After killing the wolf, Will turned away from the forest, not wanting to encounter monsters who might be stronger than the wolf. It felt cowardly but Will didn't want to let his risk his newfound mobility - risk his new chance at life. He wanted to explore, to revel in his ability to walk, to jump, to speak. He had missed being able to do all those things, had thought he would never be able to do them again.

He'd thought the forest would be relatively harmless but the encounter with the wolf almost as soon as he'd entered had disabused him of that idea. He doubled back and made his way back to the lakeshore, speeding up at the sounds of creatures moving rapidly through the forest, snapping twigs and rustling leaves. The smell of blood from the butchered boar and the wolf he'd killed - murdered - should hopefully draw any predatory attention away from him.

He found his way back to the lakeshore with little difficulty and emerged from the treeline to a sight that was no less captivating for being the second time he had seen it.

The beach was a peachy cream color, the fine grains of sand glittering at oblique angles. The beach segued smoothly with languid curves into the lake, which was an exquisitely clear aquamarine. Walking over to the shoreline, Will could clearly see to the bottom of the lake. He couldn't quite estimate the depth and although he thought it wasn't very deep, he knew light could play tricks when it came to distance in water. He didn't want to risk swimming far in the water. It had been a long while since he'd last swum and he didn't want to reacclimate while being hunted by some marine predator.

Iridescent fish weaved and danced through the water, schools of them differentiated by the varied rainbow patterns of their scales and the sizes of their fins and tails. There were not only fish present in the lake but also a vast selection of creatures, strange and familiar. A large, brown creature with a wide mouth of serrated teeth suddenly darted out of the lake bottom, lunging at a school of fish and biting into a particularly large one before pulling it down, killing any lingering ideas Will might have had about swimming in the water.

Further in, he could see clustered growths of some kind of fungi or moss clinging to the lake bottom, mostly a brilliant green but with streaks of different colors shot through them. As he watched, a turtle-like creature with a long neck rose from the lake floor and swam towards one of the growths to nibble at it.

The world's sun hovered at the peak of its climb but was mostly obscured by white clouds, which gave the environment a mellow feel - not too dim and not too bright. An animated breeze from an unknown source flowed around the beach, bringing down the temperature.

Several vibrant plants straddled the line between the beach and the lake, and large insects zigzagged lazily amongst them. Will flinched slightly as one winged past his face, gossamer wings fluttering hard to keep its oversized body aloft.

He retreated slightly and sat on the beach, running his fingers through the sand and feeling an exhilarating thrill at the fact that his hands responded to his commands.

A gleeful laugh escaped his mouth and he silenced immediately after, shaking his head.

Focus.

He might have overextended himself slightly using Energy Drain on the wolf. He still felt a buzz of energy running through him, like he'd taken several overdoses of caffeine along with a ton of sugar. It took discipline for him to sit on the sand as he was and not start running around like an hyperactive kid.

His fingers drummed absently on the sand as he considered what to do.

He was in a different world right now and he had to survive seven days in it before he would be sent back to Earth. The forest was a no go. He didn't know if the next animal he would encounter would be affected by his Talents, let alone fall to them. On the other hand, the forest might be filled with weak creatures but he didn't want to - couldn't take that chance.

He examined his surroundings again. The area behind him was almost entirely covered with forest, tall, thick trees reaching into the skies and flourishing undergrowth filling up most of the space underneath. Looking over the lake, he could only see the curve of the horizon, which meant he couldn't tell the size of the lake or whether it was even a lake at all. Kind of presumptuous of him to just assume it was a lake and not a sea or ocean. It wasn't as if he was very knowledgeable about marine bodies.

He'd tasted the water previously and confirmed it wasn't salty but that didn't mean anything. An entirely different world wasn't guaranteed to go by the same rules as Earth. Whatever. He would just continue to assume it was a freshwater lake.

To his left and right, the stretch of sand between the forest treeline and the lake shoreline continued unhindered, with the occasional scrub or bush sprouting. If he wanted to avoid going into the forest, he could follow along one path.

It also meant he would have easy access to water if he got thirsty. As for food, he could venture into the forest for some of those berries he'd seen while in it. There were also fishes in the lake. With a suitable branch from the forest, he could spearfish. It couldn't be that hard.

