I wake up with a scream, frantically patting every inch of my body. I’m still in one piece—good. Yes, I know, minus my right arm.

  “Fuck… what the hell was I thinking?!” I shout into the Void. A pitiful human like me, defying a Goddess? That was a fucking death wish. I’m lucky she didn’t obliterate me on the spot.

  Letting the air fill my lungs, I exhale, my mind sharpening. I made those decisions—irrational decisions—because of my emotions. The fire has died down now, thankfully. I don’t want to fly into a blind rage in… wherever the hell I am.

  “Should take note of that. I’m still terrible at suppressing my feelings.” Can’t have that here. I’ve already made enough reckless choices. Although I hate how easy it is for me to spiral…

  I heave a sigh and finally take in my surroundings. It’s… surprisingly decent. Like an old, abandoned cottage room. The air is musty and stale, the kind you’d find in a pce long vacated. Molds creep along the ceiling and the corners of the room, while the wood walls are dipidated.

  Honestly, what’s stopping me from just staying here? Sure, the pce is rundown, but there’s a bed… or at least what resembles one. Just straws with a thin cloth over it.

  “Oh right.” I give myself a facepalm as I realize the key piece for the puzzling question, “Food.” I don’t have much of an appetite, but I still need them to survive. And I doubt this pce alone offers much.

  Sometimes my stupidity astounds even me. Maybe I was just panicking and was hazily thinking through things. Yeah, we’ll go with that. My attempts to stand are met with failure. It’s not like I’m paralyzed or anything, I just can’t. My legs aren’t cooperating with me.

  …Though this is what paralyze is, right? Ahh you’ve gotta be kidding me! I just got here and I’m met with what, a debuff already?! At the very least my upper body is still working, so I drag myself over the floor and rest my tired body at the bedframe. So much so for the ‘starter pack’ the Goddess promised me.

  Actually, that’s on me, hopefully. I’ve yet to check my body. Earlier was just panicked search, that does not count. First thing I notice is my clothes, I no longer wear my dirty and ragged jacket and skirt. It is instead repced by a leather robe that wraps my whole body, this thing is pretty tough and heavy too. Not to mention on how comfy it is, my body is cozy and warm.

  “Okay… One point for the Goddess I guess…” I grudgingly admit that this is really nice. I’m unsure if she’s able to spy on me right now, if she is, I can guess she’s grinning smugly about this.

  This is way, way better than my st pieces of clothing. Clean, comfy, and looks cool as hell. I honestly forgot the st time I washed my clothes—cut me some sck kay? I could barely pay for food, I really didn’t have the privilege to think about hygiene back then, as embarrassing and disgusting it is to admit.

  I’m getting sidetracked again, but the search for this so-called “starter pack” continues. What’s that? You think I’m being greedy for wanting more? Hey, it’s not my fault the Goddess specified a pack, right?

  I start rummaging through the pockets of my new clothes, though it’s a hassle having to stretch awkwardly and cross my arm over. Most of the pockets are on the right side of the robe, and something tells me the Goddess did this on purpose. Then again, maybe I’m just taking it personally out of spite. Eh, either way, it’s annoying.

  Ah, I found something! It looks like a weapon. So, I really do have to fight for my freedom, huh? I get a good grip on the handle and unsheathe my new discovery.

  “A dagger!” Sure enough, I’ve acquired a decently sized dagger. The whole thing is jet bck, from the bde all the way down to the hilt—except for the runes, or what I assume are runes, that encircle the bde. They’re not exactly neat, either. Every bit of free space is filled with these markings. ‘????’ is engraved on it. Yeah don’t look at me, I’ve no idea what it means either. The runes glow a deep crimson, eerily close to the color of blood.

  “This seems… dangerous. I suppose that’s a good thing, considering my situation.” I slip the dagger back into my pocket and let out another weary sigh. “My legs still aren’t showing any signs of working again… but at least I can feel them when I touch them now.” They’re slowly recovering, so I just have to wait it out. Hopefully, that is.

