why is this place so unpredictable?" I asked, genuinely perplexed.

The boy sighed, "It's hard to explain. This world is a manifestation of someone's unconsciousness, and it responds to their thoughts and emotions. Usually, it's a tranquil place, but sometimes, unexpected things happen, like the sky turning red or a sudden tornado."

"But why does it happen?" I pressed for answers.

He hesitated, "There are things about this world that even I don't fully understand. It's intricately connected to the lord and the doors that connect different parts of this realm. It's a delicate balance."

As I absorbed his words, I realized that this world wasn't just a random creation; it was intricately linked to the lord and governed by a set of mysterious rules.

The red liquid from the sky, the frequent upheavals – they were all part of a complex puzzle that I was only beginning to unravel.

"Rest here for a while. I'll prepare a room for you." As he left the room, I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to this world than met the eye.

The surprises it held seemed to extend beyond the unpredictability of the environment. With a sense of anticipation, I sat down on the couch.