I was walking back towards the forest aiming for nowhere in particular. It was getting a bit darker as the sun started to set in the horizon. The sky itself was painted in a variety of beautiful colors as I stood there staring in awe.

It's so pretty...

Given I've never had any conscious thought beforehand, this was an eye-opening experience for me. I was absolutely mystified at just how beautiful nature really was. From the birds chirping in song to the trees swaying in the breeze, everything was simply amazing.

Sure beat seeing a bunch of rotting human corpses daily.

I continued walking, making sure to engrave every sensation and sight into my memory box.

Perhaps nature could help take my boredom away...

----------------------------------------

Soon, the sun set and the darkness of night set in. Given that it was a bit late, I felt that I've wandered enough and decided to stake out camp. I looked around and found a sturdy log I could sit and rest on.

After sitting down, I started to take note of my surroundings. I was in some sort of heavily wooded area deep in some forest in the thick of night. From what I could tell, there weren't many living beings around me other than a few owls and insects scurrying about.

Determining that I was safe, I decided to go ahead and lay on the log to rest up.

Minutes passed as I laid there. The owls and insects started breaking out in song, chirping and hooting away. In the distance, I could also hear a couple wolven cries and other noctural creatures. The whole forest seemed to be just as vibrant and alive as it was in the daytime.

Peace...

I smiled as that thought crossed my mind. Despite having no clue where that word came from, it felt right in this situation. No other word could describe what I was feeling any better. I felt absolutely comfortable and blissful out there in the woods. No adrenaline rush. No fear. No worries whatsoever.

I was simply at peace.

Blissful peace.

Damn, what a wonderful feeling that was.

It sure would be wonderful to stay like this forever.

Unfortunately, reality wasn't so kind to let that happen.

Suddenly, the forest got quiet. Owls started flying away out of sight while other creatures ran off in panic. The crickets stopped chirping and the wolves ceased howling.

Noticing the peculiar sudden change, I rose up into a sitting position and looked around. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary during my quick scan. The only weird thing really was the fact there weren't any animals nearby.

Of course, I could go ahead and just run away like the other animals. But that would be insulting towards my newfound ability to rationalize thoughts. I felt that I needed to at least verify that danger actually existed rather than rely on animalistic instinct. I'd only be degrading myself if I did otherwise.

I continued sitting there waiting sword in hand. One minute passed. And then two passed. And then three. Even when five minutes passed, I still saw nothing at all.

I knew there was nothing wrong. I thought triumphantly to myself.

Of course, that reassurance didn't last long.

Suddenly, a huge roar cried out in the distance. The ferocity and intensity of the sound shook the trees and ground around me. I jumped up in surprise as my bones rattled from the intimidating pressure.

Looking into the distance, I saw the source of that monstrous sound appear.

Out in the distance a huge bear-like beast appeared. With blood-red eyes, pitch black fur, and razor sharp fangs, this creature was by no means a cute and cuddly teddy. As it came closer, it became quite apparent that this being also had the size and weight advantage by far.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Realizing the deep shit I was in, I felt myself shaking as an all too familiar negative emotion rose up in me.

Fear...

It was a feeling I've experienced before. Especially around opponents who looked more imposing than myself. Back when I lived off instinct, this feeling drove me to selfishly preserve my life in whatever way I could. I didn't care for the fate of any of my goblin comrades nor anything else really. All I cared about was staying alive and getting away from whatever turned on my fear emotion.

Naturally, that feeling helped lead me to this bright idea.

Maybe I should run away.

Immediately, I turned heel and sprinted off in the other direction. The only thoughts running through my head was to get the fuck away from whatever the hell that horrifying creature was.

However, the beast itself was relentless. It chased after me with vigor and strength as it tore through trees in its haste. It showed zero signs of stopping its pursuit any time soon. While I was considered to be very fast among goblins and most creatures in general, this mammoth of a monstrosity unfortunately was also very fast.

As I continued running, the bear-beast behind me started to gain ground. Frantically, I tried running faster and putting a bit more distance between us. Unfortunately, it only made the bear run even faster.

