1 Food-Led Journey Towards the Endless Horizon

"The past lies at the bottom."

With this single sentence, 'he' woke up. As 'he' opened his eyelids, a bright sky entered his vision. In the very corner, the sun caressed the earth, giving off a warm feeling. He was laying on the ground. Soft blades of grass gently poked his body, making him feel sleepy. He quickly shook this feeling off.

He wasn't sure what time it was. Perhaps it was the morning? Or maybe the afternoon?

As these thoughts entered his mind, he shook his head. Quickly, he realized that the time wasn't the most pressing matter. There were more things to think about. For example, things like...

Where was he currently?

What happened to him?

Why was he lying on the ground?

He knew it was impossible to answer any of these questions without actively moving around. So, he lifted himself up. His eyes scanned the area he was in. He was in was a simple, flat terrain. It was completely barren, save for the grass on the ground.

There was not a soul in sight, save for his own.

He tried to shout, "Anyone there?"

Strangely enough, his words were spoken in a quiet and hoarse tone. Quiet, as in whisper-like. He tried to shout again, but like with his previous attempt, his voice's volume was inadequate for his intentions.

After a few seconds of thought, he noticed that there seemed to be something stuck in his throat.

He coughed a few times, and after a bit, that 'something' left his throat. It felt slimy and disgusting. Perhaps it was phlegm?

He spit it out, looking like a person who just had a breath of air after participating in a breath-holding competition. He tried to shout once more.

"ANYONE ELSE?!"

This time, his vocal cords worked the way he intended them to.

-Though, like the first time, no one responded. Those two words he said reverberated across the air, forever to be unheard of by anyone but him.

Seriously. What the hell was this? What was happening? Why was he there?

These sorts of thoughts coursed through his head, some of them repeating over time. None of these questions could be answered. Eventually, one particular thought crossed his mind.

'What was I doing before I went unconscious?'

The moment this question popped up in his head, he froze.

He didn't know where he was. He didn't know what he had been doing before he fell unconscious. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going to happen to him. He didn't even know his name.

He didn't know anything.

He felt his heart start to beat faster, and his head starting to get swarmed with irrelevant thoughts.

'No. I need to calm down. Panicking won't help. I need to calm down. I need to calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm...'

He repeated those words in his mind for a long time, until his mind, well, calmed down.

"Then, in that case. Since I don't know where I am, and have no way of finding out... I should observe my surroundings more deeply instead." he spoke to himself with his lips quivering occasionally, out of nervousness.

He looked around him once more, this time, more carefully. It was completely empty.

"No, not completely empty..." he whispered to himself with a relieved tone, "There's something else within this place..."

He was referring to a small, nearly unnoticeable wooden sign. A normal person would easily neglect it if they didn't look carefully since it could only barely be seen in the recesses in one's vision.

Hastily, 'he' ran up to where the sign was. Along the way, he noticed that there was a muddy path next to it. It seemed to infinitely extend towards the horizon, its end not within sight.

'Aw... The words on this sign are dyed out. Probably from rain, or something. But, there is the path right over there. I can follow it. Although, I don't know where it leads.'

He scratched his head, indecisive. After a while passed by, he still hadn't decided on whether he should follow the path or not.

Luckily, his stomach chose for him in the end. It did so by letting out a rumble, signifying intense hunger.

"Well, I guess I'll starve to death if I just stay still here."

Unsure of his fate, 'he' reluctantly strode towards the horizon.