Where am I?

I aroused drenched in sweat. My breathing was loud and rough. My heart felt like it was about to explode. I clenched my chest tightly while curling myself into a ball. It took me a whole 10 minutes to regain a stable breathing rhythm.

"Where am I?" I looked around my perimeter to find myself surrounded by trees as tall as a three-story building.

I noticed that a thick vine was wrapped around the base of each tree, then divided and followed each branches. After reaching the end of the branches, the vine let itself to hang there. The dimly lit spikes poking out of the vines gave the trees their magnificent look.

As I took another breath, the air felt somewhat different and refreshing. I closed my eyes and took a deeper breath, and I felt a strange yet almost unnoticeable sensation entering and exiting my body through the air.

The strange songs of the creatures echoed throughout the forest. It was a very peaceful moment. I thought at the time, perhaps this was the most peaceful moment I had in my life.

"Why am I... Argh!" A profound headache assaulted me when I endeavored to recollect what had transpired.

"I..... Hmmm....." My eyes narrowed as I realised that I had lost my memories. I endeavored to recollect who I was, but the headache averted me from doing so. I groaned in pain as this was transpiring.

"Come on, there's got to be something. A clue, maybe?" My eyes scanned the perimeter in hopes of finding something that could help me recollect. What I visually perceived was a leather bag a few feet away from me.

I ambulated towards it cautiously since I'm still nescient of my current predicament. I picked up the bag and inspected it exhaustively.

While inspecting the bag, I found a couple of items. Some can be very serviceable for my current predicament, and some are just controvertible. What I got from it was:

+1 book ( title: Language master i )

+1 machete

+1 note

+1 potion

+1 knife

I read the note first in the hope of getting some sort of clue. What was written in the note was just a series of 'what to do' lists.

WHAT TO DO :

1. Gather recourses

2. Secure a safe location

3. Drink potion

4. Study

5. Advance

I frowned at the content of the note, as it didn't provide me with the answer I wanted. While feeling dissatisfied, I put the note in my pocket at the side of my pants.

I removed the glass bottle from the side pocket of the backpack and gave it a closer look. It was filled with an odd liquid emitting a faint blueish-green glow, which made me suspect that it might be poison or some form of radioactive liquid used in research. I didn't want to look at it, so I put it back where it belonged.

I took out the machete and ensheathed it to reveal its meticulously crafted, dark blade. The carving on it gave the blade an abstruse aura.

I advanced further into the forest carefully while using the machete to cut down the bushes that blocked my way. It was easy to handle the machete, as it was very sharp and light.

I encountered many different animals while advancing through the forest. Some looked familiar, while others were just weird. I occasionally looked upwards to avoid walking beneath the hanging creatures that had three pairs of scythes as limbs and was covered in thick armour. The creatures uses its tail to hang itself upside down.

Seeing that one of the bat-like creatures was sucking the thorns of the vine made me think. To corroborate my suspicion, I cut open the tip of one of the thorns using my knife.

A small amount of blueish-green, glowing liquid was pouring out of the thorn. I let it pour down onto my knife and observed it a bit longer.

A thin layer of smoke followed by a faint, pungent smell was emitting from the liquid. I quickly wiped the liquid away from my knife on the vine. It was quite hard to do so, as it was sticky. I noted to myself not to mess with the liquid as it might be corrosive.

By observing some of the animals, I identified which berries were addable and which were not. I collected the berries and stored them in my bag after I identified them.

I continued my way through the forest. After what felt like hours of walking, I started feeling a bit thirsty. I tried to search for a pure water source, but to no avail.

Another hour had passed, and I was getting more desperate as my throat was getting dryer by the second. I used the juice from the berries to alleviate the dryness of my throat a bit.

The sun was starting to set. I quickly searched for a temporary shelter and found a small cave entrance on the side of a gigantic mountain.

I could barely fit through the entrance. After entering it, the cave opens up to a big enclosed space. The diameter of the cave was as long as half a football field.

The ceiling was quite high as well, and I couldn't even come close to reaching it after jumping with my full strength. You might as well call it a miracle for this cave to have been formed.

I collapsed on the ground near to the entrance. I gave my feet a good message to alleviate the numbing pain in them.

I took out all of the berries I had stored in my bag and counted them one by one. Coincidentally, I saw the weird potion that I almost forgot about still sitting comfortably inside the pocket at the side of my bag.

"Should I? Wait, I don't think that's a good idea." Remembering the colour of the liquid pouring out of the thorns made me go against drinking it.

I rested my head on the ground and endeavoured to recollect my memories again. The same headache prevented me from doing so yet again.

I frowned, as I've made no progress in regaining my memories. Feeling tired from the exploration, I closed my eyes and slept soundly.

*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*

A week had passed since then. I utilized all that time to explore more. During one of my explorations, I discovered a clear, running river not too far from the cave I reside in. So, I decided that the cave would be my base for now.

Seeing that the sun was starting to set, I returned to my base after I was done exploring for the day.

I sat down adjacent to the entrance of the cave. A faint blueish-green light cracks through the small cave entrance, softly eliminating a portion of the interior of the cave a bit. I felt a sense of loneliness for a brief moment while looking at the light, for some unknown reason.

"I wonder who I was before all of this. What kind of person am I? Am I good and kind or the complete opposite? Do I have a family waiting for my safe return? If not, perhaps a lover? Or maybe there was actually no one waiting for me? It would be less of a burden on my shoulder knowing that I don't have anyone to return to. Even if it'll be quite painful to hear so."

I stared down at the lonely light that had been accompanying me for the last few days. I stopped thinking about my possible past for a moment, seeing that it was starting to affect me the more I wondered.

"I think it's finally time for that." Seeing that I've got no idea other than to explore, I finally decided to succumb to the orders written in the letter.

"It says here that I should drink this potion after I secure a safe location." I took the potion out and inspected it. I hesitated a bit after remembering my past experience, but I quickly shook the feeling off.

"Here goes nothing....." A fresh mint scent welcomed me as soon as I opened the potion's top. I was surprised because I hadn't anticipated it to smell that way.

"I might've mistaken it for something dangerous... I hope that I was wrong about this." I closed my eyes and gulped down the whole contents of the potion in one go.

As soon as the liquid reaches my tongue, the pleasant flavour of several fruits melts in my mouth. My veins abruptly became a little bit bluer than usual, and a chill started to run through them.

It felt refreshing for a minute before everything suddenly turned south.

I started to shiver constantly as the chill in my veins suddenly spread to the rest of my body. My joints all seemed brittle, as though a little pressure could easily dislocate them.

I felt pains throughout my entire body. The ache made me grit my teeth. My entire body cramped briefly after the pain in the following instant. A short scream escaped my mouth.

I curled myself on the ground as my whole body felt like it was gradually getting deformed. The feeling of getting my muscles torn apart and my bones shattered was excruciating.

I let out another, yet louder scream as I dug my delicate fingers into the hard, rocky ground in an effort to numb the excruciating pain.

The skin on my fingers peeled off a little due to the rough surface of the ground. Soon after, it started bleeding a little bit, painting the ground with a faint red-crimson colour.

The agonising experience transpired over what felt like hours of constant torture. After it ended, I blacked out immediately.