The light was too bright.
He pressed his palm to his eyes and blinked several times, trying to figure out where he was.
"Where...?"
His voice sounded unfamiliar, and a strange feeling of emptiness tightened in his chest. He couldn't remember anything... not even himself.
His head was splitting with pain. It felt like someone was hitting him inside his skull with a hammer. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't obey him. Every movement only intensified the pain.
"Ah..." was all he could manage to exhale.
He was surrounded by a forest. It was warm and bright, but too strange to seem safe.
Tall trees stretched toward the sky, their leaves shimmering with colors he had never seen before.
The birds sang too loudly, almost as if they were laughing.
He tried to remember who he was, where he was from, what had happened...
Nothing...
Nothing...
His heart was pounding wildly. He didn't understand why... why it was beating so fast.
He stood up, staggering slightly. Every step sent pain through his temples.
"My head..." he whispered. "What... is wrong with me?"
His hands were empty. Nothing. His clothes were strange, light, almost alien, and seemed too new.
He looked around. The forest around him was quiet, almost windless, but strange shadows flitted between the trees. Something tall and thin glided around the edges of his vision, disappearing when he tried to focus.
"Who's there?" His voice sounded weaker than he expected.
No one answered. Only the birds laughed.
He took a deep breath and moved on.
Every step caused pain in his temples, but something inside him told him he had to keep going.
"I... have to understand..." he muttered under his breath. "Where am I?"
He looked around. A low hill was visible in the distance. From there, he would be able to see more.
"I think I should climb it..." he decided.
He easily climbed to the top of the hill. The forest around him was flat and soft underfoot, not hindering his movements.
And then he saw a view that took his breath away.
The forest stretched for miles, shimmering with shades of green, blue, and rare gold. Shining lawns sometimes broke through between the trees, and fireflies flew in the air, emitting a soft golden light. The sun played on the foliage, painting the world in bright, almost unreal colors.
He froze.
So beautiful... so alien...
And in the distance, his gaze fell on a colossal tree.
Huge. Impossibly tall. Its trunk stretched so high that the top was lost among the clouds, and its leaves shimmered with all shades of green and blue. The light coming from above seemed like a soft aura enveloping the tree, as if it existed separately from the rest of the world.
"Unbelievable..." he breathed. "Is it... real?"
He estimated the distance. Even from the hill, the tree seemed far away, almost unreachable. Kilometers of forest stretched to the horizon. The journey to it could take weeks, if not months.
He took a step back, thinking about the situation.
"So... first I need to settle in here," he muttered. "Explore the surroundings, understand this world... And then... if possible... go to it."
He climbed down the hill and began to explore the forest around him.
At first, he noticed unusual plants growing along the paths. Some had leaves with smooth iridescence, as if light were playing on them.
Others gave off a faint, pleasant aroma, fresh and sweet, which was both soothing and arousing curiosity.
He leaned toward a bush and gently ran his fingers over the soft leaves.
"Interesting..." he muttered. "I've never seen anything like this before."
At that moment, something flew over him.
At first, he thought it was a small insect, but then he noticed small glowing dots flashing around him, floating smoothly in the air.
Fireflies circled above his head, sometimes landing on nearby leaves, leaving behind a faint, warm light.
He reached out his hand, but they disappeared, leaving a slight flicker in the air, as if the forest itself was playing hide-and-seek with him.
"Hmm... strange," he said, smiling slightly. "And beautiful."
He walked on, carefully examining the plants, when suddenly he felt a strange sensation in his stomach.
"Mmm..." he muttered, clutching his stomach. "It seems... I'm hungry."
And not just hungry. His throat was dry, and he realized he hadn't drunk anything in a long time.
He looked around. Bright fruits hung from a bush, exuding a sweet aroma.
"Well... it's worth a try," he muttered, carefully biting into the fruit.
The first bite... and his eyes immediately widened.
"AH!" he gasped, jumping back. "What is this?!"
His tongue felt as if it had been burned with acid. His throat tightened and his lips tingled unpleasantly.
"Well... not everything that smells good is edible," he said, gritting his teeth.
He looked around and noticed another bush with smaller berries. Looking closely, he realized that the smell was milder and the color more pleasant. He carefully bit off a berry.
The taste was sweet and juicy.
"Wow... Delicious!" he said, smiling. "Looks like I can survive."
After his snack, his throat was still dry. In the distance, he noticed a stream with sparkling water. He walked over and took a few sips. The cool water felt pleasant on his throat, and his body filled with light energy.
"Hmm..." he said, looking around. "If I can find food and water here... maybe I can get used to this place."
Fireflies continued to swirl overhead, and the strange plants around him seemed to invite him to explore the forest further.
He took a deep breath and said to himself
"Survival first. Then the tree. I wonder... what kind of tree is that...
And with that decision, he went deeper into the forest, carefully studying every plant, every sound, and every firefly.
His journey was just beginning.