The Laughing Swordsman

With a yell, Otis threw the longsword aside.

The skeleton did not let go of his weapon but stumbled to the side.

Using that opportunity, he put strength into his uninjured hand and pulled himself up.

He made it to the second step.

Yet, before he could celebrate, his consciousness blanked out.

After all, it was only going to get harder from here.

...

"Waaaaaaah~"

"AHHHHHHHHH"

Layla was dragging Apollo across a chaotic blue world.

The place consisted of countless hills and valleys, both big and small. However, it seemed that gravity was a little different in this place.

They weren't touching the floor but were also violently jolting in random directions.

Layla seemed very familiar with this place, casually running on the air.

However, to Apollo, it was terrifying.

After all, they were traveling at speeds he had never gone before. They passed by the terrain in the blink of an eye, while the sudden jolting made him feel like he could fall at any moment.

The only saving grace was that Layla had an arm wrapped around his waist. At the very least, he had something like a seatbelt he could hold onto for dear life.

Tears gathered in Apollo's eyes.

"Slower! Please go slower!"

Layla laughed.

"Ah, sorry for going too slow!"

Apollo's eyes bulged.

"Wait what? No!"

Layla suddenly sped up, going over two times as fast.

Apollo could no longer make sense of his surroundings.

Everything was a blur. He couldn't even hear himself screaming although he was sure that he had been doing so.

Suddenly, they were back in the real world.

Apollo felt incredibly dizzy.

He immediately vomited, but only saliva came out.

Apollo was on his hands and knees, desperately gasping for air.

"It's... over."

Layla giggled.

"Ah, sorry, friend. We will go back soon, I promise!"

Apollo's eyelid twitched.

"What? No!"

Layla ignored him. She took a look around herself, then pouted.

"Ehehe... I don't know where to go."

Apollo blinked a few times.

"...Where were we going?"

Layla raised her hands in the air with a smile.

"I don't know!"

Apollo pouted.

"Wa... What do we do now?"

Layla scratched her cheek with her finger.

"Friend knew how to get there last time. Lead the way!"

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"But... I don't know the way."

Layla and Apollo spent a few moments staring at each other.

Suddenly, Layla smiled.

"Then we just have to search!"

Apollo rocked back and forth on the ground.

"But I'm scared!"

He was still traumatized by the roller coaster ride he just had.

Layla put her hands on her sides and struck her elbows out.

"Don't worry! I will protect friend!"

Apollo looked up to Layla.

"Really?"

Layla smiled confidently.

"Yeah!"

Apollo ran over to Layla with his arms spread out.

He hugged her tightly while bawling his eyes out.

"Reallyyyy?"

Layla giggled. She gently patted Apollo's head.

"Of course!"

Apollo smiled.

"Yay!"

Layla raised her hands in the air.

"Yay!"

Apollo let go. He surveyed the area around him.

"Where are we?"

They were no longer in the forest.

Instead, they were in an open plain. There were various flowers scattered about, letting out a pleasant scent.

However, there was something strange about such an unassuming place.

It wasn't snowing.

Layla placed a finger on her chin.

"Mm... It's a flower place!"

Apollo nodded with a serious expression.

"Ah, You're right!"

Layla giggled.

"Now follow me!"

Layla skipped through the plain. Apollo hurriedly followed from behind, like a puppy.

Layla was humming to herself. Sometimes she would bend down to smell the flowers.

Apollo imitated her, taking in the sweet scent.

After roughly an hour of aimless wandering, Apollo asked the question that was on his mind.

"Um... do you think this place is weird?"

Layla turned around.

"Eh, why?"

Apollo scratched the side of his head.

"When you look far away... it seems to go on forever."

Layla tilted her head to the side.

She looked towards the horizon.

As Apollo said, the plain seemed to stretch on infinitely.

Layla giggled.

"We just need to keep going! As long as we move forward, things will change!"

Apollo scratched the side of his head.

"Ok..."

He reluctantly followed Layla who was already skipping ahead.

...They continued walking for five more hours.

Yet, nothing seemed to change.

Apollo rubbed his stomach.

"Layla... I'm hungry."

Layla gasped.

"Ah, me too!"

She proceeded to pout.

"Mm... can we eat these?"

Layla plucked a white flower.

Apollo whimpered.

"I don't think we can..."

Layla puffed her cheeks.

She opened her mouth, about to try. Then, she froze.

"No, you cannot eat those."

An old man appeared. He had long white hair that nearly reached the ground. This included his beard as well.

There were a few wrinkles on the man's face. They were mostly concentrated around his eyes.

He was wearing a long white robe. It was in pristine condition and matched his long hair.

He was holding a thick black book in his hand. The book was open and next to his face. It seemed like he was reading it even as he spoke.

Apollo screamed.

"Wah! How did you get there?"

Layla jumped in front of Apollo and stuck her arms out.

"I will protect you, friend!"

The old man chuckled.

"Haha, I am not so bored that I will attack you."

His eyes narrowed.

"However, it really has been too long since someone has found their way here."

Layla dropped her guard instantly. She lowered her arms and tilted her head to the side.

"Ohhhh, how long has it been?"

The old man smirked.

"Haha, was it two hundred years? Perhaps three hundred."

Apollo gasped.

"That's a long time!"

Layla swung her arms around in the air.

"Nobody came to visit? That's so unlucky!"

The old man sighed.

"That's because I never wanted any visitors. This realm isn't even attached to the real world."

Suddenly, his pitch dropped.

"It makes me wonder..."

With a snap, the man shut his book.

"How the hell did you get here, anyway?"