I look back to my days, surviving in an alien forest with a mixture of feelings. There is a wistful longing for those days, when everything was simpler. All I had to do was to survive and not lose my damn mind. There is also a feeling of regret. Because there was a lot that I could have done differently. Maybe even for the better. But the crowning feeling of them all is happiness. Happiness knowing that I had taken the first steps into what would become my life. My purpose.

I crouched down and studied my surroundings, as the ethereal lines that transported me here dispersed with a flash.

I was in a clearing surrounded by trees that were tall enough to cover the sky with their blood red leaves. Sun peeked through them, creating tiny spotlights on the moss green of the forest floor. The scene was familiar yet alien at the same time.

I could not remember how long I sat there crouched, trying to listen for any signs of danger. My heart beating out of my chest, my blood roaring in my ears. My imagination turned into my worst enemy as I kept looking for some phantom wild animal that would charge from underbrush any second to eat my face.

What finally calmed me down was the faint blue light of a status screen that materialized in front of me. As I skimmed through the information, I felt my pulse slowing down. I did not come here unprepared. I had some knowledge, a new body and a Skill that would keep me hidden from the unknown dangers.

Name: Felix Blackburn Race: Human* Age: 23 Advancement: 1 Trait: Outsider Body: 5 Mind: 5 Soul: 3 Ability: Invert [Novice] Skills (1/3) Stealth Ops [Body] Perks (1/10) Sublime Grace

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and focused inward as I activated my [Stealth Ops] Skill. There was a feeling of something blue and hazy, almost like a fog coalesce inside me, and then cover me from head to toe. That feeling faded, replaced by a set of... new instincts that I never had before. I stood up on the balls of my feet and brought my torso closer to the ground. I reflexively held out my hands in front of me, thinking I was about to lose my balance and fall. I did not fall, nor did I sway, I stood perfectly still as if the gravity did not exist.

I could not help but let out a laugh as I tiptoed around the clearing in a half-crouched position. I knew exactly how to shift my balance, with every step and with every sway. I understood how to step and where to put my feet to make the least amount of noise. In a moment of giddy excitement, I pitched forward into a one armed handstand, and then promptly collapsed into a heap. I might have had the perfect balance to execute the stunt, but not the strength to sustain it just yet.

If someone peeked into that clearing that day, they would have found me splayed on the ground, giggling uncontrollably. They might have thought me a deranged fool, but they would not know what a superpower it was to have exact control of your body. They would not know how it felt to do something that you have only dreamt of doing before. I think it was at that moment that I realized that this was all real. That this was not a dream, a prank or some kind of acid trip. No. This was my new reality, and I had taken my first steps to becoming a superhuman.

I spent a little more time familiarizing myself with my new body before I started testing my new Ability. I pulled up and read its description again.

[Invert] - The ability to invert the position of objects with the User. Objects must have the Essence signature of the User. Upon further Advancement, the User will be able to Invert two objects with each other.

I could switch places with any object as long as that object was imbued with my Essence. But the question was, how would I imbue anything with my Essence? I did not understand how to control it, nor how to access it. No. That was not true. I accessed it earlier when I activated my Skill. It must have been that blue and hazy fog that covered me from head to toe.

I picked up a loose pebble off ground and concentrated on it. Trying and failing to summon that blue fog again. After trying for several minutes, I threw the pebble away from me. I concentrated on it and tried to activate my ability. Nothing happened.

I sat there thinking, working through my options. If the Essence was inside my body, then it should have permeated me already. In a flash of inspiration, I picked up that pebble again and put it in my mouth. I activated my stealth skill and waited, noting the feeling of blue fog coalescing around me. After a while I spit out the rock and activated my ability once more. The world lurched as I teleported to the pebbles location. The sudden change in perspective caused a whiplash in my mind, and I collapsed on my knees, dry heaving.

I could confirm two things from my test. There was indeed a cooldown associated with [Invert], and that cooldown was at least 10 minutes.

When the cooldown refreshed I tried using it again, this time with a strand of my hair. And then again with a tiny piece of chewed up nail. With each use I started feeling the object I wanted to switch with in my mindscape. There was a thin strand of Essence that connected us.

After a few more tests, I left a strand of my hair in the clearing and walked as far away from it as I could. When I reached the edge of that clearing, the connection snapped. 5 meters. That was the distance of my [Invert] ability. 5 meter teleportation ability with a 10 minute cooldown was nothing to write home about in the grand scheme of things. But I fucking adored it. I could teleport through space and time! The possibilities were endless, even with all the restrictions.

Reality chose that moment to rear its ugly head in the form of a shriek that pierced through the tranquility of the forest. I froze. That was not an animal’s shriek, it sounded very human. I broke out in a cold sweat. There was another person in this forest. Possible more.

I activated my stealth and started slowly walking to the direction of the sound. Some small part of me knew that I was probably heading into danger. Whoever that was, they were probably dead, and whatever killed them would be there. But I had to confirm it for myself. Existence of other people in the forest could mean this would be a different kind of survival Trial.

I never fancied myself a hero before, and I did not want to become one now. I would sneak up, check out the situation, and leave if there was any danger. If they were still alive… Then I would cross that bridge when I needed to.

