The wind brushed against my face.

The tweeting of birds and the warm touch of the sun on my skin were comforting.

Underneath my fingers, the ground was rough, filled with small hard pieces of soil, slightly moist.

That's when it hit me - I was sprawled on the ground, my eyes closed.

Suddenly, I forced my eyes open, greeted by a massive, blue sky stretching out above me.

Tiny, white clouds sporadically dotted the azure expanse.

Trying to sit up, a sharp pain erupted from the top of my head, rushing down the back of my neck.

It felt like my head was in a vice, tightening with each second. Closing my eyes against the pain, it abruptly vanished, as if by magic.

I opened my eyes again. The fact that I could open them felt like a miracle in itself.

Taking in my surroundings, I noticed trees all around and some big rocks strewn about.

I realized I was in a clearing.

The scent of pines and earth filled my nostrils.

The soft rustling of leaves caused by a gentle breeze added a soothing background noise. It was a picture of tranquility.

Then, out of nowhere, a blue screen materialized in front of me.

Had it always been there? Had I just failed to notice it? The screen was about as wide as my outstretched arm and half as tall.

The blue of the screen was deeper than the sky, framed by a thick black border. I couldn't make out the characters scattered across it.

I squinted, blinked, and reopened my eyes.

Suddenly, the alien symbols morphed into comprehensible words.

"WELCOME PLAYER 1BH350PPL! YOU ARE IN HELL! THE GOAL OF THE GAME IS TO GET OUT! TO DO THIS, YOU MUST REACH AT LEAST LEVEL 250! GOOD LUCK!" The message seared into my brain, yet it made no sense.

I reached out to touch the blue screen, but my hand passed right through. Was this a hallucination? Was I even awake?

As I clumsily climbed to my feet, I slapped my legs, desperately seeking the sting of reality.

“In Hell? Is this death?” Thoughts were racing.

But how could this be a dream? The acrid taste of saliva, the relentless glare of the sun, the itch on my backside — all pointed to a stark, tangible reality.

Clad in thick, high-quality beige clothes that felt like soft leather, I began to move, the peculiar blue screen trailing me.

Frustrated, I yelled, "Move!" And it vanished.

In surprise, I tested it again.

"Reappear!" Instantaneously, it returned, revealing a slew of numbers and statistics:

There was a table of some sort, filled with numbers and stats.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Dexterity... Strength... What is this..." I muttered under my breath.

My name and surname were displayed at the top, next to the words "LEVEL 1" Right below was an empty bar with the caption: "EXPERIENCE POINTS" Its value read "0/100" And underneath that, another bar: "DEBT POINTS" This too showed "0/100"

It seemed too surreal, too ludicrous, yet the facts were staring me in the face.

It was a game profile, my game profile.

The stats, even if simplistic, didn't quench my thirst for answers.

"Tell me how to gain experience." I decided to ask.

The screen displayed new information: "TO GAIN XP POINTS, JUST DO QUESTS! OR PERFORM CERTAIN ACTIONS, LIKE KILLING MONSTERS OR EATING RARE FOOD!"

Again, this info seemed insufficient.

"Give me more details about the debt bar." I asked next.

This showed up on the screen: "PAYMENT DUE AT NEXT MOON CROSSING! IN 30 DAYS!"

I then asked what this payment represented, and what would happen if I didn't pay. But there were no more answers, strangely.

Annoyed and confused, I asked the screen to disappear, then I resumed walking.

Despite the layers of uncertainty, I pushed the nagging worries aside.

What could I do, after all? I found myself in a peculiar situation with little more than a bewildering interface for company.

A sigh slipped out from me, a brief reflection of my frustration.

I tapped a rhythm against my leg, trying to recall any fragment of a memory that might guide me through this obscurity.

As my mind spun, I continued on my path, each footstep echoing the beat of my mounting anxiety.

The hope of encountering something familiar, something comforting, lingered on.

But what? What did I find comforting?

"Who am I?" was the daunting question that raced through my mind.

I knew my name, but not who I was, what this name carried and even who gave it to me.

I was gripped with an odd sensation, similar to a stone dropped onto my belly, a hefty weight pressing down.

The realization struck me - my head was empty, void of any remembrance, void of any dreams.

It felt as if I had been put through a washing machine that had scrubbed my brain clean. All the filth, along with every single memory, washed away down the drain.

However, amidst this oblivion, some facts were clear - I was from Earth and this place, according to the screen, was not Earth.

I also knew about Hell, but the Hell I knew was nothing like this serene and quiet place. There were no flames, no demons, and definitely no torturous acts.

I continued to stroll, hoping to stumble upon something familiar, be it a forgotten sorrow or a nightmarish memory.

Suddenly, a radiant glow, piercing through a gap between two towering trees in the distance, caught my eye.

A gust of wind blew past, increasing in intensity.

Approaching the source of the light, I was met with a breathtaking landscape.

A cliff edge overlooking a vast valley, a river meandering through, and numerous birds soaring in the horizon.

The sheer beauty of this untouched wilderness caught me off guard.

A gasp of astonishment escaped my lips and I muttered, "If this is Hell, I can't wait to see what Heaven looks like!"

Looking at the river flowing in the valley, I realized I was thirsty. I needed to find a way down there.

"Show me the map," I instructed, hoping the screen could guide me.

It displayed a detailed map of my surroundings, outlining the path from the small clearing where I woke, to the valley that spread out far and wide.

The rest of the map was filled with a deep brown color, indicating uncharted territory.

On this map, I managed to find a path down the cliff.

Before closing the screen, I asked for the time.

The screen transitioned back to my profile page, revealing the time on the upper right corner - it was 18:24.

I realized that I needed to find shelter before nightfall, but something else caught my eye.

My previously empty XP bar now showed a small increment.

A closer inspection revealed a gain of 35 XP points out of 100.

Excitedly, I asked the screen for a detailed view of my experience points.

"DISCOVERED VALLEY OF EUB! + 35 XP" it displayed.

Despite my initial skepticism about this so-called game, I felt an unexpected surge of exhilaration.

I wanted to continue exploring, to gain more points. However, I needed to be cautious.

Night was falling and regardless of its tranquil facade, this place was probably called ‘Hell’ for a reason.