Kelsey woke to the sounds of nature; the morning sun shining in her eyes. As she slowly opened her eyes, her heart jumped to her throat. She found herself in a beautiful forest filled with tall grass and healthy trees. What startled however, wasn't the forest itself but the fact that about one in a hundred of the trees around her were several hundred meters tall, with blue leaves the size of her torso adorning their branches. They were taller than any skyscraper she had ever seen, and the blue foliage stretched on as far as the eye could see in every direction. The branches were thick and long, each stretching tens of meters outward.

“Huh? Where am I?” she mumbled under her breath as she slowly looked around, allowing her heart rate to settle down. She noticed the tree she was sitting under was one of the tall ones with blue leaves. She stood up and began inspecting the tree more closely. What is this thing?

The bark was an incredibly dark shade of brown, almost black. Between the nubs of the bark, there were dark blue lines of a honey like liquid flowing through the tree.

[Mageblood Tree]

*ding* You have learned the general skill Identify – lvl 1

Allows the user to view information about the world.

Levels in the Identify skill will increase information gained from the skill.

A small ding noise, like a bell at a store, played in her head as she inspected the tree. The moment after she heard the ding, a tiny blue box popped up in her vision and floated around the tree. What is a mageblood tree? Wait, mage, as in magic?. What is going on? A little blue box, a general skill, and a tree with blue leaves called a mageblood tree? Her heart began pounding again as she pondered the implications of what she was seeing.

Breathe.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Once she felt slightly better, she opened her eyes and looked at the tree again. That little box was still

there, floating around the tree, no matter which way she looked. Reaching out, she attempted to touch the small floating box. Her hand simply moved through it, touching nothing.

Okay, so, I’m definitely not in Tennessee anymore. The question is, where the hell am I?

Kelsey studied her surroundings more closely. Seeing nothing dangerous in her immediate vicinity, she decided to sit down and take stock of her belongings.

She had her clothes on her: a simple t-shirt from her favorite band, jeans, and some black and white sneakers. Notedly absent were her phone, watch, wallet, and her car keys.

I’d like to think I was robbed, but my guess is that the answer is slightly more complicated than that.

She thought back to the night before, to the strange purple light, and her heart began beating rapidly again as she realized Thadius wasn’t with her. Where the hell is he? Why isn’t he with me? Did we get abducted by magic aliens or something? She breathed out, closing her eyes and leaned her head against the tree, trying to calm herself once more. A few long minutes later, an odd sense of peace washed over her.

*ding* You have learned the general skill Meditation – lvl 1:

Allows the user to enter a state of calm that boosts regeneration speeds.

Increases regeneration by 500% while meditating.

Levels in the Meditation skill will increase how easily it can be active while doing other tasks.

Another ding sounded in her head as she read the message that appeared in her vision. Okay, this is getting weird. This time, she looked at it more calmly, thanks to her still active Meditation, and really considered what she knew. It’s almost like a videogame, like a crazy advanced version of a virtual reality game. She knew this couldn’t be a game; everything felt way too real. Just to be safe, she reached up to her head, miming the action of taking off a VR headset. It, obviously, did not work.

500% Increased regeneration? Regeneration of what? Does this mean that magic may actually exist? Is there MP, or Mana? The existence of something called a Mageblood tree

seems to imply there might be some magic involved.

Still trying to piece together her situation, she felt something strange on her back, similar to the heat a campfire gives off. It was distracting enough that it instantly broke her out of her Meditation as soon as she noticed it. Damn, I definitely can’t move around while in Meditation.

She leaned away from the tree and pivoted to her knees so she could take a closer look. The feeling vanished as her back stopped touching the tree. She placed her hands on the tree and began feeling around it. The moment her hands got near the tree, that heat-like feeling came back.

Huh, strange. I wonder what's happening.

She then slowly took her hands off the tree, trying to figure out when the feeling went away. As her hands left the tree, the feeling gradually lessened, but didn’t disappear entirely until her hands were several centimeters from the tree.

She squinted between her hand and the tree, trying to see if she could spot what was causing this feeling. Calling it heat wasn’t quite right, it almost felt like there was some kind of

energy entering her skin as she touched the tree. As she was squinting, almost without warning, her vision lit up and a ding resounded in her head.

*ding* You have learned the general skill Manasight – lvl 1

Allows the user to see mana.

