"I actually felt pain when I hit the tree, this can't be real" said Roland, "The last thing I remember was a ringing noise and then suddenly I was here, what happened to me?"
But no matter how hard Roland tried, he could not figure out what happened- so all he could do was let it go for now and figure out his current circumstances. Where was he, how was he able to travel far in one step, why was there blood on his clothes, was there danger nearby, was this even the same planet and are there other people nearby?
So many questions, yet no answers. The only option Roland had was to look around for any clues that could help him understand his situation better.
"Well, I guess I should head down first to see if anyone else is nearby" concluded Roland, before cautiously heading down. All the while getting used to his newfound speed and becoming more confident with controlling his movement, as time passed by.
"This is actually surprisingly fun, I never could have imagined moving like this- it feels like I've lost weight to an abnormal degree and there is no tension in my muscles, let's see what happens when I push myself to run"
'''Boom'''
The earth cracked, as a small crater formed where Roland's foot was, the momentum carried Roland forward hundreds of metres. As soon as the momentum ceased, Roland turned to judge how far he had travelled, turning his head back he was shocked to see how far he had travelled from the peak.
"Am I still even human? Wait, the clothes I am wearing also seem kind of different now that I stop to think of it. Let's first find some civilisation before I can see my reflection and learn more about where I am"
Reaching the foot of the mountain, Roland noticed that there was a structure that looked like a gate in the distance. However, there was a dense forest he would have to traverse first to get there. He might have been scared off by the possibility of danger in normal circumstances, but now that he had no choice, so he had to brave it up.
'''Croak''' '''Roar''' '''Swoosh'''
The moment he entered the forest, the sounds of different animals and the sound of wind passing through the leaves surrounded him- yet he could not see a single living thing in sight.
Pointing his wooden sword forward, Roland edged through the forest- praying that he got through safely. He was not the bravest person to live, neither did he have any combat experience, but he was smart enough to realise that this was a more dangerous endeavour than he might have initially estimated. The sounds of animals were getting ever closer and starting to get on Roland's nerves. Not being able to handle it anymore, Roland made a dash for it, he started sprinting- yet the sounds did not get quieter. It seemed the sound was moving with him, so his speed had no effect. But it was slightly more comforting to get out of this place as quickly as possible.
"Finally, almost there!" exclaimed Roland as he saw an exit to the wretched place. Gasping for breath, he exercised more strength to quickly leave the forest.
'''Whoosh'''
With that last burst, he made it out and saw a pathway leading to the gate he saw earlier. Only from this close, it seemed massive. The gate towered in the sky and gave the impression that it reached for the heavens. Funnily, he did not see anyone at the gate and the doors were open, there was only a line on the ground- probably impressions from the gate being usually left closed.
Taking a step inside, Roland was contemplating his options, just in case there were people here and the odds that they were friendly or hostile. But just as he took a step inside , he felt a massive resistance as if he had walked into a brick wall, yet when he tried to back away he felt something push him forwards into the gate.
'Not good! At this rate, I'll be squashed and turned into meat paste' thought Roland, as he used all his will power to propel his sword forward. He had nowhere else to go but forwards now, the clashing forces caused his wooden sword to splinter and crack. Yet it was slowly edging through to the other side, seeing the progress encouraged Roland who was focused on getting through. With his single mindedness, he was able to ignore the pain his body was feeling, the bruising and the cracking of his skin.
With one mighty push, Roland was able to cross the line. One step that was longer than 1000 miles, his breaking through that line stopped the force but it caused a huge light to shoot for the sky, visible from thousands of miles away. It must have alerted anyone in the vicinity as well, but what it was did not concern Roland in this moment. Exerting himself twice in a row, sapped him of all his energy. His eyelids grew heavy, his knees lost strength.
Falling to his left, in the seconds before he fell unconscious, he saw someone approaching him, but was unable to spot any features or intentions. He could only leave it up to fate to treat him well.
" --BLEEP-- " Whilst he was unconscious, Roland heard someone constantly swearing at him- cursing his 18 ancestors. What did he ever do to anyone, wasn't he always a peaceful person?
Drowning all the external noises and sounds out, Roland found himself naturally reaching a state of calm. Opening his eyes, he saw himself in a lake, there were stars in the lake, yet none in the night sky above him. Outside of the lake, there were ruins of some type of temple and a blinding sun floating in the centre of the ruins.
Hypnotised by the sun, he climbed out of the lake and drifted as if intoxicated by it's light towards it. The sand beneath the sun, wasn't hot but actually cool to the touch- for some reason there was a sixth sense feeling that were was a whole world hidden underneath which he had no access to yet.
Drawn to the sun like a moth to light, Roland reached out to touch the Sun. The second his fingertips touched, a warmth passed through to his heart and climbing from there connected to his head.
'''Flash'''
The light from the sun intensified to such heights, it blinded him. Everything else seemed to have been burned away as if it was never there. Only darkness surrounded Roland and time seemed to have gotten lost. It seemed like millions of years had passed in the darkness.
Was this how his life was going to end?