I don't know how long I stayed standing there.
Minutes, maybe more.
At first, my mind was empty. Not shocked, not scared. Just blank. Like my brain didn't know which thought to pick first.
I turned slowly, looking around again.
Trees. Grass. Dirt. Uneven ground.
No road.
No buildings.
No people.
No sound of cars.
I took a few careful steps forward. The ground felt real. Solid. My shoes sank a little into the dirt. Dry leaves cracked under my feet.
"This doesn't make sense," I said out loud.
My voice sounded strange here. Too clear. Like the air carried it farther than usual.
I turned around again, half-expecting to see the road behind me. Or at least some sign of the city. But there was nothing. Just more trees.
My heart started beating faster.
"Okay… okay," I said, trying to calm myself. "Think."
Maybe I fainted.
Maybe I was dreaming.
Maybe this was some kind of park and I hit my head.
I reached up and touched the back of my head. No pain. No blood.
I pinched my arm.
It hurt.
"…Great."
I checked my bag. Everything was still there. Books. Notebook. Pen. My phone.
I took my phone out quickly.
No signal.
I frowned and checked again.
Still nothing.
The battery was fine, but there was no network. No internet. No calls.
That didn't help.
I sat down on the grass, feeling tired all of a sudden. My legs felt weak, like they had finished running a long distance.
I looked up at the sky again.
It looked too clean.
No smoke. No wires. No buildings cutting into it.
Just blue.
I stayed like that for a while, trying to slow my breathing. Panic wouldn't help. Running blindly wouldn't help either.
Eventually, my body relaxed a little.
I stood up again.
"Let's just… move," I said quietly.
Staying in one place felt wrong.
I picked a direction at random and started walking.
The forest wasn't dark, but it wasn't bright either. Sunlight came through the leaves in broken pieces. The air smelled fresh. Earthy. Different from the city.
As I walked, I noticed how quiet everything was. Not silent, just… natural. Birds far away. Wind moving branches. Insects I couldn't see.
After some time, my legs started to feel heavy.
I hadn't eaten properly all day.
I stopped and leaned against a tree. My head felt light.
"Maybe I should sit," I said.
The moment I sat down, exhaustion hit me fully. My eyes felt heavy. My body finally noticed how tired it was.
I don't remember deciding to sleep.
I just closed my eyes.
When I opened them again, the light had changed.
It was softer now. Warmer.
For a second, I thought I was in my room. That this was all some strange dream.
Then I saw the trees.
I sat up quickly.
My body felt… different.
Not weak. Just lighter.
I looked down at myself.
My clothes were not my school uniform anymore.
I was wearing a simple shirt, brown and rough, with long sleeves. My pants were dark and plain. The shoes on my feet were not my sneakers.
My heart skipped.
I stood up fast and nearly lost my balance.
"What the—"
My voice sounded younger.
I stopped breathing for a moment.
Slowly, carefully, I raised my hands and looked at them.
They were smaller.
Not by much, but enough that I noticed.
My fingers were thinner. My skin smoother.
I touched my face.
My jaw felt less sharp. My cheeks felt different.
"No… no," I whispered.
I rushed to a small stream nearby and crouched down, looking into the water.
The face staring back at me was mine.
But younger.
Sixteen.
The same age as me before.
But something felt… reset.
Like my body had been rewound slightly.
I sat back on the ground hard.
"This isn't funny," I said.
My chest felt tight. My thoughts raced.
New place.
New clothes.
Different body.
This wasn't an accident anymore.
I stayed there for a long time, just breathing and thinking. Trying to connect everything logically.
At some point, something else happened.
Not around me.
Inside my head.
It felt like a small click. Like flipping a switch.
Words appeared in front of my eyes.
They didn't block my vision. They just… existed.
Status
Name: Shahawaiz
Age: 16
Level: 1
I stared.
I didn't blink.
I didn't move.
"…No," I said quietly.
The words stayed.
I reached out and waved my hand through them.
Nothing.
They didn't move.
They didn't react.
I closed my eyes.
When I opened them, the words were still there.
My heart beat harder.
"This is not real," I said.
Another line appeared.
Skill
Creation — Rank F
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because my brain didn't know what else to do.
"Of course," I said. "Of course this happens."
I had read enough stories. Watched enough shows. I knew what this looked like.
But knowing didn't make it easier.
I focused on the word Creation.
Nothing happened.
I frowned.
"Okay… how does this work?"
I picked up a small stone from the ground. It fit easily in my hand.
I stared at it.
"Create," I said softly.
Nothing.
I tried again, focusing harder.
My head felt warm. Not painful. Just pressure.
The stone cracked slightly.
Just a small line.
I dropped it immediately.
"…That's it?"
I sat down again, breathing a little faster.
So it was real.
Weak.
But real.
I checked the status window again. It stayed simple. No numbers. No explanation.
Level 1.
F-rank skill.
I closed my eyes and leaned back against the tree.
"This is going to be hard," I said quietly.
I didn't know where I was.
I didn't know how this world worked.
And whatever power I had was barely there.
But I was alive.
That mattered.
I stood up again and looked around.
Forest.
No clear path.
No signs.
I took a deep breath.
"First step," I said. "Survive."
I started walking again, slowly, carefully, paying attention to every sound.
This world didn't welcome me.
But it hadn't killed me either.
And for now, that was enough.