“Am I … still here? I don’t see anything or feel anything” I begin to think again after what felt like an eternity spent in complete darkness. “Is this not the end?”. I tried to move or look around but there was no body to be commanded to do so. I was just a consciousness floating through nothingness.

Words that were spoken before, rang through everything and nothing once more “SECOND CHANCE”. After the sound began to fade after an indeterminable amount of time. I saw something in the darkness, it started out tiny and non perceivable but it grew with time. A spot of light, is this heaven? I had never believed much in an afterlife during my life mainly because I didn’t have the time to think about such things.

Light grew until it began to take priority over the darkness filling my vision. At the same point where the light had originated I began to see colours. Green, brown, blue, and others that I hadn't seen in as long as I could remember.

The colours of my life past seemed to all be dark and pale, nothing like the ones I was seeing now. Somehow they were akin to the feelings I would get when I was embraced by my loving parents as a child, back before all the struggles began.

As these colours were growing just like the light, it began to form into an image. It now felt like I was looking through a window to another world.

A tingling sensation began around what should have been my eyes and continued out along my consciousness until it enveloped me entirely. Then the feeling began to fade from where it had originated until I was left with a body once again. Restored, I could smell, feel, taste, and move once again. My body felt different from before but I couldn't place my finger on what. I didn’t have time to think further about it because I had begun to fall. The forces of the world were back and affecting me. The image I was seeing before became my whole vision and I was back. Back in the world. Back alive. A second chance.

Just moments ago I would have felt annoyed at the thought of something like this happening, but something about the colours and the experience I had right before I died caused me to feel excited and relieved that I was back. I then realise that the ground is approaching very fast and I scream as my body crashes through a tree that partially breaks my fall before I land on the ground below it. Having landed on my back and laid there for a moment in shock before I pass out. “Am I really alive?” I think before losing consciousness entirely.

I wake up some time later but I can’t tell how long it has been. I stared at the blue sky for a moment watching the wispy clouds pass by overhead before trying to sit up. As I move to place my hand behind my back to push myself into a seated position my shoulder screams out with pain.

“Ow!” I yelled, my voice felt like sandpaper and my throat was dry as if it had been unused for years. My shoulder was dislocated. Luckily I knew how dislocations worked and had gone through a fair few in my time. I was able to fix it myself but not without great effort.

I was standing up now and for the first time looked to take in my surroundings. To the west a moderately traveled trail heads off into the distance, running along a forest to the north side of it later on. There were some mid-sized mountains to the south with this strip of grassland continuing on east for a long way. I can tell it ends somewhere down there but it's too far to make out what exactly it leads into down there. The tree I woke up under was right next to the path that heads to the west.

The wind blows past bringing the smells of an unfamiliar world, birds fly past me and up over toward the forest to the north. I observed the open plain in front of me, where there was a group of people that seemed to be struggling against something In the field. “Swinging… sticks? What are they…”

My thoughts were cut off by a plume of fire that seemed to come out of nowhere. I was far and barely heard a puff of the ignition but nothing else, I was intrigued now so I went to move closer. While starting to move I realised that my body seemed to be much shorter than before. It seemed like I had the body of a child again, A bit younger than when I first began to work. “What’s going on?” I mutter. “First I die, then fall from the sky and dislocate my shoulder. There were some weird people in this field with an explosion of fire from seemingly nowhere, and now I'm SHORT?!” Very confused over this whole situation I just try to take it in stride and continue on towards the people in the field.

While approaching, a familiar smell began to fill the air, but I couldn't remember what it was. It was beginning to make me feel more uneasy with every step forward. Then It came to me, where I had smelt this before, it was the same smell that was at the scene where my sisters were killed. The smell of blood was filling the air. This realization sent me reeling back and I tripped over my own feet while trying to run away. Catching myself with my hands as I landed on my stomach. Being close enough to the group now, they could have heard the noise the fall made. Laying there frozen, I tried to listen for their footsteps.

One pair of footsteps appeared and gradually came closer, until finally a mid ranged male voice called out. “Um, Kid? You ok there?”. I looked up again to see a guy appearing to be around 16 or 17 leaning over to look at me. He was a bit taller then me with brown hair and a concerned look on his face

“Yeah I just tripped” I responded.

“You need help?” He followed up. “You know where you are right, it’s not safe to wander around here unprotected”

I stopped for a second and thought that I should probably not disclose too much about myself because I don’t know what these guys really want, but lying isn’t a bad option either. “I got separated from my parents and I don’t know where I am” I say while getting into a seated position.

“What are you, like 13? You're still a bit too young to be out here on your own. Your mana control can't be that good yet so why don’t you stay with us and we can see if we can find your parents.” He said while looking around to some other people, who had approached while we were talking.

There was a girl who looked a bit older than the guy I had been talking to. She had a short sword on her waist and some plated leather armor on. Her hair was blond and looked a bit taller than the first guy. As I looked at the rest things became apparent. There was a very big bulky guy with black hair wielding a Greataxe. A girl slightly taller than the sword user who had black hair with hints of purple when the sun shone on it, she used daggers and looked thin, lean and fast. Then one smaller guy, around my height I think? Maybe smaller? Who had dirty blond hair and no weapon. The first guy had some knuckles as well. They all had some variation of either plated or normal leather armour.

“This is a fantasy world isn't it? He mentioned mana too didn't he? Is this a roleplay event? What was the smell of blood from? Did they kill someone? Are they gonna kill me?” My thoughts flurried and escalated quickly as my brain tried to make sense for for situation i found myself in.

The guy that looked a bit smaller than me looked pretty timid and unsure of the situation. But despite this fact he perked up with “You look hurt, do you want me to help?”. He looked proud to have gotten the question out.

“Help? Do you know First aid?” I said instinctively but immediately doubted myself because who knows if they would call it “first aid”. Unless this really is a roleplay event, but honestly I doubt that with all that's happened.

“First aid? No but I can do some healing magic.” He said bluntly and sounded a little confused.

“Um… ” Magic? He mentioned mana before. Are they serious? “Yeah, give it a go.” I said after a pause, I decided to run with it for a bit. He looked happy and came over to help me. He kneeled next to me and placed his hands over my recently dislocated shoulder. He began to focus and without him touching me, my entire body, beginning with around where he had his hands, felt warm and at ease. As if all the damage this new body had endured from that abrupt fall was lifted. Bruises were healing and scrapes closing. There was a shine of green coming from his hands and a light blanket of that same green enveloped me. It felt like nothing could hurt me anymore.

“Are you feeling better now?” He asked, smiling brightly with anticipation.

“Yeah, thanks so much,” I said, stunned. “I cant believe how good that felt”.

“First time being healed? Yeah, the first time is always amazing” he said, getting excited. I could tell he genuinely loved healing and helping people, from his demeanor to his reactions, it all spelled it out clearly. "Maybe these people don't want to kill me."

“How does that work?” I asked, trying to get any information about the magic that had just been confirmed to be real.

“Not now, more of them are approaching.” The black and purple haired girl interjected. "More of who?" I thought.

“Which direction and how far?” Brown haired knuckle guy asked quickly.

“Coming from the south, they should be here in 5 to 7 minutes. Problem is there are too many of them for us to protect him at the same time” She stated Grimly.

"This is it, there's no reason for them to risk this for me." This line for thinking was the only one I could see at the moment.