What happened… I don’t know.

All I knew was that I was still alive.

For a moment, I thought I had returned to my fantasy world. Maybe that was the reason I didn’t feel any pain at first. But then—

Heat.

A sharp, burning heat pressed down on my skin.

“What…?”

I pinched myself.

It hurt.

That pain made me happy—and sad at the same time. Happy because I was alive. Sad because my mother was gone.

With only a small trace of hope left, I forced my heavy body to move. Each step felt slow and exhausting. There were no animals, no voices, no signs of life. I was completely alone.

Maybe this was punishment.

Maybe God had finally decided I deserved this.

My throat burned. I was unbearably thirsty. This place didn’t feel like my world… or even my fictional world. It felt empty. Real. Hopeless.

My vision blurred.

And then I collapsed.

When I opened my eyes again, darkness surrounded me.

I was inside a cave.

In front of me, a small campfire burned quietly, its warmth flickering against the stone walls. For the first time since waking up, I felt something close to hope.

I tried to sit up.

That’s when I saw it.

A shadow stood before me.

Watching.