Stuck in a Flower, Slipping Memories

I don't remember my name or anyone's name from that place.

I don't really care anymore either.

After dying, I remember a soft voice speaking something about another world and magic or something, but I was too tired so I ignored it.

Looking back, I shouldn't have done that.

After a while, I felt a breeze so I opened my eyes.

It seemed as though I was alive.

I stood in the middle of a large field.

The hill I stood on had a large tree and was covered by flowers.

In the distance, I could see a huge city with what seemed to be a castle in its centre.

The sky was light blue with a few thick clouds floating above.

I took in the scenery.

After taking a deep breath, I knew this wasn't a dream.

Life after death had always been an interesting theory to me but I still could not accept it that easily.

A theory is just that, a theory.

I surmised that I had been transmigrated to this place. It differed from the reincarnation that the boys in my class spoke about since I retained my body without the need for being born again.

A second after coming to that conclusion, I heard a growl.

Looking toward the source, I felt how the air suddenly got warmer.

The breeze stopped and I got a good look.

A large dark red wolf.

As it growled, I could see embers near its mouth.

Feeling threatened, I took a step back towards the tree.

If it rushes me, I can climb the tree for momentary safety.

As I thought that, before I even realized, its jaws were in front of my eyes.

It bit into my neck, and tore out my throat as it started gnawing on my dying body.

It was so fast that I couldn't react.

I only stayed alive for a while longer, forced to endure having skin and flesh torn off of my body.

It was hot, my blood boiled.

The pain was traumatic.

Yet soon after, I again opened my eyes.

The scene was the same.

The only difference being my dead body lying against the tree with blood staining the surrounding foliage.

I could see the wolf a few meters away, biting down on my leg that he had torn off.

I felt angry. I just arrived here, did I not?

Why send me to a place where I die right after already dying once.

It didn't make sense.

Still, I didn't stay on that topic. The wolf could easily kill me again if it notices me.

I slowly stepped back and made my way away from the hill.

Thankfully, it didn't notice me.

After making a few tens of meters distance, I noticed something strange.

Although the flowers and grass, and the leaves of trees floated in the gentle breeze of wind, I could not feel it.

Looking down, I found that a flower was penetrating my foot.

I stepped away, only to find no wound.

Taking a step, I saw how the grass and flowers went through my foot yet nothing seemed wrong with my body.

Before I could test further, I felt something pulling me.

A line of scarce golden leaves led the way into a deep forest.

I tried to step away, but I was unable to.

I could only move in the direction that I was being shown.

After each step, following that trail, I strangely felt more at peace than before.

I followed the path without much thought.

This... was indeed weird.

Being transmigrated into a different location with a strange breed of wolf and dying only to then be led into a deep forest by some weird piss trail.

Sorry, I meant golden trail.

Anyway.

As I followed the path before me, I started thinking.

Was I dead?

The answer was simple, I knew it too but I didn't want to accept it so easily.

Dying to a wolf right after getting a second chance.

I doubt anyone could know how that feels.

As I kept following the trail, I soon found myself at a lake.

I tried to go around but was unable to.

I didn't want to get wet but I really didn't have any other choice so I took a step and then another.

It was weird but I could walk on water.

As I continued to follow the trail, I found a small stream of water going up a hill.

So I continued on my way, still.

I reached the top soon after and saw a beautiful scene with a lotus flower.

The surroundings were full of life, the trees covered in moss and pond stainless as steel.

I felt that I was being called to the flower.

Without much thought, I stepped onto the pond.

As I did. I felt something disappear. Like something was lifted off my shoulders.

My eyes grew heavy and I fell face-first into the pond yet not even a single ripple was created.

I woke up some undetermined amount of time later. I was lying down on the surface of the pond as the lotus flower stuck out of my chest.

I didn't have any clothes and my body didn't have any 'parts'. I was like a female mannequin.

I tried not to think about it too much.

Besides, I couldn't really check my appearance since I could not see myself in any reflection.

I stood up and looked around, this was also the time I found out that I can touch things and that I just can't break or mould anything.

{She herself didn't even notice but a dark shadow was purged from her soul the moment she touched that pond.}

As I stepped closer to the flower after looking around and checking my body, I felt at peace.

I reached out to touch it and felt like something was taken from me. Like the flower consumed a part of me.

I reacted accordingly, by swearing at the thing in my head.

It took me a long while to notice, but the pond and flower somehow changed me.

I felt more... free?

Not like the naked and afraid type of free mind you.

I mean, my expression never changed just like in my last home but my inner reactions were based a lot more on my emotion.

I didn't know then, but I started to become more 'normal'.

Now, as the flower took something from me, I no longer felt restricted by the path of gold that led me to it.

For some reason, I knew that if I fully gave myself to the flower, I could not return.

So I didn't.

I stayed around the pond, ignoring the perpetual golden path that always leads to the flower and just hangs around the place.

I knew that the flower took something from me.

My soul, my memories or something else, I didn't know but I wanted it back.

I can't reincarnate if I have my soul or even a part of my soul stolen. Probably.

Well, transmigration exists so I thought that so did reincarnation.

And as I stayed near that pond and flower, I slowly started to lose more and more of my memories.

My name, my age, the names of my friends, the place I came from and so on.

I couldn't see the sun or moon from there so I didn't know how much time had passed at any moment.

Soon, I just knew myself as Me.

Nothing more, Nothing less.