He would move across the beach, looking for somewhere with civilization, and if not that, a place he could make a safe shelter to ride out the seven days he had to stay on this world.

Well, he knew his next move now. But before he left, he had to take quick check of his status. After what happened with the wolf, it should have changed some.

With a thought, the ethereal interface that had changed his life appeared in his mind's eye, seeming like it was hovering in the air in front of him.

[Name: William Graham ("Will")

Tier: Tier 0

Age: 21

Race: Human

Attributes:

- Physique [T0] - Level 0 (0%)

- Psyche [T0] - Level 0 (0%)

- Arcana [T0] - Level 0 (0%)

Forces:

- Lifeforce {Rank 0}

- Spirit {Rank 0}

- Ether {Rank 0}

Essence: 979 points.

Talents:

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

- Revitalization

- Empathic Bond

- Energy Drain

Perks:

-Essence Absorption: Allows you to absorb Essence from defeated foes and use it to fuel evolution.

-Talents: Seeds of Possibility that warp reality, infused into the Soul. Talents are bestowed by the Origin to all sapient beings of the Endless Realms.

-Voidsoul: You have been touched by the Void and have survived the energies of Akasha. Your soul has taken a part of the void into it.

-Child of the Realms: The Endless Realms are your cradle. You quickly adapt to conditions in whatever Realm you find yourself in and forces hostile to others may submit to you. Some view it as luck, others call it talent.

-Origin Physique: You have a physical body crafted by the Origin.]

Nothing had changed since he'd last looked at it except for the addition of essence points from the wolf's death. 979 seemed to be a lot. It should be able to increase one of his attributes by at least one.

The question was which of the attributes should he increase? Physique was the most attractive option to him. Increasing it should mean improving his body, which would make it less prone to injuries, accidental or not. Arcana seemed to be the magic attribute from the name. The fact that he could do magic or learn to do magic was awesome but it paled in comparison to keeping his body safer. Psyche was probably the mental attribute and Will didn't feel any inclination to level it. Maybe later, when he had more points.

He envisioned the points being added to Physique and the screen responded, the points dropping down to 0 and the percentage counter by Physique rapidly increasing.

He wasn't watching it increase, though. Instead, his focus was on the rush of vitality that filled his body as he felt his flesh, blood and bone be transformed by an unearthly force. He sighed into the feeling, his head tilting back as a jolt of ecstasy hit him. The feeling ended all too soon and he shook his head to clear it of the lingering euphoria.

He looked at the status screen again and frowned. The essence points hadn't been enough for him to rank up to Level 1 of Physique, only increasing the percentage counter by 97.9%. He was eager to get it up to Level 1, especially in the backwash of the leveling sensation but he dismissed the nascent ideas brewing in his mind.

He wasn't going to go into the forest hunting animals just to level up. Not only was that cruel and kind of psychopathic, it was too risky. Better to go along with his previous plan.

He stood up, his system-given clothes rustling, and patted off the sand clinging to his pants.

It was about noon now. If the sun of this world moved along the same pattern as Earth's, he still had several hours to find shelter. However, it was best to get moving. The weather was agreeable for now but he couldn't know if it would change or even if night would fall in the next minute.

He glanced in both directions, picked right on a whim and started walking.

|||

It turned out spearing a fish was actually very hard. Not only was it hard to aim through the water, Will learned his coordination was shot from his years lying in a hospital bed. The reconstruction of his body by the system had helped some, which was why he didn't notice it much walking and moving around but when he had to perform a task that relied on his reflexes and hand-eye coordination, it showed. He missed every strike by a wide margin.

It had been at least two, maybe three hours since he'd started walking. He had stopped, not because he was tired - he actually still felt energetic from draining the wolf - but rather because he was hungry. Somehow, the energy from the wolf didn't keep him from being hungry which was strange but who was he to doubt the mechanics of magic?

He had luckily found a pointed stick, thin and long but sturdy, just inside the forest treeline and was kneeling on a rock at a somewhat deep bank of the lake. It contained a good number of fish swimming around.

Each of his thrusts into the water went way off target and he was starting to get frustrated at his continued failure. With a grunt of aggravation, he thrust the spear/stick into the water, putting a lot more force into the strike.