Kelsey’s eyes were drawn to a faint blue hue radiating off the tree, almost like embers from a fire. She looked at her hand and could clearly see when the blue energy entered her hand and was absorbed. Whoa, Manasight? That means this stuff must be mana. She had, of course, heard the term mana plenty of times throughout her life. Which made her question something else. Why the hell is all of this stuff in English? Why are these all words I know?

Deciding, again, to table the question about language for another time, she looked around and was blown away by the difference in the world around her. She could see the mana in the air like a thin fog. The grass gave off a faint light green mana, the dirt and stone had dark brown mana, and the Mageblood trees, like a beacon in the night, radiated a bright blue mana. The fog of mana didn’t exactly impede her vision, but it was certainly distracting. I wonder, is there a way to turn this off? And the moment the thought crossed her mind, the mana clouding her vision disappeared. Neat.

She found that she could immediately turn her new skill on and off with a simple thought, the same was true for her Identify skill. She tried to do the same with her Meditation skill, but it seemed like it required a certain kind of mindset in order to activate. She decided to keep Manasight on for the time being as she felt it could be useful.

Not knowing what else to do Kelsey decided to explore her immediate surroundings, thinking maybe she would be able to find her brother. Hopefully he’s around here somewhere. It had only been a few minutes since she had woken up, so she figured if he was here, he was probably still fine.

She wandered the surrounding area for several hours looking for any signs of Thadius. Unfortunately, she didn’t find anything that indicated he was, or had been there. She did however see an assortment of different plants, flowers, trees, and bugs that were completely alien to her. She used her Identify skill on all of them with disappointing results.

[Blackthorn Rose] - Can be used in some alchemical recipes

[Bluevein Flower] - Can be used in some alchemical recipes

[Emerald Lily] - Can be used in some alchemical recipes

[Ruby Berry] - Can be used in some alchemical recipes

[Sunset Beetle - lvl 0]

*ding* Identify has reached lvl 2

She didn’t know what any of these flowers did and Identifying them didn’t seem to give her any additional information other than their names and the fact that they were alchemy related. Potions would be quite fun to make, I could be like a witch from one of those old horror movies. Every time she used her Identify skill it became more and more natural, eventually leading to the skill leveling up. This really does seem like a video game, it’s almost fun. If I weren’t scared, lost in a forest, and worried about Thadius, I’d probably be having a blast right now.

She did decide to keep some of the Ruby Berries she found. She didn’t know if they were safe to eat, but if she got truly desperate it would be better than starving to death. Either that, or hope she could level up her Identify skill enough to find out that information herself.

Several more hours passed as she continued wandering around the forest, in no particular direction. She was starting to get thirsty and she knew if she didn’t find some water soon, she could be in trouble within the next day or two. She found two more types of berries during this time. A green kind called Emerald Berry, and a blue one called Sapphire Berry. She also found evidence of small game animals being in the area in the form of some berries near ground level that had been nibbled on. She thought may be able to make a trap of some sort if she needed to.

As Kelsey was pushing through a particularly dense section of forest, a sound rang out across the woods that chilled her to the bone. A single, deep, snarling howl in the distance. What was that? It didn’t sound like any animal she had ever heard before. It was almost like a wolf’s howl, but more guttural and vicious. Wanting nothing to do with whatever made that sound, she decided to move in the opposite direction. I hope I don't run into whatever that thing was.

By then, the sun was setting in what she assumed was the western direction. She thought she probably had three more hours of daylight left, not that she could see that much light through the trees, so she decided to look for some sort of safe place to stay sheltered for the night. She considered the giant Mageblood trees that were all around and thought that she may be able to climb one. The bark was quite spread out and each tree had giant branches that would probably be big enough to sleep on, though it was hard to tell from the ground.

Before trying to climb the tree, she decided to try her luck at making a basic trap for a small animal. When they were kids, her dad took Thadius and her hunting many times and taught them basic survival skills; mostly for fun, but at that moment she was eternally grateful to her father for those lessons. She decided on a basic pitfall trap using one of the giant Mageblood tree leaves that she found laying on the ground.

It took her over an hour to make the trap. She hadn’t done anything survival related in a long time and she wasn’t sure the trap would work. She basically just put a leaf over a hole with some food in the middle. It was simple, but hopefully effective.

Having finished her trap and placed some berries as bait, Kelsey walked up to the nearest tree and began her climb. Climbing the Mageblood tree was thankfully quite easy. The tree was so large and the bark was so rugged that it was comfortable to hold on to. Her fingers simply slipped in between the spaces in the bark where the blue honey-like substance was flowing. It wasn’t quite as easy to do the physical act of climbing as she had anticipated, she hadn’t done anything like that in years. Sure she went to the gym, but that wasn’t the same thing as climbing a 500 meter tall tree.

