Stranded in the Unknown

Fenix slowly regained consciousness, feeling a slight dizziness as his senses returned to normal. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a thick branch, high up. He blinked a couple of times, trying to orient himself, and soon realized that he was perched in a colossal tree, at least twenty meters tall. Its trunk was sturdy, with rough bark covered in moss, and its branches stretched out like giant arms towards the sky, forming a dense green canopy that barely allowed any light to filter through.

The breeze whispered through the leaves, gently swaying them, but the occasional creak of the wood under his weight reminded him of the danger of his position. Fenix took a deep breath, his mind still dazed, and squinted as he tried to remember how he had gotten there. "That's right… The awakening…"

"Great, what luck I have..." he muttered sarcastically, letting out a heavy sigh. "One moment I'm fine, and the next, I lose consciousness... And now it turns out I'm up in a huge tree, in the middle of who knows where."

Fenix clicked his tongue in annoyance as he looked around. The situation couldn't be more absurd. How had he ended up there? Was the system supposed to be absurd and random?

Trying to reposition himself on the branch, he slowly got up, searching for a way to sit without losing his balance. After several attempts, he managed to settle in, though his body still trembled slightly from the effort. He stayed there, lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

"Okay, looks like I'm not going to fall for now," he murmured quietly, relieved, although the sense of insecurity didn't disappear completely. "I have no idea where I am or what I'm supposed to do." He paused briefly, organizing his thoughts. Then, two options crossed his mind. "Well, I'm in the middle of a tree. From what I can see, it's huge; if I look up, it seems to stretch even further."

He sighed in frustration. "Alright, I can climb up and see if I can catch a glimpse of the landscape, or I can climb down and analyze what's below."

He thought it over carefully, weighing the consequences of each option. If he decided to climb down, maybe something would attack him, since he had no idea about the terrain or what surrounded him. The lack of information put him in a vulnerable position, and the risks of descending without knowing what was below made him hesitate.

"Well, I'll rule that option out for now... I think the smartest thing will be to try climbing the tree and look around from the top, see if I can gather any useful information."

After making a decision, he tried to stand on the branch, seeking stability before moving on. As he got closer to the trunk, he made sure to move carefully, aware that the wet branches could play a nasty trick on him. The recent rain had made the tree slippery, and his body, already tense from the effort, didn't help.

Despite his precautions, he slipped and fell to one side. In a quick reflex, he managed to hook himself with his legs and arms, hanging from the branch in an uncomfortable position, his face red from the effort and embarrassment. "Damn, ugh, what good luck I have," he grumbled under his breath, unable to hide his frustration.

Despite the undignified position he was in, he didn't lose his composure. After a few seconds, he decided that he had no choice but to keep going in that way. With renewed determination, he moved slowly toward the trunk like a worm, stretching each arm and leg to gain stability. Although the process was clumsy and exhausting, he had no alternative but to continue like this until he reached his goal.

"Alright, I've reached the trunk. Now, let's see how I can climb to the top."

He studied the tree carefully, observing the large branches extending upward, looking for the best path to ascend. His mind quickly mapped out a route, calculating each movement with precision, anticipating the points where he could rest or gain more stability.

Taking a deep breath, he began to climb carefully. He placed one hand on a thick branch, then the other in a small notch in the trunk, and set one foot on a branch while the other rested on a sturdier one. He advanced slowly, moving each limb with meticulous precision. The effort accumulated as he ascended, and his small body fought against gravity, but there was no turning back. Minutes became endless, time seemed to stretch for his fatigued body, and the sensation of height only intensified the pressure.

After what seemed like an eternity, a ray of light began to peek through the dense foliage. The flash of the sun, filtered through the leaves, seemed to renew his strength. With that warm light, his energy seemed to revitalize. He took advantage of the boost and continued climbing, with renewed determination, until he reached the final stretch of the tree.

Finally, when he reached the last branch, the thickest and strongest one, he let himself fall onto it, savoring the relief of having reached his goal. His back rested against the trunk, while his eyes closed for a moment, enjoying the stability he had finally achieved. He let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"I did it," he murmured, with a slight smile, as he took a breath before evaluating the landscape that stretched out before him.

After catching his breath a little, he decided to lean over and see what he could distinguish from up high. What he saw left him speechless. A vast orange sky, full of stars, shone brightly, despite it being daytime. "Or were they real stars?" he thought, confused. The strange atmosphere seemed to defy natural laws, and Fenix couldn't help but stare at it, in awe.

