I stepped onto the dirt path, boots crunching over gravel and dead leaves. Every muscle in my body screamed. Every breath reminded me I had survived a fight that should have ended me. Still… I was moving. Alive. That alone felt like some kind of victory.
A few meters down, I stopped. I couldn't help it. I turned back, voice awkward. "Uh… excuse me? Can you… tell me which way to the academy?"
The forest stayed silent. I imagined the scarred leader somewhere behind me, hand pressed to his forehead, muttering. Of all the people… somehow you're the one I have to guide.
Finally, he muttered, voice hoarse and exasperated, "You're lucky it's obvious. Path leads to a river, bridge crosses it, and then… well, good luck finding the academy without dying first."
I nodded, muttering, "Uh… thanks?"
He shook his head, probably thinking I was some kind of living joke. First real interaction in this world, and I looked like a bloody mess. Perfect.
I pushed off, keeping my pace steady. The forest closed in. Quiet, except for occasional rustles, distant metallic cries of birds, and the smell of damp earth. Roots reached out like fingers, ready to trip me. My legs ached. My chest burned. Each step reminded me: alive.
Focus, Eren. You're new. You don't know normal. Just… move.
I tripped over a gnarled root and swore under my breath. The path twisted through the trees, sometimes narrowing, sometimes opening into small clearings. Sunlight streaked through branches, casting long shadows. Moss clung to the sides of trees like dark velvet. The forest… felt alive. Watching me. Judging me.
Step by step, I moved, ignoring thorns scraping my arms, uneven ground threatening my balance. My knuckles still hurt from fight. My ribs burned. My legs felt like lead. But alive. That's what mattered.
I paused for a moment, chest heaving, sweat dripping into my eyes. I wiped it away with the back of my hand. My hands still stung from old cuts, my clothes soaked with dried blood and dirt. How is this my life now? I thought bitterly. A classroom one moment, fighting twelve strangers the next, barely keeping my life intact.
Eventually, the path opened fully. The river stretched before me, silver-blue, fast, unforgiving. I knelt at the bank, scooping up handfuls of water to splash across my face. Ice cold. Sharp. Shivering, I caught a glimpse of myself in the rippling water.
Messy hair plastered to my forehead. Blood streaked through dirt. Gray eyes, stormy and sharp, stared back. A thin scar from fight ran along my jawline. High cheekbones. Lean but strong. Still… me.
I smirked faintly. "Still handsome," I muttered. Not pride. Just acknowledgment. Somehow, even like this, I was still me.
I stood and shook water off my hands. My boots squelched in the soft mud, and I glanced along the riverbank. The bridge the leader mentioned swayed in the wind ahead. Missing plank halfway across. Perfect.
"Of course. Walking across death traps is exactly what I needed today," I muttered, half-laughing.
Step by step carefully, I moved onto the bridge. Ropes creaked. Planks groaned. Wind tugged at it like it wanted me gone. Heart pounding. Every movement demanded focus. Halfway across, foot slipped on a wet plank. I grabbed the ropes, pulse racing.
Don't die. Don't screw this up.
Cursing, I pressed on. Plank by plank. Sway by sway. Foot after foot. Finally, I reached the other side. Legs trembling, arms stiff, lungs burning. Alive.
I paused, taking in the forest again. Trees stretched like giants, shadows moving strangely in the sunlight. A bird screamed somewhere overhead. Somewhere, water rushed over rocks. Alive. I was alive.
Then I noticed the figures.
Cloaked. Hood low. Staff in hand. Paused at the path's edge. Eyes scanned me. Took in my scratches, blood-streaked hair, and battered clothes. They froze, awkward, hesitant, maybe curious.
"Hi," I said softly, scratching my neck, heat rising in my cheeks.
No reply. Just a single nod. They continued down the path, fading into shadows. Relief. Embarrassment. At least someone saw me and didn't attack. Small win today.
I exhaled, shoulders loosening. The forest vast, strange, alive. Path twisted ahead. River behind me. Bridge—proof I survived—loomed in my mind. Step by step, foot by foot, I would figure this out.
Not safe. Not easy. Not familiar.
But alive.
And that was enough.
I glanced at a small pool beside the path, reflection catching my attention again. Bloodied. Battered. Stormy-eyed. Still me. Step by step, alive, moving forward.
The forest whispered. Leaves rustled. Birds cried somewhere distant. Shadows shifted. Every movement felt like a small victory. Inch by inch, alive.
I shook my head. I can't believe this is my life now… But even in disbelief, even in exhaustion, I forced myself to take another step forward.
The stranger gone. River behind me. Bridge crossed. The world massive, strange, harsh. But I was still standing. Still Eren.
Still alive.
—