I regain my conscious to find myself on the ground yet again, luckily without all the soreness this time. Getting back up, I find that I’m not at the grove anymore. I fainted at the grove so shouldn’t I wake back up in the grove? It’s strange, but I do remember fainting when I picked up the sword, so there must be some reason. Oh crap the sword, where is it?!

I look around but it seems the sword is nowhere to be found. After giving up on looking for the sword, I notice a pendant hanging around my neck, looking closer at the pendant it looks like the sword that I grabbed. Does this mean the sword turned into this? Considering the flash of light it may be a possibility. I’d usually say that magic is bullshit but being reincarnated seems to be on a higher level of bullshit.

The edge of the forest seems to be close by. I should be able to exit it from there and hopefully find some people. I walk to the forest and see that I am now in front of a stretch of what is most likely farmland. A house can be seen in the distance along with a barn nearby, so I can assume it’s a farm. Which is good considering I’m actually starving, now that I think about it.

Only problem is that I don’t have any clothes. I would believe that no kind of stranger that’s willing to give a person in the nude a meal. What am I supposed to do?! Go up and ask, “Mind giving me something to eat?” while not wearing anything?! If I try that I’ll probably be put in jail!

Stealing is the only option, I’ll have to take anything edible without being caught. First, I’ll sneak in through a window, search the cupboards for food, then sneak back out to the forest. Only problem is convincing myself to steal. I could get caught and put in jail, but it’s still better than the alternative.

After a long session of pumping myself up, I am ready to sate my hunger through stealing. My stomach feels like it is collapsing in on itself. I’m starting to feel faint, so I should hurry to not starve.

I break into a sprint in an effort to get food as soon as possible. Not long after I began sprinting, I collapse onto the ground. I groan in pain and immediately try to get back up, but my arms aren't able to hold my weight.

Why can’t I get up? I have enough energy... I guess means I’m going to die. \This is my fate I guess, getting reincarnated for no reason, then dying immediately after… I shut my eyes, accepting the embrace of death. My mind fades away quickly, into an empty slumber.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

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Instead, I am greeted by the wonderful feeling of fluff and softness of a bed. Is this haven? I open my eyes to see that it’s not, all I can see is a ceiling. I blink a few times, and try to get out of the bed, but I don’t have the strength. It seems that I won’t be able to move until I eat something. I stay laying in the bed undisturbed for a small bit.

I hear a door open close by followed by a girl exclaiming, “Oh, you’re up!” I hear her walk over to the side of the bed. “How do you feel?” she ask, but I am unable to respond with words. I can only open my mouth a small amount.

The girl looks at me in thought, then walks away. I hear her pace nearby for a bit. After a bit I also hear the creaking of a door.

After a small while, I hear the girl walk back in. The smell of food quickly gets my attention. She holds up a spoon of what seems to be a stew of some kind to my mouth. I open my mouth in response and she slowly poors to stew in my mouth. The stew actually was more like creamy broth. It also had a faint taste of bitterness bitterness to it which seems a bit odd, but who am I to complain? It taste delicious.

For a while, I’ve been fed the creamy broth. The girl even left a few times to refill the bowl with more. The broth seemed to fill my stomach as well as refill my energy, like some sort of medicine or super food. I don’t feel hungry anymore, but I still feel weak. Shouldn't I be completely fine now? Didn’t I collapse from starvation?

A memory of the forest comes to mind, the plants in particular. They had… thorns on them, purple ones… that may have been poisonous. How could I have not noticed?

I try to push myself up to check if I had any wounds, but my arms were unable to. The girl helped me up into sitting position, so I immediately pushed off the blanket that was on me revealing my legs. They were covered in scratches. Nearly every inch had a scratch.

As the girl looked at them, her face went serious. She looked at me and asked my straight, “Where did you get those scratches?”

“A… forest..? I think..?” each word I said was faint but atleast audible.

The girls face got face got even more serious, “What was in the forest?”

“Bushes...Thorns? They were purple…” my voice gets fainter with every word, and the girl lays me back on the bed a tad forcefully then dashes out of the room in a hurry.

Why did she run out the room? Is it because of the purple thorns? What is with them…? Am I going to die here..? Without knowing… anything?

….My thoughts feel scrambled… I don’t even know what I’m thinking anymore…. My mind is disappearing… into nothing…

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Rather than death, I open my eyes to the same ceiling but instead a bit dimmer. I manage to push myself into sitting position easily on the bed this time.

What just happened? Did I not die? I ponder all sorts of questions until I hear the door slam open. Two girls rushed in, the one that took care of me and the other a short blonde.