Gradually, I begin to feel my body again. Warm sunlight touches my face as my vision slowly comes into focus.
"Hum? Huh?!"
"What!?"
I realize I'm lying in the middle of a dense forest and slowly get up, a headache throbbing in my head.
"My head…"
I don't understand where I am or how I ended up here. But little by little, the headache fades and my memories begin to return. I recall the recent events: my death, the Regents, the meeting with Eladreo, and the new world where I now live.
"Ah… I remember."
"So this is the Other World, isn't it?"
I look at my clothes and notice that I only have a cloak covering my body, with nothing underneath. On top of that, I feel the soil slipping between my toes.
"I should have asked for a set of clothes and closed shoes if I had known I'd end up in the middle of a forest."
The cold wind makes the leaves tremble. I don't hear anything alive around here. It feels as though this place holds no life besides me and the trees.
"Strange… are forests this silent?"
Even though I don't like the feeling of stepping directly on the ground and the discomfort of having nothing else covering me, at least the cloak Eladreo gave me is large and closed.
It covers me almost completely, leaving only my feet visible. The sleeves are long, revealing only my hands, and there's also this hood that can protect my head.
Taking a closer look at the surroundings, I realize this forest is extremely dense. The trees are very tall… abnormally tall, covering almost the entire sky. Even so, it's still possible to tell it's daytime.
I notice some exposed roots that are as thick as my body. The trunks display deep claw marks, as if a gigantic creature had passed through.
I instinctively step back.
This… is not a normal forest.
I wonder what you're supposed to do in a situation like this. My mother and I were quite poor, but not to the point of having to live in the wilderness.
I take a deep breath.
"Alright."
"I need to worry about the basic necessities first: water, food, and a safe shelter to spend the night."
It's still daytime, so I should be able to make some progress. With my first objectives defined, I walk through the forest.
***
I let out a discouraged sigh, and I can feel the temperature gradually dropping.
"I didn't find anything that could serve as food or water."
I look up. There are no more rays of sunlight like before.
"It's already getting dark… and I still haven't found a safe place."
My expression falls.
"I never imagined it would be this difficult to survive in nature..."
I barely finish speaking when a powerful gust of wind suddenly sweeps through the forest ahead of me.
In the distance, I see one of the enormous trees collapsing. The tremor even makes me fall to the ground. Another cutting gust appears, splitting a tree in half behind me.
Sweat runs down my face as my heart begins to race. I'm not alone here.
I stand up, but the wind surrounds me. Noises come from my right, and I gather my courage, ready to fight or run.
Branches and bushes rustle near me.
"..."
It's close, but it doesn't approach me… it's getting closer!
Run!!
But before I realize it, I'm struck only by a powerful gust of wind that lifts my cloak, pushes back the long sleeves, and disrupts my vision.
The wind continues intensely, pushing me backward. Suddenly, the wind stops abruptly, and silence reigns once more.
I fix my cloak and remain alert.
What was that? Was it really just an abnormal gust of wind?
I feel uneasy, like something is missing. There's an emptiness on my left side. When I look, My left arm is gone.
"Aaaaah!!!"
"M-my arm!!"
The pain is immediate and brutal. My body trembles, blood pours out in a terrifying amount, and my thoughts become tangled. Weakness overtakes my legs, and I fall to my knees.
The sound of footsteps draws my attention. In front of me, I see only a floating arm, I recognize it instantly.
"My arm!"
What is happening?!
I try to see who tore off my arm. But I only see my arm floating in the air, until it simply disappears before my eyes.
I react quickly. The sleeve of my cloak remains intact. I intend to tie it to stop the bleeding, but it isn't necessary. My severed arm begins to regenerate.
My eyes widen in disbelief, unable to understand how this is possible, but soon I remember the most important conversation I had with Eladreo. My wish.
A wide smile appears on my face as I see my arm completely regenerated. My body is filled with energy and vigor.
Don't get distracted!
I furrow my brows, clench my teeth, and try to take a defensive stance.
I need to know where it's attacking from.
No!
I have to run while I still can!
The wind begins to grow stronger, approaching rapidly. I turn my face toward the noise, but I only feel the wind striking my body.
