I opened my eyes and found myself lying down. I noticed that the world around was surrounded by steamy white mist. Reaching for the ground, I felt the touch of moist soil and droplets of water dripping along the sides of the blades of grass.

“A swamp,” I whispered to myself. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath as I slowly went through my thoughts. Instinctively I realised that some parts of my memories were missing.

"What was I doing yesterday?" I asked myself as it made me feel odd.

Searching through my memories, I tried to recall how I had ended up here. But it did not add up, there was a big jump in my memories as I was only able to recall heading for school. But the memories of latter were in a blur and had given me a headache to recall.

I gritted my teeth as I forced myself once again to recall my missing memories as bits and pieces slowly began to return.

I saw myself waking up early in the morning before the sunrise. Feeling too attached to the warmth of my comfy bed. I felt reluctant to separate myself from it. My alarm went off in an instant, I felt annoyed by the ringing sound as I forced myself up to switch it off.

I ended up getting off from the bed as I began preparing for school. It wasn't unusual for me to skip breakfast, so I headed out after dressing in my uniform.

My daily high school life continues as I took the bus. My school wasn't far as it was only a 15 minutes ride from my home.

I got off the bus after it arrived in front of the school's gates. There were students walking in but few stood waiting for their friends. Some of them were people I recognised as they waved at me.

I nodded at them with a smile as I went to line up early for the assembly . . . but everything after was missing.

Fragments of my missing memories slowly returned. I recall witnessing everyone panicking as they head for cover from the sudden pour of rain. A bolt of lightning emerged from the sky, striking the ground as it missed the remaining students out in the open.

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I was one of those students, but the sudden lightning sent me falling and sprawling against the ground, my ears ringing from the incident. I looked up and found myself not being the only one who fell, as others did too. They frantically got back on their feet and quickly ran through the rain, away from the eye of the storm.

The storm was ferocious as lightning bolts came striking down. In the spur of the moment, I pushed myself up from the ground and ran for cover. I saw the others running ahead of me towards the school canteen where everyone else had taken cover. My friends shouted at me to quickly run away. I did as soon as I managed to find my footing, running as fast as I could with the rest of the students.

One of the students that were running in front of me tripped and fell to the ground. She desperately tried to regain her footing. However, she suddenly cried in pain, looking back at her ankle. It was obvious from afar that she had twisted it when she fell.

In the corner of my eye, I saw a bolt of lightning came striking down, right at a utility pole. Blinding sparks burst out as the live wire snapped off from the pole, falling down, right towards her.

I knew it was too late for her, but I couldn’t run away as my feet were locked in place. I wanted to look away, to continue running ahead to my friends who were begging me to run. But I couldn't bring myself to do so.

I couldn't bring myself to abandon a person in need when I have the strength to save them. Even if the odds were against me, the slightest chance of success would've been enough.

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Gritting my teeth, I made my resolve to save her, sprinting as fast as I could before the live wire came striking down. Time was almost up, as the wire came close into contact. I immediately leapt at her and pushed her out of from its reach. And my final moments came to an end.

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Seeing the memories of my death had shocked me beyond measure. Blood began dripping from my nose, as I started feeling faint and dismay. My body started shaking as I quickly pushed myself off from the ground. I screamed in tears and shouted into the sky, saying that I was alive. I began running in hopes of a way out as I saw my death reenact within eyes again and again.  

I was unable to accept my death, as I continued running in tears. Some parts of me wished that it was a nightmare, that I would come awake on my bed. But this nightmare felt too real.

I tripped over a tree's root and was thrown over a slope, rolling down until I hit the bottom. The fall's concussion sent a pain in my head, and I understood that this was not a dream. I had my hands pushed against the ground, propping myself up back onto my feet. As I did, I saw the world that had finally revealed itself to me.

The mist had vanished away to reveal a cloudless night sky with a silver moon. The sky was then welcomed by the mesmerising presence of small and beautiful yellow lights that sparkled all around. Fireflies.

Even if they were creatures from my world, but their presence felt magical like fairies from children's fairy tales. Slowly, the small lights then descended and went ablaze as it illuminated the entire boggy swamp that I was in.   

I was amazed and captivated by them. Extending my hands out as an invitation. A few gathered about me. They had given a smile on my face as their warmth had cast my fears away, turning this nightmare into a beautiful dream.

It wasn't long before I noticed the large lake that stood before me. The sound of moving water was heard and it gradually drew closer towards me.

A large yellow light the shape of a lamp emerged from the distant darkness, revealing a silhouette of a man on a small boat with it. It wasn't long until his appearance came into view, a man wearing a grey cloak as he held onto a lantern. His small boat moved almost leisurely towards me as it seemed to be pushed by an unknown force.

"Who are you?" I called out to him bravely as I had questions which are in need of answers.

The cloaked man cast his gaze on me with his piercing silver eyes. His skin was pearl white and babylike. It looked as if an angel had come to guide me to the afterlife.  

"Who indeed?”

“You could call me a friend, a servant, or even an angel. I am a great deal of many things, but as of now; I'm here as a messenger." He replied with a small smile that could be seen under his hood.

"Is this the afterlife—am I dead?" I asked him with a voice desperate to know.

"This is not the afterlife, but one of the infinite worlds that exist in the universe. You were brought here into this illusionary world so that I would be able to relay my Lord's message. And regarding your death, it seems that you already know the answer to it." The messenger replied.

I had already prepared myself for that kind of answer, but it still stung me deeply. I found myself feeling shocked yet grateful to still be alive and breathing.

"What reason was there for me being to still be alive?" I asked as I could smell that there was more to it.

"It seems you have intuition. As you might have come to realise that you were brought back to life by the Lord himself. He has taken a liking to you, of your acts of bravery. Giving you a new life and purpose."

"You are the first, not in just to being resurrected. But for a human’s soul to ascend into a being far superior to mortals, to become one of us; a being of light."

"But why me?" I asked with a voice of disbelief.

"Of all the people that he could've chosen, why me?"

"You were not chosen because of a chance of coincidence. You were chosen, because of what you felt before your death. Try to remember once again."

My eyes went in shock as my memories were forced again onto me. I saw my final moments once again, as I pushed the girl away. Her eyes were in shocked as she saw her saviour traded his life for her. The feeling that I had felt during then, was not regret. It was relief.  Relieved for being able to make it in time, as I died giving her a faint smile.

"You saw it again didn't you?" The messenger asked, his smile died away and his eyes showed pity.

"I know that it is too much for you take in, but my time here is short. So listen well." He paused.

"There is a force of power that will soon rise to bring destruction to the worlds of old. Your world is still new and may not be involved in it, but its history still shares a connection. And you must be that world's hero."

"But how and where do I start?" I asked him in confusion. As I knew nothing about the world I needed to save only but of its existence.

"You will be sent back into your own world. And everything after is something you must find out by yourself." He answered back.

"It seems that this is where we part ways." The messenger said as the world around slowly started to disappear.

There were more questions that I wanted to ask, and being unable to have any answers for them made me feel depressed.

"Believe in yourself. Your heritage is what makes you stand above all." The messenger said words to encourage him.

"Godspeed, Child of Light." Were the last words I heard from him before he disappeared along with the world, and consciousness faded away.