After getting nowhere, I started to realize running any further was likely futile. The bear seemed to have an infinite energy pool inside of him while I didn't. I started to panic in worry as I felt the situation get worse with each passing second.

However, a sudden new emotion would change that outlook.

Hope...

Surprised, I started to process this new feeling while running. I don't even know why it felt so comforting and safe, nor why it seemed to fill me with confidence. After all, logic says that trying to fight a monster twenty times your size is absolutely ludicrous. The thought of winning against such goes against all rational thought. However, maybe because it was a new stimulus, I decided to trust that feeling and let hope take over.

Turning around, I felt my battle instincts flare up. My body quickly moved into a fighting stance as the bear instantly closed in with claws unsheathed.

With a clink, I met his claw charge with my sword, pouring in all my strength to counter his momentum. The bear was pushed back from my sudden counter. However, as if that were a minor inconvenience, he came at me again with a different attack move.

I immediately lept backwards and twisted myself away from the flurry of slashes that soon followed. With how fast he kept slashing, all I could do was try my best at dodging them while yelling out.

"ARGHHHHH"

I continued dodging the onslaught of slashes while thinking of a way to counter. All of a sudden, I felt my battle instincts amplify. With that new boost, I twisted myself away at a certain angle.

As a result of my new angle, the bear lost his balance and teetered away a little bit. Unfortunately for the beast, it was all I needed to turn the tide in my favor.

I recognized the opening real quick and sprung myself onto the bear's back. In a panic, the bear switched to trying to gnash its teeth at me, but it was futile. I grabbed hold of a strong piece of fur and grounded myself on its back.

"RAWRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!"

The bear trashed about in a rage, trying to get me to fall off so it could slice me up. However, nothing worked in its favor.

Using one arm, I lifted my sword up over the bear's neck. Almost as if it had a premonition of death, the bear's cries intensified with its struggle reaching maximum peak, prey-like fear replacing the predator's eyes.

Without hesitation, I plunged my crude sword downwards. A sloppy sound emitted as the sword sliced through flesh and bone. The bear roared out in pain as blood started gushing out of its wound. The monster spasmed and thrashed about as it desperately tried clinging on to life, but failed. Soon, the glimmering red in the bear's eye reverted to a pitch black as its body slacked and collapsed.

I got off the back of the bear and checked to see if it in fact died. The bear did look dead, given the intense blood loss after one of its arteries were cut. However, it was better to be safe than sorry. After waiting a few minutes and noticing no further movement, I relaxed myself and slumped down in exhaustion.

I killed a very strong beast.

I felt a small bit of pride at that realization.

----------------------------------------

Soon enough, the peaceful atmosphere of the night trickled back in. The owls once again coo'd, the small insects and crickets chirped, and the wolves and small beasts howled throughout the night. The same chorus of tranquility and order restored itself once more.

I sat on a tree stump taking everything in. I reviewed my experience this evening in totality. I felt a lot of new emotions today from peace, fear, and hope. A rollar-coaster like situation.

Afterwards, I started thinking about nature. It certainly wasn't boring. That feeling never once came up once. However, it certainly wasn't peaceful all the time either, neither did I feel fear nor hope the whole time either.

I frowned as I strained myself trying to figure out the perfect way to describe nature.

And then it hit me.

Nature is unpredictabe...

Nodding my head, I decided to associate nature with unpredictable. Not being able to predict what's going to happen nor what emotions are felt. Somedays, those emotions may lead to relaxation and comfort. Others, it may lead to horror and fear. It was impossible to predict just how nature will treat any given person on any day.

With that thought, I smiled. It was certainly a fun experience overall. Even though I nearly got mauled by a bear, I stil never once felt bored during the whole ordeal.

However, I knew I was only scratching the surface of what this world offered. As much as I loved nature, staying here for too long could have bad consequences. I still had plenty of things to discover outside of here.

Soon, I laid down and slept comfortably, excited about what the next day has in store.