I stood still for a moment, the sword resting lightly in my hand.
Then...
Something clicked
I looked up and froze.
'The trees'
Just ahead of me, the dense wall of towering trunks broke apart, giving way to an open space. Light... actual light... spilled through the gap. It was warm, but slightly blinding, after the suffocating darkness of the forest.
For a second, I just stared, unsure if what was happening was reality.
Then... A smile appeared on my face, my first genuine smile of happiness.
"I can leave..."
The words felt strange.
Unreal.
Was I crying? Maybe, I mean, who wouldn't it was the first time I'd seen light, you can't blame me.
Excitement stirred in my chest.
'What's out there, people, civilization, answers?'
"Would there be others... like me?"
My grip on the sword tightened slightly.
And just as I prepared to leave, I remembered something.
'The case...'
I turned around and paused.
It was gone.
Where the green case had once rested, there was now nothing but bare ground. No trace. No mark. As if it had never existed at all.
My eyes narrowed.
"...Tch"
For a moment, I stared at the space where the case had been.
I sighed, shaking my head.
"Haa... Unlucky"
Though... something about it didn't feel like just bad luck, it felt...
'Intentional.'
I decided not to dwell on it. There were more important things ahead. Turning back toward the light, I adjusted my grip on the sword, or rather...
My sword.
'Alright'
My expression hardened slightly as I knew the journey might be far from easy, and I needed to be prepared for anything.
'Time to get out of this godforsaken hellhole'
I took a step
Then another
And crossed the boundary
For the first time...
I left the forest.
------
The moment I stepped out...
Light swallowed me.
I flinched, raising my hand to shield my eyes as the sudden brightness burned them. After so long in darkness, even the softest light was blinding, but this... this was full sunlight, it was... overwhelming.
For a few seconds, I could see nothing.
Just white.
Then... slowly
The world came into focus.
Green.
Endless Green.
"Holy..."
Fields stretched out before me, vast and open, swaying gently under the breeze. Different shades blended, deep emerald, pale yellow, and touches of gold.
Colors I had no memories of, yet recognized.
"...A farm?"
I recognised exactly where I was despite never seeing one I knew...
'Yeah... It's a farm.'
I lifted my gaze.
Above me.
A clear blue sky.
Wide.
Open.
Endless.
For a moment, I forgot everything...
The forest.
The sword.
The fear.
"...Beautiful"
The word slipped out quietly.
Time passed... I don't know how long I stood there, but I simply stared, and for the first time, I felt free.
Eventually, I exhaled and shifted my grip on my sword.
"Hoo... alright..."
I smiled.
"Time to go."
Before leaving, I turned... just once.
To look back.
And froze.
There was nothing, no forest, no trees, only more fields and more sky.
My smile faltered.
"...How the...?"
A strange feeling crept up my spine. The forest was gone, not hidden, not far away.
Gone.
As if it was never there to begin with.
I tightened the grip on my sword. For some reason, my chest felt heavy again.
'I need to leave.'
The thought came quickly.
'Now.'
The faint unease became something stronger.
Urgency.
Anxiety.
An instinct.
As if telling me staying here any longer would drag me back. Turning away i began to walk. Each step took me further and further away from where the forest should have been.