My hand ran over the horse’s soft coat, saying goodbye.

I would not take it with me, as its maneuverability would be hindered in the trees. Instead, I would leave it at the camp where I had first held an axe, my path along the river taking me back to it. It was still inhabited, my observations during the day letting me know that even Captain Roth remained.

The night wind shivered through the hollow base, mere bones of what it had been. Tents closest to the river had survived the inferno, and that was where I tied the horse before turning away. I crossed through the water to the other side, cold water quietly lapping at my legs. Then, I turned to the forest.

Silent steps moved me forward and the looming trees quickly swallowed me. I had no other choice but to enter at night, as I could have never gone unseen by the camp during the day. More dangers would roam under the cover of the darkness, and trepidation was apparent in my walk.

I moved quickly through the brush, hoping to find a place I could stop and wait out the night. Finding an adequate tree, I jumped to grip an extended limb, harsh bark scratching my hands as I pulled myself up. Climbing a little higher, I pressed my back into the trunk as I sat on a thick branch, the bag on my back softening the press.

Sleep did not come to me. At times, the woods were uncharacteristically silent, then an errant howl from a beast would send the wind screaming past my ear, sounding like the cries of apoplectic ghosts.

I thanked the earth when sunlight began to stream through the trees to warm my icy hands, and the songs of the birds welcomed the day.

Dropping from the tree, I continued on. I still followed the stream on my right, its lazy movement the only constant guide. I didn’t know how far the forest went, so I was hoping the river would continue to the end and lead me out.

The morning quickly passed as I walked, nothing getting in my way so far. I had noticed the errant squirrel and rabbit, so I stopped to catch one for myself. I did not want to just eat rations again.

Crouching low to the ground, I pressed my hand to the dirt, feeling for any impressions. I moved forward slowly, periodically repeating the motions until I found prints of a small animal. Following them, I directed [Enhanced Sense] to my ears, listening intently with my knife poised in my hand.

Far in front of me, a rabbit or a hare moved between plants. I stopped immediately, holding still. I leveraged my knife hand behind me, lining it up with the animal. As the hare moved forward before stopping, I released the blade from my hand. My strength easily had it flying through the air at the speed of a bullet until it sunk into the animal's side.

It died quickly, and I retrieved the carcass before returning to the river. I created a small fire pit, lighting it up with my flames before skinning the animal. After cooking the meat, I ate it quickly, washing it down with river water.

I wasn’t worried about getting sick. Bacteria hadn’t seemed to be an issue in this world, as vitality improved immune systems as well. My own vitality had reached 20 on the journey from Gothenburg, the wound on my side closing quickly and the cut on my neck now just a scab. I also had nothing to boil water in, so I didn’t have much choice but to drink it as it is.

Stomping out the fire and sweeping any smoldering sticks into the stream, I moved to follow it once again.

A day passed like that, uneventful. It almost made me wish I had left sooner. However, I knew that I would not have been as competent as I was now if I did. Most likely, I wouldn’t have the same skills as I do now as well.

I slept better that night, a hill overhang keeping me covered and out of sight. It was still a fitful rest, any sound waking me up easily. My body felt heavy the next day, but I still kept my pace up. I didn’t want to be stuck walking in this forest forever.

My skin had begun to prickle later on in the day, a familiar feeling. I pulled my axe out, continuing to walk but keeping my guard up. A practically inaudible rumble shook my body, fallen leaves crunching to the left of me.

I swung my axe as a recognizable animal pounced for me—it was a lynx much like the one I had fought what seemed like ages ago. It partially dodged my blow, and my axe slid past its face. I turned my wrist so the back of the axe dug into its cheek, bouncing off with a crunch.

The creature yowled, swiping at me with its massive paw. I jumped back, mouth parting in shock as I slid on the muddy bank of the river. My right foot dropped into the water as I ducked the lynx’s snapping jaws, swinging my axe again. I hit this time, the beasts’ raised arm letting me aim for the vulnerable skin underneath. It growled in pain as I yanked my weapon free, its limp arm dropping to splash in the shallow water.