Taking many breaks, Kelsey climbed the tree for about 10 minutes until she finally reached the first branch and pulled herself on top of it. Panting hard, she fell down into a sweaty heap on the branch. Her arms and legs felt like they were on fire and she was barely able to lift them. Maybe this was a mistake. Getting down is going to be even harder.

After a few minutes of catching her breath, she looked around at the branch she was laying on. It was huge. She could lay down on the branch like it was a king sized bed. But, she wasn’t tired yet, so she pulled herself up and sat against the tree to start planning her next steps for survival.

She began creating a mental checklist of tasks starting with the most urgent. I need to find water. I need to find food. Ideally I’d like to find some sort of civilization. It would also be nice to find Thadius if he even got brought to this place with me, but I'm not sure where to even start with something like that. Last, and potentially most importantly, if not the most urgent thing, I need to figure out where the hell I am. What is this place? I am almost certainly not on earth anymore. I have seen too many plants and trees that are completely alien to me for me to still think I could be on Earth.

As she considered all of these thoughts, she looked up at the night sky. Now above the canopy of the more ordinary trees, she could see a star-filled sky, unmarred by light pollution. The stars were breathtaking; unlike anything she had seen before, even though she had spent most of her life in a rural part of Tennessee. There were no signs of civilization, nothing of the sort. What she did see, though, were two moons. Two moons. That settles it, I am definitely not on Earth anymore. Surprisingly, this realization didn't disturb her as much as she expected. In fact, she felt almost happy to know she wasn't on Earth.

She had enjoyed her life on Earth, but at 28, she was already beginning to find the daily grind monotonous. Perhaps this was the fresh start she had always dreamt of. The day before she had been regretting how little time she spent in nature, and now here she was, in the middle of an unfamiliar forest filled with magical trees that gave off mana. Kelsey had always yearned for more than the repetitive cycle of waking up and working a dull office job. The prospect of exploring an unknown world thrilled her more than she cared to admit. Even if she would miss her family and friends.

She spent the rest of the evening staring at the sky and thinking of home. Letting some of the tears and worry she had been feeling all day flow out unimpeded. Eventually, she grew tired and tried to push the thoughts of the future and past out of her mind. She lay down and drifted into a restless sleep, her emotions too turbulent for a truly peaceful night of rest.

Waking up the next morning to the bright sun peeking through the foliage, Kelsey surveyed her surroundings from her perch on the Mageblood tree’s branch. Seeing nothing unusual, she began her descent.

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Just as she had suspected, climbing down the tree proved to be significantly more difficult than climbing up it. During the entire descent her arms and legs were straining; by the time she reached the floor she was completely out of breath and her arms were once again, useless. She hadn’t had a workout like that in ages and her arms were already sore from the previous night’s climb. As she was catching her breath, she heard another ding.

*ding* Your Endurance stat has gained one point! 10 -> 11

Wait, attributes are a thing? Endurance? How the hell do I see my stats?

She should have known… The moment she thought about it, a new blue box appeared before her eyes.

Name: Kelsey Kain

Primary Class: N/A

Health: 100/100 [Regen: %0.5 per minute]

Stamina: 24/110 [Regen: %1 per second]

Mana: 130/130 [Regen: %0.5 per second]

Vitality: 10

Endurance: 11

Strength: 8

Dexterity: 9

Intelligence: 12

Willpower: 13

She studied the status screen for a few moments before a realization struck her like a bolt of lightning: Mana. She had mana. With a burst of excitement, she quickly finished reading the rest of the status screen. Her attributes made sense; assuming that 10 was the average for an adult human. Clearly, she was not physically strong, as her attributes showed. She had what could only be described as ‘thin noodle arms’. However, she had always had a strong will, always excelling at keeping a cool head and pushing through tough situations.

I wonder what these stats do specifically. She had her guesses, but she would rather know for certain.

She tried focusing on each of her stats and thankfully, the interface showed short descriptions of each one.

Vitality - 10 Health per point in Vitality. Increases resistance to poisons. Increased resistance to externally induced nausea. Lowers need for sustenance. Decreases the need for air.

Endurance - 10 Stamina per point in Endurance. Increases durability. Reduces need for sleep.

Strength - Increases physical strength.

Dexterity - Increases physical dexterity. Increases physical flexibility. Increases physical speed.