  Using all my strength, I pull myself toward the makeshift bed. “Haah…” I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I was using all my strength. Why the hell is this thing so high up anyway? I really wish I’d exercised in my past life—it would’ve helped a lot here. The bed is… well, it’s something. It’s by no means comfortable, but it serves its purpose, and I ought to be grateful for that.

  “I should sleep for now, recover my energy, and explore this… pce.” My gaze drifts to the sturdy metal door at the far end of the room, a stark contrast to the rest of this cottage-like space. It’s been there the whole time, I just pushed it to the back of my mind. I dread having to go out there. “Just like I always did in my past life…”

  Another exasperated sigh escapes me. Wow, I must be really tired. But after everything that’s happened, it’s justified. Yes, I know fully well I’m defending myself.

  “Ahh I’ll just sleep. No use in arguing with myself…” I mutter, letting my head lull to the side. “Goodnight.”

  ***

  Suffocating… Where am I? My chest is crushing me… What is this?

  Ah, one of those dreams. Yeah, I better wake up. It’s starting to hurt me in the real world too, somehow. How should one even wake up from a dreamlike state you ask? No worries, I’ve experienced this many times, waking up is easy. One two and…

  “Mmhh?!” What the actual fuck?! Is what I’d like to say, but instead only raspy breaths come out. Yeah, it wasn’t a dream. The whole fucking room is getting obliterated by the Void. There’s a figure of sorts that’s tearing the walls, floors and ceiling apart. You can’t exactly look at ‘it’ too, it’s just a hazy shadow that’s moving impossibly fast.

  Trying to focus on ‘it’ results in a searing headache that feels like my head is getting split in two. Either that, or maybe I’m running out of oxygen. Below me is just the Void of space. Yeah I’m going to die if I just stay put like an idiot—which I’m currently doing.

  I hear cracking under my bed, and I immediately rose up. “Mhh!” My lungs are on fire, but just before the bed falls away with the floor, I manage to sm myself onto the piece of nd that’s still hanging on for dear life—just like me.

  I start painfully crawling toward the metal door. ‘It’ continues tearing everything apart, except for me and the path I’m on. How convenient. It’s almost like the figure is forcing me out of here. How truly convenient.

  Halfway there, I realize—My legs! I try standing up and, to my relief, they hold. With no time to waste, I sprint to the door and yank it open, slipping through just as the room behind me disintegrates into the Void.

  “Asshole…” I gasp out between ragged breaths. “You coudl’ve fucking asked me to leave instead.”

  Taking a couple more deep breaths, I calm down as the adrenaline starts to fade. My wobbly legs fail to support me, I need the wall to support myself. “Come on, you were working overtime just now, can’t you do the same now?” I curse to no one in particur.

  The soft carpet brushes against my feet as I stagger forward, occasionally tripping but pressing on. Where am I headed? I have absolutely no idea. I feel my way along the wall, careful not to open any of the doors beside me that stretch endlessly down the narrow hall. Yep, you guessed it—an infinite hallway straight out of a horror movie.

  There’s no identifiable source of light, yet a golden glow pools across the wooden floors, casting soft shadows that stretch along the hallway. As I keep mindlessly walking, I notice this mysterious light repeats itself every five doors.

  “Door… 199 already…? It was just door 72 a moment ago…” I murmur, but where am I actually going? Should I open one of these doors? What if I walk into something that kills me? “Ahh, enough with the ‘what ifs’!” My sanity won’t st long if I keep going.

  I take a moment to catch my breath, then step back to get a running head start. I’m sure these doors will open easily, but I’m hoping to—ideally—catch whatever the hell is waiting for me off guard.

  “Ahh! Fuck you, Goddess!”

  I sprint forward, smming the door open… only for my legs to find nothing but empty air beneath them. I’m free-falling now.

  To my death? Hopefully not.

  “Welp.” That’s all I manage to say. The doorway vanishes above me as I plunge deeper into the Void. “This is your entertainment, Goddess… Enjoy.” A bitter smile spreads across my face as I close my eyes, bracing for the inevitable. Please, let this be a false red fg.

  ***

  Notes: I'm also very happy to announce an actual book cover is in the making! It might take awhile, but lemme know if some of you would like a preview! <3