Grabbing my knife with my free hand, I plunged it under its chin, angling it back towards the head. The lynx yelped weakly as it went limp, its severed windpipe cutting off air from its brain. It died quickly after, and I pulled both of us out of the water.

Panting breaths left me quickly, adrenaline making my hands shake. Was the lynx population high in this area? It seemed odd to me. Or maybe it was the companion of the one I had killed before. I did not know much of their species' mating habits to be sure.

I hadn’t thought of it before, but did this mean that this region had intense winters? Before I had been taken from the earth, it had been autumn. I wasn’t sure if it was the same here, but the nights had seemed to be growing colder. It didn’t seem likely, but I hoped I would be out of the forest before snow would grace this strange world.

The lynx’s body lay there, now dead like its companion. It made me feel bereft, for some odd reason. They had both attacked me, and now both were no longer a part of this world. I was the alien—the unnatural factor in their lives. It was odd to think about.

Would they still be alive, if I hadn’t been dropped to this place? I hadn’t really thought of how I didn’t belong in this world, the odd situation unprocessed. It was hard for me, I think, since there was no way to see what was new. If I relaxed my mind, I could pretend that I was in a forest back on earth. I had no way of knowing if anything was different in this world. Even when I had fought on the battlefield, it had almost seemed like I was fighting on earth again. People died the same as they did back home, after all.

But, it made me think. Were the trees red? How about the sky, was it green? Was the lynx I had just killed purple, its soft fur that color to blend in with the violet snow? I laughed quietly, my thoughts ridiculous. Shaking my head, I pushed those ideas away. I might be an alien, but this world would have to deal with it.

Death was constant, I thought, as I skinned the animal. It was no different here or on earth. There was comfort in that; it gave a sense of finality and familiarity. My questions would not be answered by my ruminations, and they did not matter in the grand scheme of things.

Folding the animal skin, I pushed it into my mostly empty bag before cleaning my weapons in the water. I left the carcass there, as its meat was too much for me to carry and it would go bad quickly. It would feed the other animals in this forest, or maybe just the bugs.

Another day passed, and the howls that night no longer bothered me as much. My pace was steadier; my body was lighter than it had been. It was amazing what a good night's rest could do for the body.

I began to feel slight boredom, however. To keep it away, I summoned my flame to experiment with. It started in my palm—a small thing. Its bright light was still fascinating, amazing me with how I could see the fire I summoned. Maybe it was like this because it was magic, and wasn’t exactly tied to the physical world. My mental powers did seem to be how it was controlled.

Moving it, it ran up my arm, swirling over my shirt without burning it. I tried to push it away from my body, but it became weak and hard to control the farther it went. When I covered my entire arm instead of just one spot, it burned faster through that pool of mana inside of me.

Pulling my dagger out, I directed the flames to line its edge, stretching them into a blade of fire. It was almost as difficult as moving it away from me, but easier since I had something to mold it around. I tried to mentally throw it, but the flames quickly fizzled out before getting far.

It created a ticklish sensation along my skin wherever it moved, not feeling like a real flame. But if I willed it, it would start to burn, damaging my skin. I tried it with a leaf I grabbed, and I felt it harmlessly run along its surface before I directed it to burn, turning the leaf into ash.

The fire could be a harmless light or a damaging flame, and I found that willing it to burn with the purpose to destroy cost more mana. I let it wink out as I felt my reserves grow low.

It was interesting how easy it was to manipulate the flame. It seemed the hardest part was first using mana, something I innately had no understanding of. The emotions and intensity of that night I had gained my skill had driven it along, and I could not exactly remember how it had happened. It had all been too sudden—my actions completely unplanned.

I wondered if I would have been able to gain a skill like [Summon Water], or if one had to be naturally inclined to certain things to gain a skill for it. There must be so many possibilities for mana, whether it be summoning something or making another thing disappear.

What would they teach at a magic school? Was there a certain way you were supposed to manipulate mana?

Those questions were pushed away, my ears itching as the river began to move faster like it was eagerly rushing to meet something. It made my steps involuntarily quicken, pushing forward. The sun fell more heavily on my face as the trees thinned. I rested my hand on one as I tilted my face up, wind pleasantly brushing past.

I had finally made it to the other side.