Waking up is something I did a lot, but of course, I didn’t expect to wake up after dying. Not that I had wanted to die, but when a truck comes speeding at you like the rush to the cafeteria for the good pizza at the hospital… well, there’s not much you can do.

That said, there isn’t a whole lot to wake up to. No Pearly White gates, no Shadow Cloaked Gondolier, No Field of Wheat.

There was just Nothing.

Actually, scratch that. After I did what I assumed was a 360-degree spin, somehow, that was something in front of me within an arm’s length that wasn’t there before. A door.

It was dark brown with visible grains with knots and whorls in the wood-like material that it seemed to be made from. I say wood-like because I did try to touch the door, and my hand went through it. Though I guess you could make the argument that it makes the door even more wood-like as a soul could pass through it. But I am under the impression that a wooden door in the same space as a soul would interact as a wooden door should when alive.

On the door, there is an emblem of a tree, with strange swirls above it. Rather beautiful door, honestly. Before I interact further with the door, I take another look around the room, only to see that there is a big gaping hole in the nothingness that seems to be expanding behind me. And quite rapidly at that.

Panicking, I grab the handle of the door, and swing it wide open, dashing inside before slamming it shut. Hopefully, that will do something about that. I must admit I don’t know if the door will stop it, but what other choice did I have? Stay in the nothingness and face… whatever that was. Nuh huh. I didn’t spend the majority of my life as a Nurse dealing with wacky patients just to fall into that.

Looking around the room – or, more accurately, a hallway – I see various picture frames up on the wall, all depicting moments of my life, such as when I fell in love, got my nursing degree or the first time I saved a life. Of course, there are also dark moments in my life, for example, when I fell into depression after my lover passed away, or the time when I was homeless due to a car that flew into my house due to a hurricane.

However, the majority of the moments are actually something else entirely. The times that I spent hiking in various forests and jungles around the world that I travelled to, the various expansive gardens that I maintained in the numerous places I’ve lived, me running through the woods and climbing trees when I was young. To say that I loved nature was an understatement. After I retired from being a nurse, I managed to build a cabin in a nature commune, underneath massive trees which offered sanctuary from the sky, and I spent the rest of my days, living with nature.

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At the very end of the hallway is a pedestal which is the most beautiful sculpture I have ever seen. The main pillar is carved as a big tree that seems home to countless woodland creatures, with sweeping twisting limbs of branches swirling, all converging to a single object placed in a nook at the centre. A seed, shining with an ethereal light, radiating the feeling of home.

Looking around, there isn’t anything else that has changed with my surroundings, so doing the only logical thing in this situation…

I touched it.

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Suddenly my vision filled with colour, and with a feeling of being yanked, I found myself standing on top of a small hill in a medium-sized clearing that is on the inside of a riverbend that is lazily meandering next to it. Surrounding the hill on all sides are trees that have lightly forested the area around me.

Finally, on the hill next to me, is a tree. The most beautiful tree you will ever see, with just the right curves, a sturdy trunk and a healthy amount of foliage that captures the sweet sunlight. Of course, it is young right now, so it is barely past being a sapling, but that just means it has that much more potential.

‘Mine’ I immediately thought once I spotted it. There is nothing that I am more certain about. Just like I know that the sky is blue, and the grass is green, this precious tree is mine and only mine.

It is only then I notice a weird blinking in the corner of my vision, and once I focus on it expands revealing a blue screen.

Congratulations!

The world of Tessara welcomes your birth!

Tessara? Birth? Looking at myself, I am standing around with no item of clothing, though I notice one tiny detail that throws my thoughts into disarray. I am green. What the fuck?!

Spending an absurd amount of time just touching my arms and torso and doing a cursory check on my pecker, I conclude that I have no idea what the hell is going on and what the hell I am.

You are a Dryad!

A being of magical prowess that rivals the strongest of fey, nature is your domain.

View your Status for more information!

Huh… so I am a dryad. I thought that all dryads were supposed to be female – or maybe that’s just something that stories got wrong. Wait, that’s not the important bit! Magic? As in bippity boppity boo and alakazam? That’s cool!

And what’s this about my status…