Intelligence - Increases potency of mana. Increases control of mana. Improves mental functions such as memory and speed of thought.

Willpower - 10 Mana per point in Willpower. Increases output of mana. Increases mental resistance. Increases pain tolerance. Improves mental functions such as motivation and reasoning. Assists in regulating emotion.

Okay great, that’s basically what I figured. Well, with all that information, this basically confirms magic. Just have to figure out how to get my hands on some lightning bolts.

She then turned her attention to the rest of her status screen, she was particularly drawn to the ‘Primary Class’ section. The term 'primary' suggested the possibility of secondary, or even tertiary, classes.

I’m assuming class must be something similar to classes from video games. She wasn’t someone that played a ton of games, preferring to help make them, but she was familiar with the concepts.

As she focused on the primary class section, her breath caught in her throat when a new box appeared before her.

Primary Class: N/A

You have not acquired a primary class.

Primary Classes are acquired at the age of 12 or when a creature is slain. Classes can also be obtained through class rituals.

Upon reading this, her neck snapped towards the small pitfall trap she had set. Regrettably, the trap remained untriggered, although the berries she had used as bait were gone. Would have made that part much easier.

Unfortunately, I’m 28 and don’t have a class. Turning 12 for a second time isn’t really an option. Looks like I'm left with hunting a creature or doing a ritual… whatever that means.

Kelsey considered this new information for a few moments before mentally closing the window and focusing on her checklist. If I keep getting distracted by every notification, I’ll die before I accomplish anything. Step one: find water. She could see what appeared to be snow-capped mountains to the east, in the direction of the rising sun. That was also, unfortunately, where she had heard a bone-chilling howl the day before. Deciding the potential for finding water runoff from the mountains was worth the risk, she began heading in that direction.

As she walked around the forest floor, Kelsey was met with absolutely breathtaking views of the magical forest around her. She would have enjoyed these views more however if her head hadn’t been thundering in a clear sign of dehydration. She had sweat a lot from both her climb up and down the Mageblood tree and she was now paying the price. But she persevered and continued on her mission to find water.

A few hours later, around noon, she pushed through some tall grass and entered a clearing, not unlike the many others she had seen since her arrival in this forest. However, this one bore a distinct difference. It wasn't the grass, trees, bushes, or plants that set it apart; rather, it was the presence of a terrifying monster basking in the early afternoon sunlight, its eyes shut, snoring softly. The creature looked like a wolf, but it was composed entirely of thorny vines, with sickly green flowers blossoming on its back. Through her Manasight, she observed a bright brown and green aura emanating from it. Surprisingly, her attempt to use Identify on the creature actually worked.

*ding* Manasight has reached lvl 2

[Thorn Wolf - lvl XX]

The creature radiated danger and Kelsey wanted nothing to do with it. The fact that she couldn't see its level only made her more nervous. Holding her breath, she slowly turned around and began quietly moving around the clearing, ensuring she remained as silent as possible. Her heart pounded, and she was moving too much to enter Meditation in order to calm her nerves. It took her about five minutes to move far enough away from the wolf that she began to feel comfortable. She let out a deep breath and began shaking slightly. That thing would have murdered me if I had woken it up.

Okay, monsters… I absolutely should have expected that, I guess. I hope I can find some sort of weapon soon. Just looking at that wolf sleeping was terrifying enough. I do not want to see what it’s like when it's awake.

A few minutes later, Kelsey had calmed down and was feeling more levelheaded, so she continued moving quietly through the forest, still slightly on edge.

During her trek she found signs of other Thorn Wolves in the form of discarded carcasses and claw marks on trees. This must be their territory.

As evening neared, she heard it—the sweetest sound in the world. Her saving grace. Her future. Her survival.

Running water.

The moment Kelsey heard the water, her dehydration became all too apparent. Throwing caution to the wind, she rushed forward toward the sound of water, pushing through the plants and bushes until she saw it: a crystal-clear river. It was beautiful. Without thinking, she ran down to the riverbank and began cupping the ice-cold water into her hands, bringing it to her mouth in rapid gulps. Half a minute later, she was gasping for breath and feeling better than at any point since arriving in this strange world. Her head had stopped hurting and she felt like she had more energy.

Satisfied, she sat down and looked around. To her left, she could see the river continuing toward the mountain. It was a picturesque sight: the bed of the winding river lined with smooth rocks and small marine life, with tall trees bending over the river, creating a tunnel of green leaves. She really wished she had her phone with her so she could take a photo.

To her right, roughly 15 meters away, was another Thorn Wolf. And it was staring directly at her.

