Eren was screaming Jack's name, hoping he might notice him falling.
But his voice couldn't reach him, as he was already falling into the unknown darkness.
What was that unknown darkness—was it truly a void, or something else?
Eren kept falling, clueless about the height he had dropped from or where the surface even was.
Was it really just darkness, or something far more terrifying disguised as emptiness?
Eren : So my life ends here? The cause of death being me falling from a huge height or getting stuck at the void?
Eren continued plummeting through the endless dark, weightless and disoriented. The air grew thinner, colder—yet there was no wind, no sound, just a terrifying silence.
Then suddenly—impact.
But it wasn't fatal.
He bounced.
A massive leaf, unlike any from the surface world, absorbed his fall. Glossy and vibrant green, it was easily the size of a room and flexed like rubber under pressure. It bent deeply under his weight before springing back, slowing him down gradually—like a natural trampoline.
His fall, though potentially fatal from any height, was nullified by this massive, living cushion—engineered by nature in this unknown world.
In that instant, the bounce launched him into the air once more—just enough to tip him off the leaf's edge.
Splash.
He plunged into a pool of liquid—but it wasn't like any water from Earth.
It shimmered. Swirls of violet, blue, and gold danced across its surface, glowing faintly in the dark. The water felt lighter, smoother—as if it welcomed him instead of resisting him.
His front body was floating in the strange lake, and in that moment, he regains his consciousness, finding out he's floating in a colourful water.
Pfftt—thu!
He spits, clearing the strange liquid from his mouth.
Eren : What the heck!? What is this place.
He swam across the lake to reach the surface and put his feet down. He was now in an environment where trees had different colors of leaves, and lakes had colourful water. Was it drinkable though? He was genuinely confused by that.
Eren : How did I even manage to survive a deadly fall?
Just what is this place? A colourful lake?
Eren then scooped the colourful water with his hands and drank it.
Eren : That's sweet...
Eren again scooped the colourful water with his hands and drank it. But this time, he spat it out. What was once sweet, like sugar dissolved in water, now tasted bitter.
Eren : Gross...
Eren took a look at his surroundings.
He seemed to have gotten into a forest—a colourful one, filled with trees of different sizes and leaves of various shades.
The trees had stems and branches of unusual colours too.
At the edge of the lake, he noticed a massive leaf—most likely the reason he survived that deadly fall.
Eren : So that explains why I survived.
Now... where should I go?
Eren was about to call out loudly, just to see if anyone was there in that strange place.
But suddenly, something clicked in his mind.
What if there were other creatures around—just like the ones he had encountered back in the dark tunnels?
Eren : This is so confusing... where should I head to?
Eren turned his head down to the ground and spotted ants.
But something was strange...
Why were the ants colourful—each one painted in a different shade?
Eren : Everything here seems colourful...
Huh!?
Eren turned his head up, looking forward—until a colourful creature appeared near the branch of a tree.
Eren : What the fuck!? A colourful monkey?
That's right… a colourful monkey. Or at least, a creature that looked like one. It reacted by widening its mouth—unlike anything a regular monkey would do. A massive mouth with huge, sharp teeth!?
It then made a strange noise—something like a cry, almost as if it was calling its friends. Eren quickly realized that the trouble wasn't over yet. Worse, Jack wasn't here. He was completely alone.
Eren : I'M SCREWED! I MUST RUN!!
His hunch was right after all. Many monkeys appeared on the scene, each with different shades. Realizing the danger, Eren started running.
Eren : MUST RUN AS FAST AS I CAN!
He was running. He turned his head back, only to see the monkey-like creatures—each with colorful skin—chasing after him.
Then suddenly, as he was running, more monkeys appeared from the branches right in front of him.
Eren : MORE!?
Eren reacted immediately, changing his direction. It was clearly unknown where he was going, since it was a forest filled with colours.
Not only that, but monkeys with colourful skins were chasing him—and even more were appearing from behind.
Eren : IS THERE ANY PLACE WHERE I CAN HIDE!? JUST HOW MANY MORE WILL APPEAR!
Eren was terrified by the sight of the monkey-like creature's massive mouth. Its teeth were as huge as a tiger's, a clear sign of the danger he was in. It was obvious now—these creatures weren't just chasing him; they were planning to capture him, and perhaps even eat him.
And then, even more appeared in front of him!? Once again, Eren swiftly changed direction, desperate to avoid them. But as he kept running, more appeared ahead, forcing him to change course once more.
Eren : JUST HOW MANY WILL APPEAR!?
It seemed like more than 30 monkey-like creatures were chasing him. As he kept running straight—finally a path where no monkeys appeared in front—another colourful thing showed up ahead.
Seriously, this young man's definitely screwed big time.
Eren : No fucking way...
A colourful-skinned gorilla!? It stood near the edge of the lake, glaring directly at Eren.
The monkeys chasing him were already a huge problem.
And now, a gorilla-like creature—glaring at him with those fierce eyes!?
Eren stood frozen, knowing his fate was sealed.
Gorillas obviously run faster than an average human, so there was no point in running—
That thing could chase him down easily.
He was surely a dead man now... as it started to approach him, slowly.
Eren : Guess am cooked...
Just a few meters away, the gorilla-like creature stood—ready to deliver its first and final punch to end Eren's life.
Eren shut his eyes tightly, accepting that he was a dead-dead man.
"RAUUGHHHHH!!!"
The beast slammed its fists against its chest with thunderous force, then began its approach.
...
Eren : What?
By that time, Eren was supposed to be struck by that gorilla-liked creature, but it has been a few seconds and it disappeared?
Well, not technically disappeared but...
Eren : Seriously... what the hell am I watching.
Eren's so lucky—the gorilla-liked creature wasn't after him. Instead, it went against those colourful monkey-liked creatures.
It's unknown why that happened, but now, a single gorilla was up against all those monkeys.
Eren : Now's my chance!
However, some monkeys managed to avoid the gorilla.
Their main target was Eren, and while others fought the gorilla, a few slipped past and continued chasing him.
Eren was running, though not as fast as before.
But when he turned his head back and saw them gaining on him, he immediately picked up the pace.
He was exhausted—breathing heavily, heart pounding, and the adrenaline still rushing through his veins.
Eren : Just how can I escape from this things...
Even as he tried to push forward, his legs were slowing down…
The colourful monkeys, still full of energy, were closing the distance.
Eren : Just... a miracle that can save my life...
Please...
Huh!?
A door—right in front of his eyes as he ran.
He had hoped for a miracle… and now it appeared.
A single door standing in the middle of the forest, glowing faintly.
Maybe, just maybe, a chance to escape.
Eren : Just this time... my legs...
Eren was breathing heavily. That door ahead—he had no idea whether it was real or just an illusion.
Still, he picked up his pace, pushing his body harder to get as far away as possible from the monkeys that had been chasing him for so long.
But speeding up didn't give him much of an advantage—
The monkeys had matched his pace. They were still gaining on him.
Eren : This is it...
The door was now just a few steps away. Eren jumped, grabbed the handle, and flung it open.
Without wasting a second, he slipped inside, slammed it shut behind him, and locked it tight with the door's deadbolt.
"Phewww..."
He escaped.
It wasn't an illusion.
The door was real.
But as he stepped inside, the sight that greeted him only deepened his despair.
A dark room, once again, with the same eerie vibe he had felt when he was with Jack.
Eren : No wonder, I am always in a bad luck.