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I remember the first time I was bullied. Hassan, a boy from my class, used to mock my expression. He'd say that my face was so forgettable, he'd blink and forget what I looked like. I understood what he meant; back then, my life was a mess. My parents had split, and every time I went home, my mom was either drunk or high on drugs. I had to make my own meals and take care of myself. Life was bleak, and it showed on my face—I just didn't want to be seen, didn't want to exist.
That expression, the lifeless look with half-closed eyes, stuck with me. Then came the incident where my mom accidentally shot me. That was the final straw. I thought about ending it all with that same gun, but I couldn't go through with it. I wasn't sure if it was fear or some hidden courage that held me back.
"This is…" I muttered. "A little scary."
I was walking along a road that curved gently upward. To my left, the ocean churned far below. If I took twenty or thirty steps that way, I'd fall right off the cliff's edge and into the water. On my right, just past a thin strip of grass, was the looming edge of a forest, according to the map. I could've taken a shortcut through it, sure—but that would've been a dumb move. I had no clue what was waiting in there.
From where I was, I could still spot the city lights behind me, faint and flickering through the gaps in tree branches. They were the only lights I could see. I'd only been walking ten minutes, but it felt like ten hours.
I considered turning on my phone's flashlight. Decided against it. It wasn't pitch black, just gloomy. The only real annoyance was the rain, drizzling steadily and soaking through my clothes. The wind was picking up too, slicing through me like knives.
"Just a little more," I muttered, teeth clenched.
A sound cracked through the forest to my right—sharp and unnatural. I froze, spun around, heart thudding, and yanked my phone out, turning the flashlight on. So much for saving battery. But really, if I wasn't going to use it now, then when?
A bird suddenly landed on a branch above, its crimson eyes reflecting in the beam. It didn't blink. Just stared. My steps grew slower, every crunch of gravel under my boots echoed too loudly. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was back there, just beyond the flashlight's edge, darting away whenever I turned to look.
"You're fine," I told myself. "You're fine. Alone. No monster. No stalker. Just wind and trees."
But I wasn't buying it. Every strange noise made me stop and whip around, checking behind me again and again.
After a while, I had to stop. I sat on a rock at the roadside, hunched over, breath clouding in the cold air. I checked the map—still on the right path. Almost there.
"Slow. Steady. Slow and steady," I said quietly, like a chant.
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- NOTIFICATION
╚══════════╝
- Location Discovered: Undesired Forest
- Map Updated!
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+ XP Gained: 5
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- Current XP: 60 / 100
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- Progress: [████████░░░░░]
╚════════════════════╝
"Undesired Forest… great. Look at the name," I muttered, shaking my head. "What's there to explore here?"
╔═══════════╗
- Undesired Forest
╚═══════════╝
- Memory Fragments: [□]
- Side Activities: [□□]
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- Meditate for 12 hours
- Track Down Lost Items
- Complete 2 side quests
- Discover all '?' in the area.
╚════════════════════╝
"Damn… meditate for 12 hours? Just adding to the list of things I'll never do, I suppose."
A memory fragment was close—but I didn't have the courage to go out of my way to explore. This forest was getting to me. I wished I'd picked a different quest from that board—a quest that didn't require me to go outside the city for a stupid flower. But it was too late for second guesses, I suppose.
I wasn't built for this. I was a city rat—used to the hum of streetlights, the buzz of traffic, the comfort of being surrounded by people. But now, in this world? The fact that I couldn't even cast a damn spell if I needed to was… worrying.
I pushed myself up, groaning a little, and kept walking. The slope finally ended, flattening out.
There it was.
The river. Or what was left of it—it was barely flowing, more like a trickle than a stream. A massive tree stood beside it, its roots snaking through the ground like veins. Around the base of the tree and riverbank, someone had drawn a wide circle with white chalk.
I approached slowly, my flashlight scanning the area… and then I saw it.
"Wow…"
The flower.
The flower was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Its petals seemed to pulse softly, emitting a subtle glow that illuminated the area around it. Tiny sparks of light danced across its surface, almost like fireflies trapped within the petals. The stem was twisted with veins of iridescent blue, and from its center came a low, vibrating hum, like the kind of noise that lingers in your ears after listening to loud music. As I reached out my hand, the hum grew louder, resonating through the air.
"Finally," I breathed out. "Good..."
Just as I grasped the flower, a sudden jolt of pain shot through my hand. A sharp, blade-like structure hidden within the petals pierced my palm, drawing blood. I let out a scream, trying to pull my hand away, but the flower's grip was iron-tight. The pain was unbearable, searing through my senses, and then the flower let out a piercing shriek, almost like the cry of a woman in distress.
"Agh!" It drilled into my skull, made me stumble back as soon as I was free. My hand was slick with blood, fingers trembling. "Crap, crap, crap."
I looked up—something was moving… or someone.
In the distance, just past the river… a haze. A thin stream of smoke at first. Then it twisted and solidified. Became a man—no, a shape like a man. Towering. Faceless.
"What the hell…" My voice cracked as I backed up, still clutching my hand. "No, no—what is that?!"
The figure didn't move—except its leg. It stretched toward me, like rubber, the rest of its body staying put. Its foot slammed to the ground with a wet sound, and then the rest of its body snapped forward unnaturally, like something boneless trying to walk.
Its whole body looked like black goo, rippling with every motion. No eyes. No mouth. No face. Just… nothing.
I stumbled back. "No, no, no, no! Stay back! Stay back!"