The wind cuts through my body, making my steps unsteady. Clouds of cold air escape from my mouth. Even dressed in my cloak, a thin layer of ice covers me.
When I realize it, the darkness of the night is growing stronger and, to make things worse, I can't find a safe place to hide.
I feel my regeneration adjusting my body temperature, but the cold is becoming more and more intense.
"Miirrr!"
"Miirrr!"
I quickly turn my head.
What was that sound?
"Graaa!"
Another roar catches my attention.
I hear footsteps to the right and to the left.
I spot a huge leaf on the ground near my foot. I grab it and run to a tree, hiding in its exposed roots with the leaf covering me.
I feel the ground shaking, and the roars grow louder. Even in the dark, with my vision partially covered by the leaf I picked up, I can see two gigantic silhouettes meeting each other.
The ground shakes again. The sound of trees falling reaches my ears, a flash of light blinds my vision, and a deafening sound makes me lose my hearing.
My body, the tree roots, everything is thrown away by the shockwave.
***
The cold persists, and the dirt from the mud clings to my body and clothes.
No… it's not safe… the ground isn't safe…
I try to climb a tree, but I can't. I try to wrap my arms around the trunk, but I slip without any grip.
I pick up a sharp stone and try to carve into the wood to create a foothold. But the tree is too hard, it doesn't even scratch.
My jumps are useless; even my best leap can't reach close to the lowest branch.
The leaves on the trees are enormous. I can barely see the sky, and darkness falls quickly, making it impossible to see even a hand in front of my face.
In the pitch black…
In the unsettling silence.
"…"
No shelter, no food, no water. All I can do is press my body against the tree I tried to climb.
Slowly, I slide down the trunk until I'm sitting on the ground. I rest my head back, but end up lightly hitting a stone.
Despair begins to take hold. A weak sound escapes my mouth, I almost cry, but I hold it back and stay silent.
My mother didn't raise a coward.
The stone is my pillow. My hands feel around the ground and I realize there's a huge leaf on my right side, I use it as a blanket.
The cold wind makes my body tremble involuntarily. But I sigh and force a smile onto my lips.
I feel relieved.
"Yeah… I'm calm…"
A sharp sound echoes, and my body freezes for a few moments.
"No… I'm not scared, I'm just shaking from the cold. It's not fear."
My mood improves, and I even manage a faint laugh.
"Ah… ah… ah."
"Look at the situation I've been through."
"I was almost eaten by tigers… and almost died from an explosion, but I'm here… alive… and fine."
"…"
My smile disappears instantly. I squeeze my eyes shut as tears start flowing involuntarily.
"I'm scared… I don't like the forest… I want to get out of here!"
***
My regeneration helps my body regulate its temperature. The silence becomes less unsettling, calm slowly invades my mind, and my closed eyes no longer shed tears.
I begin to think about the future, when I manage to get out of this dangerous place. I already imagine finding a village and living there for a while. Then, once I gain experience, I plan to travel the entire world.
A faint smile appears on my lips.
I wonder if there's technology in this world.
My mind starts to imagine scenarios of when I finally leave this place, but I quickly pull myself back under control.
Tomorrow, I'll have a lot to do… I should conserve my energy.
"Well… good night."
"…"
I turn to one side trying to sleep, then to the other, but sleep doesn't come.
Huh? Where's the sleep? Am I not sleepy?
I realize something.
I walked all day, almost died, and even tried climbing a tree, but even so, I don't feel tired or sleepy at all.
I open my eyes and stand up from the ground.
"Now that I think about it, I didn't feel hungry or thirsty all day either. That's not normal."
"Why is that?"
"Wait."
"Could it be… maybe it has something to do with my regeneration?"
Certainty flashes through my mind.
"It must be… it can only be that."
If I don't need to sleep, then I have more time to do other things. And if I don't need to eat or drink, my biggest concerns are basically gone. Every time I think about it, my mood lifts.
I look toward the horizon, seeing only darkness, but with a different perspective.
But soon I fall back into deep thought, because if I truly don't need any of those necessities: food, sleep, or water. It can only be because of my regeneration. That's the only plausible explanation. However, that raises another question.
"What sustains my regeneration, then?"
"Usually, that kind of power always has a cost."
"So what's the cost?"
I begin searching my memory for the conversations I had with Eladreo, but my memories are still somewhat hazy. I think and try to remember for a long time, but I can't recall the conversation I had with him, not even the discussion about my wish.
Come to think of it…
It feels like I'm losing my memories!
When that thought comes to my mind, I grow worried, maybe I'm not only losing memories related to Eladreo, but also of my mother. Not wanting to lose those memories, I decide to search through my mind. I realize the memories about my mother are still intact.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'm not losing my memories."
"Thank goodness."
But my relief doesn't feel complete. After confirming that my memories of my mother are still intact, I try as hard as I can to recall my conversations about Eladreo, but that part remains hazy. It even feels like, in this short period of time, it's getting worse.
"I refuse… I refuse to lose those memories too."
"Who sent me to the Other World? It was Eladreo."
"Who is Eladreo? A Regent of the Cosmos."
"His appearance is… I forgot?!"
I search my mind for more information. Suddenly, I hear a loud howl that cuts through my thoughts.
Another howl soon responds to the first. I hear multiple sounds of bushes rustling in the distance, followed by more howls.
My body turns cold.
"No way, right?!"
"They're not coming this way, right?!"
The sounds get closer, the howls louder and more numerous. My feet move on instinct.
I run… I run desperately… I run like never before. They must be wolves. They're chasing me.
Unfortunately, my escape is terribly hindered. Everything is pitch black. I keep running straight into trees, tripping over stones and roots, falling several times, on top of the many wounds I get while trying to escape.
"What is this?!"
I suffer cuts and scratches all over my skin. A cry of pain escapes involuntarily, but I don't think about stopping, I keep going forward.
The more I advance, the more injuries I gain. I have to run with my arms in front of me to protect my face. Even with my regeneration, so many wounds keep opening, and the ones that just closed are torn open again.
My feet hurt with every step. It feels like a pile of knives is cutting and stabbing me.
My muscles scream in pain. I begin losing strength and quickly slow down. In my final steps, I walk slowly to avoid new cuts.
I stop running completely. Gradually I catch my breath, and my regeneration gets rid of the wounds. The fatigue disappears first, and the deeper injuries close completely.
Even without being able to see, I feel my body recovering.
I take a step forward, but stop. Something grazes my shoulder, cutting it, but the wound heals instantly.
"Good thing I wished for regeneration."
I don't know where I am, but it's definitely somewhere full of sharp, piercing things.
Still, I sigh in relief. I think about staying here for a while. This place is dangerous, but the wolves surely won't enter it. Like humans, animals don't like pain.
"Wolves have excellent night vision… they must realize this place is dangerous and won't come in…"
I barely finish speaking when I hear a powerful howl.
My wounds reopen across my body, but I keep running.