Awakening in the Forest

Nari felt weightless, as though floating in a sea of darkness. Her consciousness drifted between the familiar and the unknown, suspended in the void. The sensation of falling—so vivid just moments before—was gone. Instead, there was only silence. Then, gradually, she became aware of the world around her. The cool breeze brushed against her skin, and the scent of earth and leaves filled her nostrils. The soft sounds of distant rustling crept into her awareness, drawing her back to the present.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Towering trees stretched toward the sky, their canopies intertwined to form a vibrant, shimmering green ceiling. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in delicate beams, dappling the forest floor with light and shadow. Nari blinked in disbelief. She wasn't in the city anymore. She wasn't even at school. The sterile walls of the rooftop, the concrete under her feet, Tiffany's cold, twisted smile—gone.

Instead, she was surrounded by nature, by life. Birds chirped in the distance, and the air carried the soft hum of wind rustling through the branches. It was serene yet eerily unfamiliar.

Nari slowly pushed herself up from the forest floor, her heart hammering in her chest. She glanced down at herself, expecting to see some drastic change, but found none. Her jeans, hoodie, and sneakers were covered in dirt, but they were the same clothes she'd been wearing before… before Tiffany had shoved her off the roof. She ran her hands over her body—everything felt the same.

"I'm alive?" she whispered, as though speaking the words would help them make sense. Her hands trembled, and her mind reeled with confusion. How was she here? She should have hit the ground, should have—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint shimmering in the air around her. Something about this place tugged at her memory. She stood up on shaky legs and turned in a slow circle, taking in the surroundings. The trees, the foliage, the sounds—it all felt familiar. Too familiar.

"This… this is the game," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the rustling leaves. "The Forest Sorceress…"

Her stomach dropped as recognition hit her like a thunderclap. This wasn't just any forest. The vibrant colors, the towering trees, the magical aura—she knew this place. It was the starting area from The Forest Sorceress, the game she'd spent so many hours playing. But how was that possible? This was her world now, not some digital playground.

Nari's breath caught in her throat as panic gripped her. She spun in place, searching for any sign of her real world. The cold, indifferent city streets, the school, her home—but there was nothing. Just endless forest.

"No… no, this can't be happening," she muttered, squeezing her eyes shut as if she could will herself back to reality. But when she opened them again, the forest was still there, sprawling out in every direction.

A jolt of fear surged through her chest. She patted herself down again, frantic, trying to find her phone—something to connect her to the life she knew. But it wasn't in her pocket. The last thing she remembered was playing the game on the school rooftop, before Tiffany…

Tiffany.

The memory of Tiffany's cruel smirk, the shove, the terrifying drop flooded back, sending a shiver down her spine. Nari clenched her fists, her pulse racing. She'd fallen. She should have died.

But she didn't.

The reality of it all pressed down on her like a weight she could barely bear. She wasn't dead. Somehow, impossibly, she had been transported into her favorite game. The Forest Sorceress was no longer a game—it was her new reality.

Nari sank to her knees, staring down at her hands. They looked the same, but something was different. She felt different. A strange warmth coursed through her, a pulsating energy that seemed to hum just beneath her skin. Tentatively, she raised her right hand. She remembered casting spells as her character, the sorceress named Nari, in the game. The gestures, the incantations—it had all been second nature to her.

Hesitant, she extended her hand toward a nearby tree. She wasn't sure what to expect, but a part of her—the part that had played the game for years—knew what to do. She focused on the spell, visualizing the fireball she had cast so many times before in-game. The incantation echoed in her mind.

"Incendia."

The moment the word left her lips, her fingertips ignited with a crackling ball of flame. Nari gasped, staggering back in shock as the fireball flickered and burned in her hand, its heat radiating outward. The spell felt real—more real than anything she'd ever experienced. She could feel the heat, smell the faint scent of burning wood in the air. It was power, raw and untamed, surging through her body.

Without thinking, she flung the fireball at the tree. It soared through the air and exploded on impact, scorching the bark and sending a plume of smoke into the sky. Nari stared, wide-eyed, at the damage she had caused.

"This… this is real," she whispered, her voice trembling. She had cast a spell—an actual spell. The magic from the game wasn't just in her mind anymore. It was in her hands, her body. This wasn't just a dream.

Her legs shook as she stood up again, taking a shaky step forward. Everything about her felt different now. Her body, though the same as before, moved with a grace and strength she had never possessed. She felt lighter, faster, stronger. She flexed her fingers, marveling at the latent energy she could feel in them.

She wasn't just Nari the high school student anymore. She was Nari, the Forest Sorceress. Every ability, every spell, every skill her character had in the game was now hers.

The realization sent a chill down her spine. She had become the very character she had spent so much time with, customizing, leveling up, and dreaming of being. But this was no longer a dream.

Suddenly, a rustling sound caught her attention. Nari froze, her heart leaping into her throat. From behind the trees, a pair of glowing yellow eyes peered out at her. The creature stepped into the clearing—a goblin.

She knew these enemies well. In the game, they were nothing more than low-level monsters, easily dispatched with a couple of well-placed spells. But now, standing just a few feet from her, the goblin felt terrifyingly real. It brandished a rusty spear, its jagged teeth bared in a snarl.

Fear coursed through her veins. Her first instinct was to run, to flee. But something inside her—something deeper, tied to the sorceress she had become—urged her to stand her ground. This was her world now. She wasn't helpless.

The goblin snarled, charging at her with surprising speed. Without thinking, Nari raised her hands, channeling the magic inside her. The incantation flowed naturally, as if she had cast it a thousand times before.

"Ignis!"

A burst of flames erupted from her palms, engulfing the goblin in a fiery inferno. The creature screeched in agony, thrashing wildly as the flames consumed it. Within seconds, it crumbled into a pile of ash, the forest growing silent once more.

Nari lowered her hands, her heart racing. She had done it. She had fought off a goblin, just like in the game. But this time, it wasn't just a set of pixels disappearing from a screen. This was real.

The realization hit her hard. She was truly in the world of The Forest Sorceress. The magic, the monsters, the quests—it was all real now. And if she was going to survive in this new reality, she would have to learn to wield her powers, to fight, to live as her character had.

But questions swirled in her mind. How had this happened? Why was she here? And, most importantly, was there a way back home?

Nari looked around the forest, her mind racing. She couldn't stay here. She needed answers.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and began walking. The forest stretched endlessly before her, filled with both beauty and danger. As she moved deeper into the woods, she couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead—and whether she would ever see her old life again.