𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫

The Metropolis

 The sun above was blocked from sight by thick, dark clouds, and the entire city was cast in a bleak gray light. I slowly stood, and took in the towering buildings that sprawled out for miles and miles. The sidewalk was crammed with all kinds of people and spirits, short and tall, young and old, humans and... not. There were people with antennae, people who looked made of bark, or water, or flowers.

 Creatures large and small roaming about, some completely covered in fur, some without a single hair on their body. There were see-through people, though they seemed quite solid (I would know, I bumped into a few of them); Things with many arms or legs or eyes. Some with no limbs at all. There were fairies and elves and even a group of merfolk lounging in a fountain as I passed.

 I didn't realize it, but I was about to learn much more about Somnium and it's so-called realms.

 The city at first seemed modern with its sky-high buildings glowing with neon lights and electric billboard screens but after looking around, it seemed to belong to no specific time; a plane that looked like a model from the 1940's flew overhead, alongside silver drone craft. There were steam-engines and electric trains to be heard speeding along rails throughout the city. Cars of all sorts of models and ages roamed about; their owners seeming to choose whether to drive on the left or on the right, some drove straight in the middle of the street! They were everywhere and I really didn't understand why there was truly any need for the white line that usually separated traffic.

 Pedestrians weaved in and out of the streets and sidewalks. Everything was so full of people and colors, smells and noise, that I found myself completely lost within seconds.

 The entire city was its own special kind of organized chaos.

 I just had to figure out how to navigate it...

 A flash of white to my right had me glancing over and- There!

 It was the horned rabbit, scampering through the crowd. I was confident it had led me here, and for a reason no-doubt. My eyes strained as I tried to keep it in sight, and began wriggling my way through the crowd.

 "Excuse me... sorry.... coming through..."

 The rabbit was running away, and I was being swept away in the tide of people. I grunted and pushed to work my way out, ducking under arms and purses and scarfs, apologizing to the occasional stranger whose foot I had just stepped on. It seemed futile to apologize though; the people would shout something (usually angrily), like "watch it", or "ow" and always just kept walking, not even pausing to look back.

 I made my way through the blinding, ever growing mass of strangers, and burst out into the middle of the road, causing many cars and bikes to swerve.

 There was too much of... everything. I turned on the spot, trying to seek out the bunny creature that had caused me such curiosity. It took a few moments, but eventually I spotted it across the street, hopping away.

 "Hey!" I shouted, and it turned its head, whiskers twitching. Then it took off again, towards into another tidal wave of people heading in the opposite direction. I swore I could hear that tinkling laughter again, even from all the way over there.

 "Wait!" I said, and took chase. "Stop!"

 Something grabbed the end of my tank top though, and yanked me backwards before I could take more than a few steps.

I was pulled against a warm body, and a low voice spoke in my ear. I didn't have to turn to know who it was; the stone talisman felt like it was burning a hole through my pocket.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, sounding frighteningly calm.

 A lump formed in my throat as I turned to look at the boy from the woods. The boy from the stone. What was I doing here? Hadn't I told Solace I would go home?