This time, the stick pierced into one of the brilliantly colored fish, instantly staining the clear water red. Will tried to stand up to celebrate the kill but stumbled as he did, tumbling into the water.

He immediately started flailing around in panic, his previous swimming lessons disappearing from his mind momentarily before reasserting themselves. He repositioned himself in the water and found himself standing on the lake bank, his head at least a foot above the water.

He flushed at panicking and reached into the lake to take the speared fish before climbing hurriedly out of the water.

He had just climbed out of the lake when a thought suddenly occured to him.

How was he going to eat the fish with no fire to cook it?

He almost threw the fish away in embarrassment. He could have instead gone into the forest to forage for something edible instead of wasting his time catching the fish.

Whatever. Sushi was raw fish and people ate that, right? Yes. Yes, they did.

There was just one problem with that, though. How the heck was sushi prepared?

|||

Will made a mess of the fish. It was still edible when he was done with it but he was sure a professional chef would have crucified him for his crimes against a perfectly good fish. He had no knife or other kitchen tools to prepare the fish so had to resort to using sharp stones to remove the scales and gut the fish.

He had placed the fish on top of the boulder he'd fished on, using a sharpened stone to grind away the scales and fins. He cut himself a few time but his Talent, Revitalization, passively healed the small wounds in little time.

He felt like a caveman throughout the process but his reluctance to waste the fish made him continue. At the end, the meat was bloody and mangled with some scales still stubbornly stuck on, nothing like the elegant sushi prepared in restaurants.

He washed the meat in the lake and sat against the waterside boulder to eat it. It tasted better than the sterile tubing he'd had in his mouth for years but was still bland without a sauce or spices.

He swallowed the fish meat, trying to imagine his mother's cooking. It had been so long since he'd tasted it but the memory of it had never faded. To be honest, her cooking hadn't been all that good but he felt if he had to exchange his new body and new chance at life for one last meal with her and his dad, he wouldn't hesitate one bit.

Will still recalled his dad's silent laugh, usually made at one of his mom's corny jokes. He remembered how she used to nag at him endlessly and how annoyed he'd get before following her instructions. He remembered his dad playing video games with him, always calling him a fucking noob before looking around to make sure his mom hadn't heard him curse. But more clearly, more viscerally, he remembered the crunch of the car's front as it was crushed by the veering truck; remembered being thrown around in the back seat as the car flipped; remembered their last loving looks, bloody and lifeless.

The memory replayed over and over again in his head like it had during his pseudocoma, bringing fresh waves of agony tearing into him. Somehow, the pain had never dulled, contrary to what people usually said.

He sat against the boulder, numbly swallowing down bites of the fish. It tasted salty.

|||

Will eventually roused himself from his grieving rut, throwing away the remnant fish meat and fish bones and washing his hands in the lake. He continued walking, trying not to think any depressing thoughts and then started jogging to keep his mind occupied. He slowed down after a while, keeping his mind focused on appreciating the beautiful environment.

When he finally stopped, the sun was closely descending behind the trees, and the shore was starting to become dimly lit. Dusk was approaching.

He frowned at the darkness. He really didn't want to sleep out in the open at night but it was beginning to look like he wouldn't have a choice. However, he considered the fact that he hadn't encountered any dangerous animals through out his trek. There were a few small ones that had quickly run away when they'd noticed him but nothing that had actively attacked him. This included a crab-like creature with massive, wicked-looking claws that looked like they could easily tear off pieces of his flesh, which had scuttled into the sea even when he'd retreated.

There was the matter of warmth, though. He didn't know how cold the night would get but he was reasonably sure it would get pretty cold out on the beach. He didn't have a blanket or a source of fire to warm him up. It would be laughable if, of all things to die of, he died of hypothermia.

So, he basically had the choice to stay on the beach and risk getting hypothermia or go into the forest to find shelter, which he really, really didn't want to as much as that was the better, sensible option.

He should have scouted the forest earlier in the day but he really hadn't wanted to. The wolf had been bad enough, killing it even worse. He didn't want to go into the forest; didn't want to be attacked by another animal; didn't want to have to kill it.

It seemed, however, that he didn't have a choice. Hopefully, he could find somewhere cozy to sleep. He walked over to the forest, stared for a moment at the thick boughs and branches.

Then, he crossed the treeline.