A bright light gushed from my tv enveloping me, then a voice echoed inside my mind.

"Welcome child of the gods. May fortune smile on you."

My eyes closed. I felt a drop in my stomach, the wind blowing past me. I opened them to see clouds passing by me as I fell towards a vast expanse of blue. I try to scream but no matter how much I strain my voice nothing comes out. YouTube and TikTok flash before my eyes. It's ironic really, it's probably also sad, that the internet is the last thing I see. It just goes to show how memorable my life has been. Well, I am a twenty-first-century girl from gen Z.

  They say it's not the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop at the end. And if the laws of physics still work, and the internet is right, even if I land in the water, it'll be like hitting concrete. Splashing down in the water, I watch the water engulf me, and to my surprise, I'm not shattered into a million pieces. Not knowing how far down I'm I start to swim up, holding my breath. But I'm too far from the surface, feeling my lungs cry for air. I take a deep breath with the thought that it would be one of my last.

  Water fills my lungs and I prepare to drown but don't. Like a fish, I breathe the water like air. My arms and legs stopped moving but I didn't sink. I had to check that I still have arms and legs, that I didn't become a fish or something. Then I realized that despite the fall I took I'm not hurt, at least as far as I can tell. Shaking off the shock I head to the surface. Breaking through the surface of the water; greeted by bright sunlight and the sound of seagulls. The waves are calm, even gentle, but it somehow feels eerie. Chills run down my spine; I need to get out of the water.

  To my right, I see a shadow on the horizon. It's not moving. I don't think it's a fish so it must be land. I swim for it, even if I don't know the distance, I don't have any choice. After what felt like forever I reached the beach, pulling myself across the sand. A moment passes then I realize the color of my clothes is light blue. But that can't be right! I was in my gray PJs just a moment ago. Now I'm wearing some sort of light blue jacket, an undershirt, black pants, and shoes. A scary thought crosses my mind. Jumping to my feet facing the water I look at my reflection. Fear and confusion rush over me. I look like the character I created in God's Revolution! No, I am the character! I remember the voice I heard before I started falling. How the hell did this happen! Things like this don't happen in real life! Only in poorly written unoriginal novels and anime!

  Questions danced in my head as the panic rises. How did I get here? Where is here? Am I the only one here? Did everyone who logged in get dragged here? Are the Tyrannical Four here too? The worst and most crucial question popped up, stopping all the others in their tracks, am I on Taeyang? My panic starts to reach the boiling point. If this is the game and this is Taeyang, I'm as good as dead.

  I slap my cheeks. Playing the "What if" game won't solve my problems or get me answers. I refuse to be one of those people who stand around and wait to die. I don't even know enough to start panicking. There's no point in worrying about things that haven't happened yet. I have to figure out if I'm really in the world of Zoo. For all I know I could’ve fallen asleep waiting for the update, making this just one weird dream.

  Yep, that hast to be it! I was so excited about playing that when I fell asleep, I started dreaming about it. No more soda before bed for me.

   I wonder if I can open the status screen. When the thought comes to mind a blue screen appears in front of me. The whole world stops for a moment, I feel like a computer with an error. Printed on the screen from top left moving down reads,

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Name: Mulan

Species: Snake god

Element: Water

Level: 1

Stats:

Strength: 10

Wisdom: 21

Stamina: 16

Speed: 23

Dexterity: 30

Spirit: 45

Skills:

Concealment lvl 1

Stealth lvl 1

Water Breathing Max lvl

Swimming Max lvl

Dance lvl 1

Spirit Mastery lvl 0:

-Spirit Vision lvl 1

-Spirit Strengthening lvl 1

God skills Locked"

  At this point, I've got to face the facts I'm currently in a game I've never played. Standing on the beach watching the waves won't help me. Turning to the sea of trees that expands far past my view. My legs don't want to move instead they shake. I force myself forward; soon the sand turns to grass, sandstone to cedar and birch. Small birds hop from tree to tree. Rabbits and squirrels scurry across the forest floor. Crickets chatter and the cicadas hum, not a man-made noise to be found. This level of natural bliss is something most people go out of their way to find, traveling across the world even. Though I can't say I'd ever been one of them. I continue to travel on what looks to be a game path, but the scenery didn't change much, though there's a good chance that's because I'm lost. Light is fading fast.

  Snap! I hear the breaking of twigs behind me. I stop in my tracks. I turn to look over my shoulder, but I can't make anything out through the brush. Twilight beacons from the west with the setting sun. I focus hard on the direction of the noise now facing it, still, I see nothing. Even so, I know someone or something is there. I feel a burning sensation welling up from my chest. As it fills my veins it goes from a burning sensation to a natural feel, like blood. I feel like my eyes are alight, as my vision changes. The dark faded outline of trees and bushes turns to green figures against the night sky. I look around and find that all of the forests have become that way. The ground below my feet is highlighted a lighter brown, the grass is green. I look at my hand that is held up to my face, it is highlighted in blue.

  Crack! Crack! Closer than before, but this time I can see. In the distance, I see figures in three different colors. One seems to be about 5 feet (168 cm) highlighted in a pale blue. Another is about 6 feet (204 cm) colored a bright red, and finally, a person in a light green seemed to be the shortest of the three (127 cm). Though I know that they are people, I really can't make them out beyond that. I motioned towards them essentially then yelled,

  "Who are you?!"

  They move in surprise and I think their talking, but I can't hear them, then a man replies,

  "I could ask you the same thing! Who are you? How'd you get here?" I think for a moment, then answer,

  "My name is Mulan. I don't know how I got here; all I know is that I woke up on the beach."

They looked at each other, then slowly stepped forward. The blue one lit a lamp. Once the light hit my eyes, the vibrant colors faded and left only the poorly lit forest cloaked in shadow. Out of the shadows in the dim lamplight three people emerge. The tall man is armed but the two girls don't seem to be. The man steps forward, coming closer into my view let me see his bright red rosters-like hair and burnt orange eyes. A sword at his side. I step back not knowing his intent, it must have been written on my face,

  "Don't be afraid we aren't going to hurt you." said the girl dressed in blue holding the lamp. She then stepped in front of the man; her arms open wide as if to shield me from him.

"We're from a village nearby, I think someone there can help you." She continues. They walk forward guiding me along, I don't know where we're going but I guess it's better than standing around in the dark. I know this is stupid, but right now I feel I have no choice.

  Little did we know, that in the distance behind us a pair of red eyes watched us from afar.