Darkness. Absolute darkness, with hints of shiny white orbs occasionally relieving themselves. Huh? I'm… me? Alive? What's this?
What's happening? Where am I?
I thought, among other things. It felt as if my mind could conjure more than two thoughts at the same time… or maybe I was too slow to realise the thoughts that were generating one after another. I don't know — it has to be one of them.
I was lying on my back. I could feel the hard ground beneath me, its sturdiness providing something that wasn't comfort, for sure. I could also feel my arms, legs, and fingers. My breathing was stable, and the air I inhaled wasn't that different from… I don't know. I don't remember.
Who am I?
Where did I come from?
I could vividly sense the acceleration of my heart.
What is happening?! Who am I?
Where the fuck am I?!
AND WHY ARE MY EYES STILL SHUT!! I yelled out loud inside my mind.
FUCK! EVEN MY MOUTH IS NON-FUNCTIONAL!
Something was starting to hurt — my ears, my neck, my chest… which I quickly realised was my own heartbeat. This sensation was overwhelming, as if my own heartbeat was going to crush my organs and me from within.
Calm down. Literally. I assured myself. Panicking would do no good, only create additional problems — add to the nuisances already piling up. I had to thoroughly figure out what was happening. One question at a time…
No! Before that — I need my eyes! I yelled again inside my mind.
And my mouth!
It took me a few minutes to calm myself, but I did it. I was calm… though barely. My body felt intact — I could sense it — but I was unable to move. It wasn't numb, just fatigued. I could feel it, but when I tried to move my arms, legs, anything — minimal response came with a ton of pain.
Guess I'll have to wait for a while before I can even move around… How pathetic.
While I waited, hoped, and prayed that my body would eventually listen to me, I focused on what I could figure out. The location I was in had trees and cold winds. The winds carried too many leaves and broken branches that were being tossed around — I could tell by the scattered sounds. It was probably nighttime as well… I think.
The ground I lay upon was some sort of grassland. I could feel the tingling sensation of short but pointy grass against the back of my neck.
Speaking of 'bare,' I was covered in clothes — thank god — though my feet were not, which suggested no footwear…
Yeah, no shit, genius.
What was I even observing? Such basic, useless details? What good are they gonna do? Suggest where I'm at right now? Even if my eyes suddenly opened, I still wouldn't be able to guess my location. I have literally nothing inside my brain, except the thinking part, which is partially helping me… Hope I don't lose it as well, though.
After a long while, which, to be honest, was ten minutes at most, I finally had the strength to lift my left arm and wipe at my eyes. Actually, there was some sort of slimy blockade preventing them from opening. Whatever it was, it was sticky, disgusting, and rubber-like cold. I wiped it away by rubbing my fingers against the wet ground beside me.
BLINK BLINK.
It took additional precious seconds to adjust my vision…
Oh. That's why, I thought.
I was lying right beneath the moon.
So it is nighttime, indeed!
I celebrated the accuracy of my little prediction. A victory is a victory, after all.
Simultaneously, I also realised this was a forest — tall trees, scattered grasslands. The section I was in seemed like an empty space with no trees within a 30–40 meter radius. Weird, I thought. But oh well — works for me.
I tried to stand up — I couldn't.
I tried to sit upright — a tough task, but again, I succeeded.
Now, on my little ass, I sat.
Thinking.
Thinking about what I knew — and what I didn't.
To start off:
I don't know my own name.
I don't know how I ended up here.
I don't know this place.
I don't know this region — or anything else.
What I do know is… I'm a boy. And a child.
Wow. Great. Impressive.
This will definitely ensure my survival in this dark, scary-looking jungle.
***
It's been an hour or two now, and I can move around!
HELL YEAH, WOOOOW! I yelled frantically — again — inside my mind.
Now then… what to do? I wondered.
This region feels like the middle of nowhere — and inside this nowhere, I'm… somewhere. With no sense of direction and nothing remotely helpful, I decided to walk around.
I don't know why, but it kind of prevents me from overthinking… overlaps my thoughts and ideas, if I come up with any.
The atmosphere, the environment — it was nice, though.
Dark. Cold. Mysterious.
Yup. Very nice indeed.
I think I'm around ten years old... though I'm not sure. Are ten-year-olds this mature?
Like, I don't know why, but it feels like I'm a few decades older.
For some unknown reason. Maybe I'm just built differently.
Maybe that's why I was abandoned here to begin with.
That thought alone caused my heart to sink… which, ironically, helped prevent it from breaking.
This region also saw rain recently — probably before I ended up here.
I could tell because there were little patches of shallow water all over the place — temporary rain-ponds, or whatever they're called.
And I'm dry. At least my front side is. My back was against the ground for who knows how long.
So that proves another theory of mine — that I arrived after the rain.
Wait a minute… rain-ponds? An idea popped up, a 'self-mirroring' idea.
Yeah, I'm definitely a kid. A boy.
Average looking — black hair, little brown eyes, small frame.
Hmm. Works for me, I guess.
Not like I get to customise my appearance.
It is what it is. I'm happy with myself.
…Have to be.