[Thorn Wolf - lvl XX]

That’s probably not good…I really should have looked before just running down here. She locked eyes with the wolf, stood up, and began to back away very slowly. As she moved, the wolf lowered its head, growled menacingly, and slowly followed her. Several of the vines on its back detached and started writhing, pointing at her like spears. Without breaking eye contact, she continued moving slowly toward the only place she might be safe—a Mageblood tree. If she could reach it and climb up, she doubted the wolf could climb after her.

For some reason she wasn’t nervous. Her heartbeat was normal and she was thinking more clearly than she had in her entire life. I just need to get to that tree.

The moment she felt she was close enough, she broke eye contact and dashed for the base of the tree. The wolf howled behind her, sending a shiver of primal fear down her spine; it was the same gnarled sound she heard the previous night.

Glancing back as she ran, she saw the wolf shoot towards her with incredible speed, faster than any animal she had ever seen. Surprised, she stumbled and fell to one knee. This unexpected move may have saved her life, as the wolf soared over her head, its jaws missing her neck by mere centimeters. However, she wasn't completely unscathed; one of the vines from the wolf's back lashed out as it passed overhead, leaving a deep gash across her back.

Pain seared through her as she pivoted on her feet, heading for a different Mageblood tree nearby. The wolf's leap had carried it well past her, giving her just enough time to put some distance between them.

Behind her, the patter of paws hitting the ground spurred her on as she gritted her teeth and pushed her already strained body to move faster. The moment the sound of paws stopped, she leaped to the side, just as the wolf soared over her head again. This time, pain exploded in her left leg as one of the vines made contact. However, this time her dive was planned; her leap placed her right at the base of a Mageblood tree.

Climbing as quickly as she could, aware that a fall would mean certain death at the paws of the wolf, she focused all her mental energy on the task at hand. She could hear the wolf approaching the tree but didn’t dare to look down, concentrating solely on climbing as high as possible. Over five minutes passed as she continued to climb, refusing to let her body rest even for a moment. By this point, she was fairly confident the wolf wasn't following her, but she still didn’t stop to check. Reaching a branch above, she pulled herself onto it and looked down.

On the forest floor below, Kelsey saw the Thorn Wolf circling the tree, trying to find a way to reach its prey. It attempted to climb several times, but its vines weren’t long enough to wrap around the tree for assistance. It also tried to run straight up the tree, but its paws couldn’t find purchase. Eventually, she had to divert her attention from the wolf to focus on her own condition. She was in intense pain, feeling as if her insides were ablaze. It wasn’t just the physical pain from the gashes on her back and leg; there was something more. A sensation she had never felt before—as if her blood itself were on fire, attacking her from the inside. She clutched the bark of the tree and concentrated entirely on the task of staying conscious and calm. Now that survival wasn’t her only concern, the pain took center stage in her mind. With no other options, she attempted to enter Meditation. Her heartbeat slowed even as the pain intensified. Her mind began to clear, and a sense of calm washed over her. Eventually, she slipped fully into Meditation, and the pain receded to the back of her mind.

She wasn't sure how long she had sat silently meditating, but judging by the sun's movement in the sky after she opened her eyes, it was at least a couple of hours. She looked down, examining her body, surprised at how little pain she felt after her ordeal. She moved her left leg out from under her and examined it. There was a lot of dried blood, but the wound on her leg had closed. It was fully healed and wasn't bleeding either. Wow, Meditation is incredible. She felt around her back to the larger of the two wounds, and felt that, while the wound was still raw and sore, it was also completely healed.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kelsey braced herself and leaned over the branch looking down towards the ground. There was no sign of the Wolf nearby. It must have given up and

moved on. That was close. I seriously need to be more careful. I’ve been so distracted by all the levels and stuff that I forgot that this place is actually dangerous. I shouldn’t have forgotten so

soon after seeing the first Thorn Wolf. I won't be making that mistake again… probably.

Smiling to herself, feeling triumphant at having found some water and surviving her first monster encounter, she leaned back against the tree and finally checked her notifications.

*ding* Warning! You have been poisoned! -0.01 hp/s for 200 minutes

Causes intense pain

Damn… so that’s the pain I was feeling? That poison hurts like hell. Seems like it isn’t designed to kill, just incapacitate.

*ding* You have learned the general skill Poison Resistance - lvl 1

The user is more resistant to poison.

Levels in Poison Resistance decrease damage received from poison.

Sweet, that's useful, hopefully it reduces pain too.

