Dimensional Hotel

(.)

Yu Sheng’s mind drifted in a boundless sea of darkness. The familiar feeling of emptiness and pressure tugged at the edges of his consciousness, slowing his thoughts to a crawl. Alone in this silent yet strangely comforting “afterworld,” he almost felt at ease.

How to describe it? The outcome had been rather predictable.

The wolf, giant as a house, had pounced on him, ending his life in a single moment. He hadn’t lasted any longer than the squirrel.

Of course, the main reason it ended so quickly was that Yu Sheng hadn’t tried to fight back at all. In fact, he’d practically offered himself—his blood, his flesh, his soul, and all the raw, fiery joy and curiosity inside him.

Now, he lay quiet in this dark realm of death.

He slipped silently into the wolf’s flesh and spirit.

He seeped gently into the Black Forest, searching for the “tendrils” of the fairy tale hidden there.

Carefully, Yu Sheng held onto his own thoughts, guarding himself from the strange bits of memory and sensation drifting in the darkness.

By now, not only could he stay calm, but he could also train his consciousness—guiding his thoughts and emotions while existing without a body.

He focused on sharpening this mental power, trying to mark the passage of time, even extending his senses to explore beyond the darkness.

Yu Sheng knew his real body was still in the outside world, asleep, with Irene and Foxy nearby. This time, only his spirit had perished—like the time when the entity called Hunger had devoured him.

But this time was different.

He could faintly tell that the fragments of his shattered soul were dissolving into something else, like seeds swallowed whole and now sprouting, sending out twisting roots and vines.

He focused on one of those tendrils, gathering his will to gently… “pluck” at it.

He saw himself dashing through the Black Forest—blind and enraged, shrouded in eternal night, casting a titanic shadow.

He felt coarse fur covering his body, the night wind brushing his ears, and the echoing howls of wolves around him. Unseen wolves ran beside him, hidden by the darkness.

He realized these wolves fed on fear. Fairy tales were born of fear—terrifying stories meant to warn children, scaring them into staying safely at home instead of wandering into the unknown.

Here in the Black Forest, that fear had taken form as wolves that feasted on it.

But now, they were famished.

During their most recent hunt, they hadn’t found the fear they craved. Though they devoured the flesh and blood of the strange intruder, they discovered only puzzling joy and curiosity inside him—emotions they couldn’t understand.

The towering wolf burst into a moonlit clearing, its dull mind struggling to make sense of what had happened. Eating should never feel like this. There should always be fear in its food, and yet this meal had none.

If anything, the food had acted more like a monster than the wolf itself.

Had the wolf devoured the human, or had the human burrowed into the wolf, starting to eat it from within?

Unable to grasp its own confusion, the giant wolf followed its instincts, racing through the forest in search of Little Red Riding Hood’s hiding places, wrecking each one it found.

“Are you just going to run forever?”

A quiet voice spoke—Yu Sheng’s voice, emerging as a low growl from somewhere near the wolf’s side.

The giant wolf skidded to a stop, lifting its massive head to study the Black Forest around it. Everything looked exactly as it always had.

It couldn’t figure out where the voice had come from. It had no idea it could be the meal it had just swallowed.

Yet there was something out there—something that felt oddly familiar, like prey… or perhaps a hunter.

The invisible wolves prowling in the shadows fell silent, their howls stilled by a vague sense of danger. Leaves rustled overhead. One of them spiraled past the giant wolf’s face, and in the instant it flickered in midair, Yu Sheng’s curious eye peered out, staring straight at the beast.

“Are you… tasty?”

Then the leaf disintegrated, and whatever presence the wolf sensed vanished. The wolf let out a frustrated growl, lowering its head. All around, the other wolves began to howl in fear, their cries echoing through the endless forest.

In a distant thicket, a pair of wary eyes watched, followed by a soft whisper: “Something strange is happening… very strange…”

Just then, Yu Sheng felt himself tumbling through the darkness. The now-familiar feeling of crossing some unseen boundary seized him, and his awareness surged back into his body. He felt a soft bed beneath him, and he opened his eyes in alarm.

The first thing he saw was Irene—twice over. Two doll-like heads pressed together, both sets of her crimson eyes glaring unblinkingly at him.

Suddenly revived, Yu Sheng nearly died again from the shock. “Holy—! Give a person some personal space!”

Irene shrieked just as loudly. Her two forms jolted backward and tumbled off the bed, each hitting the floor with a solid thump.

Yu Sheng winced at the sound. “Ow… that sounded bad. Are you—?”

“You’re the one who scared me!” Irene yelled from the floor, rubbing her head.

“And you think hovering two inches away from someone’s face is normal?” Yu Sheng retorted. “If I’d bolted upright, I would have smacked both your heads!”

Irene climbed back onto the mattress, propping her hands on her hips, looking ready to argue. Before she could say more, Yu Sheng’s attention landed on Foxy, who was standing calmly by the bed with a gentle smile.

“See?” Yu Sheng said. “Foxy gets it. She’s just waiting there quietly, not creeping up on me—”

“She’s smiling because she’s guilty!” Irene cut in, pointing a finger.

Yu Sheng frowned. “Guilty of what?”

“She ate all the meat filling! There won’t be any dumplings tonight!”

He blinked, absorbing Irene’s words. When he turned to look at Foxy, her cheerful expression froze. Her ears drooped, and her fluffy silver tail drooped as well.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“I only wanted a taste…” Foxy mumbled sheepishly.

“Oh, you were tasting it, all right!” Irene scoffed. “First it was too salty, so you drank some water, then it was too bland, so you took another bite… you ended up finishing the whole bowl, Foxy—an entire bowl!”

Yu Sheng rubbed his forehead with a sigh. He had the nagging feeling he must have owed these two troublemakers a debt in a past life.

“Benefactor, I’m sorry,” Foxy said quietly, sliding her tail closer to him. “Would you like to pet my tail? Maybe you won’t be mad anymore.”

Yu Sheng eyed the fluffy tail. It twitched, as if offering itself.

“Uh… you can keep it. It’s a bit too weird otherwise.”

“Oh.”

“Never mind, I’m not really mad. Just let me sit for a minute and clear my head. Why don’t you two go downstairs? I’ll cook noodles for dinner instead. Sound good?” Yu Sheng handed Foxy’s tail back to her.

As Irene and Foxy headed for the door, Irene paused on the threshold. “By the way, what happened to you this time? You’ve been asleep for ages, so I’m guessing you died again, right?”

Yu Sheng chuckled. “That wolf had teeth as thick as my thigh—what do you think?”

Irene arched an eyebrow. “You sure don’t seem upset for someone who got eaten alive.”

Yu Sheng’s smile took on a mysterious edge, like he was savoring some secret. “I didn’t actually get to taste anything, but… it was still worth it. I’m excited to see what happens next.”

“You’re so weird,” Irene muttered as she slipped out. “I’ll go see if we can add wolf meat to the menu.”

Once they were gone, Yu Sheng found himself smiling at the thought.

He picked up his phone from the bedside table and opened the Borderland Communication app. He scrolled to Little Red Riding Hood’s avatar and typed out a quick message:

“I’ve been in the Black Forest. I saw the invisible wolves and the visible ones, found the little house, and even met a squirrel. Let’s talk when you have time.”

He hit send, leaned back against his pillows, and exhaled slowly, wondering what the next chapter would bring.