This whole situation feels oddly calm.
I'm oddly calm.
Again, I'm thankful — but isn't having a breakdown or going into depression part of the standard procedure?
Not that it'd do any good, but still… it feels weird to not have a "normal" reaction. Like others would.
Anyway. Moving on.
I have things to do.
Most importantly… I have to survive.
I'm not hungry — yet — but I will be soon. I need to find others.
My fellow species members.
I can't survive here eating dirt and tree leaves.
And if I really am in a forest… doesn't that mean this place might host animals? Beasts?
...Monsters?
That thought alone sent a shiver down my spine.
I have to move. I realised it clearly now — I'm wasting time just standing here.
I have to find something. Or someone. While I still can.
So then… I stood over the exact spot I'd been lying in for again, who knows how long.
"Thank you, for keeping me safe," I bowed to the place — not sure whether it even had a role, but still.
Expressing my actual feelings won't hurt.
And thank you… whoever at least had the decency to abandon me in a safe place — comparatively, I added mentally, as I acknowledged the one responsible for my current situation.
They abandoned me. Left me with nothing — and only myself to rely on.
I wanted to curse that person.
That being. That entity.
But I couldn't.
I wasn't able to.
It felt wrong… for some reason.
Whatever.
I have an uncertain future to navigate.
The past doesn't matter — for now.
I accepted that truth as my fists clenched inside my palms.
It hurt — but it felt good.
A new sensation.
Pain.
Now then.
I have four directions to choose from.
One of them will hopefully lead me toward my own kind — if they exist.
And the other three?
Toward the unknown.
Toward dangers.
Toward monsters…
…Or perhaps something worse.
Times like this, I feel like I should listen to my gut.
And it tells me to take a left, toward the darkest region, filled with gigantic trees and strangely shaped bushes.
Yeah. About that.
I tried to think otherwise. I really did.
I considered other directions — ones that felt safer — but my mind kept wandering back toward that damned direction.
Again. And again. And again.
It wasn't just my gut.
There was some kind of… sensation.
A pull. A calling.
Something was drawing me toward it.
Or maybe my mind was just trying to justify what my instincts had already decided.
"Honestly… what else do I have to lose?" I asked myself.
I've already been abandoned. I have no memories.
My future's more foggy than ever.
I have nothing to lose.
And a lot to gain… hopefully.
But what about my life?
I could lose my life…
I don't want to die.
That thought hit me like a meteor — sudden and undeniable.
And yet, with a heavy heart and a hardened resolve,
I took my first step toward my survival…
…Or my eternal doom.
The direction I chose led somewhere.
Some of the trees had been smashed against each other — some from above, as if lightning itself had struck them.
Others bore claw marks. Some had chunks missing.
A few even had dried blood smeared across the bark.
But most importantly… some had fruit.
Climbing them was a challenge of its own — but I did it.
I managed to accomplish this great task.
The fruits — berries, I think — were about the size of my fingertips. Maybe a bit bigger.
They were colourful. Abundant.
And even though their taste and texture were weird…
…I was happy I found them.
Forget the taste — they might just ensure my survival.
And that alone made me thankful for their existence.
…Unless they're poisonous.
Goddamn it. This mind of mine — always coming up with thoughts more absurd than the last.
Hours had passed, but I didn't stop.
My legs were tired—no, exhausted—ready to give out at any moment. But I kept going. I had to. I didn't know where I was heading, but standing still wasn't an option.
I wasn't close to anything. I could feel it. What I was close to, though, was panic. Anxiety. Fear.
It crept in like cold fog, thickening with every step. The forest grew darker. The air tighter. The trees loomed taller, the silence stretched longer. It felt like something was watching me. Tracking me. Keeping tabs.
A predator? The kind that likes to play with its food before the kill?
That thought almost made my knees buckle. But I pushed through. Not here. Not yet. I couldn't afford to collapse—not this early. Not when I hadn't even begun to survive.
But what now?
I could barely keep pace anymore. My steps were sluggish, dragging. I'd tried climbing trees to get a better view—three, maybe four times—but the view from above was the same each time.
Nothing but trees.
As if this world were wrapped in a never-ending loop of forest. Trees. Wind. Nothing else.
CLAP
"Hey there, so-called Almighty—mind helping this little guy out a bit? Please?" I called out sarcastically, palms pressed together.
Silence.
Figures. Just another reminder—I was alone.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
What the—?!
My body flinched. I stumbled, nearly faceplanting into the dirt. I spun around just in time to catch it—the echo of explosions, distant but real.
Shockwaves rippled through the ground, enough to push me back a step. The pressure wasn't imagined. This wasn't a hallucination carved out by loneliness or hunger, even though I was close to experiencing actual dizziness, one that very well may make me go unconscious, again.
Something real had just happened.
Without thinking, I ran.
My feet moved before my brain could argue. Toward the sound. Toward whatever had caused those blasts.
Maybe it was danger. Maybe it was death.
Or maybe… people.
That single hope, that fragile thread, was enough to pull me forward. My back ached, my legs screamed, but I didn't care.
I was going to live.
I was going to survive.