*ding* You have learned the general skill Pain Tolerance - lvl 1

Pain is nothing more than a lesson to learn from. Levels in Pain Tolerance will reduce pain.

Oh hey, speaking of pain…

*ding* Your Dexterity stat has gained one point! 9 -> 10

*ding* Pain Tolerance has reached lvl 2

*ding* Pain Tolerance has reached lvl 3

*ding* Pain Tolerance has reached lvl 4

*ding* Meditation has reached lvl 2

*ding* Poison Resistance has reached lvl 2

*ding* Poison Resistance has reached lvl 3

*ding* Poison Resistance has reached lvl 4

*ding* Poison Resistance has reached lvl 5

*ding* Pain Tolerance has reached lvl 5

*ding* Meditation has reached lvl 3

*ding* Meditation has reached lvl 4

*ding* Meditation has reached lvl 5

*ding* Poison Resistance has reached lvl 6

*ding* Poison Resistance has reached lvl 7

That list is quite obnoxious. I wonder if I can make this just give me a summary when there are a ton of notifications like this. Focusing for a few seconds, Kelsey was able to change the list to be more direct.

*ding* Pain Tolerance has reached lvl 2 -> 5

*ding* Poison Resistance has reached lvl 2 -> 7

*ding* Meditation has reached lvl 2 -> 5

Much better. This interface thing sure is great.

As she considered how convenient it was that the system understood her intentions. Another thought crossed her mind; how? The menu, or whatever it is, can obviously hear my thoughts and understand my intentions. What is this thing and why am I seeing it? Is there some deity listening to my thoughts controlling this system? The skills and attributes clearly influence things like health and how resistant I am to certain types of damage. Is it the system that gives me more health and resistances, or am I naturally becoming healthier and more resistant, and the system is just putting numbers behind it?

She sat quietly, contemplating these questions for several minutes before her mind was able to move on. Opening her status screen to check her health and stamina, everything seemed normal, but then she realized something—she didn’t have a skill list. Closing the window, she concentrated on the concept of her skills, and a new window materialized.

Primary Class Skills - 0/0

General Skills - 6

Anouran language – lvl 10 (Maxed)

Identify – lvl 2

Meditation - lvl 5

Manasight - lvl 2

Poison Resistance - lvl 7

Pain Tolerance - lvl 5

Whoa. Okay, Anouran Language. Maybe that means I’m in a place called Anouran? Anoura? Anour? Whatever. It also says it's maxed at level 10, is that the max level for all skills, or just that one?

Without clear answers and everything else appearing normal, she closed the window and surveyed her surroundings.

She hadn't realized at the time, but she had been gripping the tree extremely hard while dealing with the pain from the poison, and some of the bark had begun to chip away. Looking down at the branch, she noticed that blue liquid was slowly seeping out where her hands had been up until a few seconds ago. She eyed the blue liquid warily and decided to use Identify on it. Surprisingly, it worked.

[Mageblood - Ancient] - Can be used in some alchemical recipes. Can be used for rebirth. Can be ingested for sustenance or to begin a class ritual.

No way…

Her heart leapt to her throat as she considered what that meant.

The glowing blue Mageblood leaking from the branch was sticky, resembling the tree sap she was familiar with, and it even had a sweet scent. Her stomach grumbled at the thought. No… I shouldn’t… should I? Oh come on, it can’t be worse than literal poison right? She really was hungry. It seemed worth the risk. I’m starving and a class could be just what I need to survive.

Without second-guessing herself, she cupped her hands around the leaking Mageblood sap, gathered a mouthful, and swallowed it.

And nothing happened. Huh that's disappointing. It was quite tasty though. Maybe I just need more to start the class ritual.

As she reached for another serving, she heard a ding in her head as agony engulfed her.

Pain.

Pain, unlike anything she had ever experienced, enveloped her. It was a pain that made the earlier poison feel like a gentle, loving massage. A pain so intense, she wouldn’t wish it on her worst enemy. It felt as if her very essence was being thrust into the sun. If she could have moved, she would have thrown herself off the branch, just to end the suffering. But she couldn't. She was paralyzed, unable to move, breathe, scream, or even think.

She had no way of knowing how long the pain lasted. Seconds, minutes, or hours—it was irrelevant and unknowable. Time lost its meaning under the overwhelming pressure of her agony.

Then, just as suddenly as it had arrived, the pain vanished. Relief flooded her mind and body, and for the second time in as many days, the world around her faded to black as she fell unconscious.