I'm pushed farther and farther back. Dust gets into my eyes. I still manage to get closer to a tree, but I'm pushed back every time I try to move out of the path of the gale.
The wind grows stronger. I can barely resist.
There's definitely something controlling this wind.
All of a sudden, I feel the air pressure increase. I cross my arms and try to keep my feet firmly on the ground, but the wind becomes so much stronger that it lifts me off the ground.
"Aaaah!"
My back slams violently against a tree.
I fall to the ground awkwardly, feeling pain throughout my entire body. My spine is definitely broken. I try to focus my vision, but to my horror, I realize my legs have disappeared.
The shock leaves me speechless. I tremble with fear. The situation only gets worse when I realize I can't see the culprit.
Gradually, the pain fades, my spine realigns, and my legs begin to regenerate. Even as I watch my legs regenerating, I still show desperation.
I push myself up from the ground and lean my back against the tree I crashed into.
"What is this thing!?"
"My arm was there one second and then it vanished... just now, a wind threw me away and my legs also disappeared… just like my arm."
I turn my head in every direction, but I see nothing but trees and brush.
Is it invisible? Extremely fast? Or both?
Leaves rustle behind me. I slide my back along the trunk I'm leaning against. When I look behind it, I see the strong wind knocking down trees, dragging stones, and kicking up large clouds of dust.
"Ah..."
I can't even scream. I feel as if I'm flying.
The tree I was leaning against has already been destroyed. I don't know what to say. I can't express anything. I feel an enormous, sudden pain, but it vanishes in an instant.
I slowly lose consciousness, and my vision fades to black.
Thump-thump.
I hear my heart beating. I can move my mouth. My eyes are open, but everything is still dark.
Air enters my lungs, but the severe pain almost makes me faint again. Then my vision returns, only for me to see myself lying on the ground, feeling like my entire body has been crushed and broken.
I hear the sound of footsteps approaching.
A massive shadow covers me. My mouth moves, but no sound comes out. I try to move desperately.
A colossal monster appears above me, a tiger in form yet far larger than any ordinary one. Its fur is deep green, blending perfectly with the surrounding foliage, and its green eyes meet mine.
The green tiger opens its mouth, revealing horrifying teeth, saliva dripping onto my face.
Suddenly, I see a violent gust of wind strike the tiger, throwing its immense body to the left. The monster is sent flying far away, disappearing from my sight.
The regeneration in my body never stopped, but I still can't get up from the ground.
My mind can't think properly. Too much is happening. I don't know what to do.
Leaves shake on the right side, where the wind came from. I turn my face in that direction. A new tiger appears, smaller, very thin, but equally imposing.
The new tiger looks at me and runs toward me. Without hesitation, it opens its mouth, making me tremble again. But its teeth fail to pierce my cloak.
However, I see it push aside the sleeve covering my right arm with its paw and begin devouring it.
I can't express anything. I just remain still, my eyes frozen, as I hear the tiger chewing.
After finishing my right arm, I see it looking at my head.
Tears stream down my eyes as I watch the tiger's mouth approaching.
But before its teeth touch my cheek, it abruptly lifts its head toward the left.
It doesn't take long before I hear a loud roar.
The tiger on top of me reacts immediately. I feel currents of air wrapping around it.
The tiger begins to turn translucent and disappears from my sight.
Soon, I hear the sound of wind moving to the right. From the sound alone, the wind is rapidly moving away.
At the same moment, on the other side, I see the first green tiger appear again. It looks around in every direction, searching.
It lets out a loud roar, I can even feel its hatred in that growl. At the same instant, I see it turn its gaze to the right. As quickly as it appeared, the wind gathers around the tiger and it dashes to the right, disappearing from my perception.
I hear thunderous gusts of wind, trees falling, roars echoing, and the ground trembling from the impacts.
"..."
Even while crying, I continue watching everything.
This is my chance!
I hear the sound of the wind again, but this time, it's moving farther and farther away from me. Understanding the situation, the monsters are fighting.
I can't waste time. Even feeling some broken bones, I force myself to stand.
I begin to walk with a limp.
Gradually, I manage to run while still limping.
Soon, I'm running normally, managing to put some distance between us.