However, he soon shifted his attention back to the landscape that stretched before him. A vast forest, as wide as the horizon itself, unfolded in all directions, with trees similar to the one he had climbed. Each one seemed to be part of a vast ecosystem, connected to each other in a sort of wild harmony.

Looking to one side, he saw a large lake stretching several kilometers in width, its surface shimmering with the reflection of the orange sky. The water flowed gently, and Fenix could make out the course of a river overflowing from the lake, winding its way toward the more distant landscape.

Following the river with his gaze, Fenix could see three large mountains on the horizon. He could clearly distinguish two peaks, but the third was hidden behind dense clouds, preventing him from seeing it fully. However, something strange happened at that moment: as his gaze landed on the great mountain, an inexplicable feeling of connection swept over him. It was as if something inside him had awakened, as though there was a deep and ancient bond with that mountain. He didn't know what it meant, but he couldn't ignore it.

The air around him seemed to grow heavier, and the sensation that something momentous was about to happen enveloped him completely.

"I feel something strange in my chest... it's weird," he thought, but decided not to dwell on it. What really caught his attention was the sound of his stomach growling, reminding him that several hours had passed since he was on top of the tree. The effort it had taken to get there hadn't been small, and his still small and weak body was beginning to demand food.

"Now, the question is... how the hell do I get down from this damn tree?" Without thinking much more about it, he decided that the only option was to go down the same way he had come up. He didn't have many alternatives, and the idea of jumping down from the top of the tree with a twist was ridiculous, especially for a simple human like him. So, he began to descend, taking the same route he had followed on the way up, with caution and patience.

The only good thing about all this was that it wasn't as hard to go down as it had been to climb up. Although it still required physical effort, it wasn't as much as what he'd had to do before.

Fenix took his time descending the tree, pausing between the branches and resting little by little. This way, he moved more slowly, and the distance between him and the ground grew smaller with each step.

"Well, just one more branch and I'll be on the ground. My throat is so dry... as soon as I get down, I'll run to the lake," he thought, hoping to quench his thirst soon. Just as he was descending, holding onto the small grooves in the trunk with both hands, he placed one foot on one of the lower branches. However, it was still slippery from the moisture, and he couldn't help but lose his balance.

With his strength already drained from the previous effort, his grip on the trunk was weak. All he could do was fall.

"Shit!" he shouted as he plummeted. Fortunately, the fall wasn't that long. The last branch was about two and a half meters from the ground.

Just as he hit the ground, Fenix noticed something strange. Despite the fall potentially being quite large and causing him significant harm, it was the complete opposite. It was something unusual, something he hadn't expected. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was lying on something large, fluffy, and that seemed to be made of soft fur.

"How soft is this... eh... soft?" Fenix's face immediately went pale, and cold beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

At that moment, a growl echoed through the air, a chilling sound that made Fenix's blood freeze in his veins. The owner of that fur seemed to be awake, and that revelation did not bring him an ounce of comfort.

The creature leaped up in surprise, startled by the impact of something crashing into it. The force of the jump sent Fenix flying, landing several meters away, right in front of the owner of that fur. Despite the pain from the impact and the little strength he had left after the exhausting climb up the tree, combined with the hunger and thirst that consumed him, he tried to get to his feet.

Slowly, fighting against the exhaustion and pain, he began to rise. First, he placed one knee on the ground, then his hands, searching for a bit of stability. With a small effort, he pushed himself up and managed to stand, swaying slightly but holding himself steady.

What Fenix saw in front of him immediately filled his face with terror. Before his eyes stood a creature about two meters tall and nearly four meters long. From its mouth hung two massive fangs, half a meter each, so sharp they seemed capable of skewering their victims. A little higher up, a large nose stretched across the space between the fangs, while eyes full of fury and blood glared at him with palpable hatred, as if furious for being awakened. Just above those eyes, two horns protruded from its head, giving it an even more terrifying appearance.

The strange creature seemed like a cross between a boar and a reindeer. However, Fenix wasn't sure if his description was accurate, since those animals had been extinct for a long time.

Instinctively, he took a step back, as if the pressure from the beast forced him to retreat.

Terrified, Fenix realized that the only option he had left was to attack the creature, but quickly realized how absurd that idea was. "Yeah, sure, what am I supposed to do against this?" he thought, and in that instant, fear made him react.

Without thinking any further, he ran for his life, not looking back, his body trembling with pure panic.