After about 15 minutes of skulking through the forest, I realized my mistake. I knew roughly where the sound had come from, but not it's the exact location. If I blindly walked around, I might accidentally walk into the danger that I was trying to avoid in the first place. I slowed down my pace and started looking for any signs of struggle, footprints, or scuff marks on the trees. I did not understand what I was doing, but it was at least better than walking around blind.

I smelled it before I saw it. There was a heavy stench of blood and what I thought was a human excrement, in the air. The smell was coming from the underbrush right ahead of me. I sat there squinting, trying to see through the foliage. I did not dare to walk any further, in case they discovered me. Whatever ‘they’ were.

I would need a higher vantage If I wanted to see what was going on in that clearing. I looked around and up, noting the tree with thick branches that stretched close to the clearing. That was the vantage that I needed.

The climb was infinitely easier than I thought it would be. With adrenaline rushing through my veins, and a perfect sense of balance, the tree did not pose much of a challenge. Although my muscles screamed with pain by the time I reached the branch that I needed. I had to lay there for a bit, breathing slowly and quietly, recuperating my strength. When I felt better again, I started crawling along the branch. The tree still had a lot of its leaves and it was enough, along with my stealth skill, to hide me from view. At least I thought it did.

On my way over here, I had started mentally preparing myself to see some fucked up shit in that clearing. I was not prepared enough. There were two saber-toothed tigers in there, lounging in a pool of blood, and casually licking it off their paws. And there was a lot of blood. Only through a force of will and fear for my own mortality did I keep myself from puking. I closed my eyes and held my breath, trying to count my heartbeats.

I don’t know how long I lay there, trying to calm down, beating down the instincts to get up and flee. When I felt a little better, I looked into the clearing again. The tigers were up on their feet now and alert. Something had spooked them. It took me a few seconds to realize it was probably me. Which freaked me out even more.

These were not the traditional-looking sabre-toothed tigers. They had the stripes, the paws, and long fangs of the saber-toothed tiger. But that is where the similarities ended. These had long elongated snouts and much more muscular yet short, stocky bodies that ended with a short tail.

I watched these beasts lounge around in the carnage and prayed that they would not find me. I had a new body, and a badass ability, but no weapon, or any skill to wield one. There was no way I could protect myself if they found me. I thought about crawling back the way I came, but dismissed the idea as too dangerous. They might notice me if they sensed movement. So I lay there, perfectly still under the cloak of stealth.

The human they had been munching on was almost unrecognizable. I could not even tell if they used to be male or female. I noticed their weapon, though. It was hard to see from my vantage, but it looked like a sheathed dagger. I wondered how they were able to get a weapon. Did they already have it when they started their Trial? Much good it did for them. But that did put my own level of preparedness into a new perspective. It would be logical to assume that there might be more humans out there, taking the same Trial. And these humans were probably much more prepared than I was. I had arrived in this forest with just clothes on my back.

The tigers slowly relaxed and went back to lounging and occasionally eating. I hoped that they would eventually leave, so I could leave myself. I had no idea how these animals operated, but they had to go back to their den, eventually. But the more I laid up there, the more I was convinced that I would need that dagger, and whatever else the human used to have.

It was twilight when the tigers finally left the clearing. I felt almost feverish with the need to move and stretch my muscles. Never have I had to stay still in one spot for hours before in my life. But I controlled my impulse and waited another hour, just in case they had hung around in the area.

It was almost night when I finally made my way down there. I left a strand of my hair wedged inside the bark of the tree branch so I would have a route of escape. I made sure to keep my eye on the connection as I slowly stalked towards the clearing. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I kept stopping and waiting every time I thought I heard a sound. I held my breath as I entered the clearing, doing my best not to look at the bits and pieces of what used to be a human. I stayed there scanning the perimeter, listening for any sign of danger.

This was stupid, I thought to myself. I could make a knife out of a rock or something. Why did I have to risk my life for a dagger? No, it was not just the dagger. There was also a bag. It was steeped in its owner’s blood, but there might still be something useful in there. Besides, I had an escape plan. So I steeled my heart and pushed forward. When I got close to the remains, I felt the connection waver. This was the maximum range of my ability. I noted the location, and moved forward, feeling the connection snap.

I made it to the remains, grabbing the dagger and the bag as fast as I could. I heard it then, a low thrumming growl coming from the underbrush. As soon as I heard the sound, I jumped backwards knowing I was about to be pounced on. A tiger jumped into the clearing and crashed into a spot I had just vacated. I heard the other one running up behind me. The connection appeared in my mind, and I activated [Invert]. I appeared on my branch with a jolt, barely catching my balance.

They had known I was here. They were waiting for me. One of them had even circled around to trap me in the clearing. I did not know if they could climb trees, and I did not want to find out. I looked around, finding a branch that ran close to the branch of another tree. I bolted to the branch, and jumped, grabbing a hold of the other tree, my [Sublime Grace] Perk keeping me upright and balanced. I did not wait around to see what the tigers would do. I kept running and jumping from branch to branch. From tree to tree. I was terrified out of my mind, but there was also the feeling of exhilaration bubbling up from my gut. I don’t remember how long I ran, or how far. When I stopped I was out of breath, sweating and exhausted. I tried activating my [Stealth Ops] Skill but failed. Out of Essence? Did not matter at the moment. I knew I was about to pass out, so I climbed up the tree as high as I could. Finding the thickest branch available, I collapsed into exhausted sleep.