Okay… That was unexpected. I went through the door, and the whole scenery changed, I instantly went from a vast land of grass and a beautiful blue sky to a… cave?

I don’t see to well, shit, if only I knew someone with night visions or something like that.

Hum? Wait… it’s getting clearer. Wow, I can see a bit if I focus my sight!

I’m in a tunnel, the ceiling is fairly high, and in front of me, I can’t see far enough but it seems to be a one-way cave.

This is odd, I don’t remember getting this talent before, and I do have a great memory. Maybe it's linked to the strange door I just went through. I am convinced our current technology is nowhere near teleportation, no, it looked like magic.

What if… what if I’m not on Earth anymore? At this point, it’s not crazy to think that, and that would be pretty cool. Some holiday from people does sound good.

However, if this is true, I was transported without my consent, and I don’t like that. Whoever did that I will…

What is that?!

I hear something from behind. I turned back immediately.

So close! How did it get so close without me hearing it?!

Just in front of me, a creature was sniffing the air, it looked like a skinny bear, but completely shaved off, and its eyes were completely blank.

He started sniffing in my direction. It must be blind, did he sense me? Looks like it, he started grunting.

I readied myself for a fight. He might be weird, but I already have taken a bear down once, I’m not scared.

Plush.

Hum? What was that noise? Ouch, my stomach, what the…

The bear had moved, and his arm… was plunged into my belly. He then jumped back, his paw cover in red.

I tried to cry but blood spurt out of my mouth, and pointlessly put my hands on the hole to stop the haemorrhage. Am I going to do?

It… it hurts…

The bear is staring at me. He knows I’m dying, he’s waiting for it, with his blind dumb eyes.

No! I already went through this! I don’t wanna die here!

I don’t know how, but energy surged inside me again. I turned around and scram as fast as I could.

I'm losing a lot of blood, I’m crying, my nose is leaking, I don’t care, I want to live, I have to live.

Will he come back to finish me off? No, don’t think about that, one step, and another, that’s all that matter.

I’m going to do it. I’ll survive.

I know I have someone waiting for me!

It’s not my… time.

My body felt lighter and lighter.

With each step, I felt my resolution getting stronger.

I can really do it!

I am…

Plush.

I coughed blood again, I looked down, and saw the bear’s arm between my breast.

You…

Fucking…

Piece...

Of...

SHIT!

Pushed to her physical and mental limit, Alice unconsciously opened herself to the greatest wonder of this world. She grabbed the bear limb, and crushed it with her bare hand. The beast retracted his broken arm immediately, rumbling in pain. Blood spurt out of the wound, but rapidly, steam came from inside the hole, and the flow stopped.

But she wasn’t paying attention to that, she was already face to face with the monster, cringing and rumbling. He attacked again with his valid limb, but what was instantaneous for Alice a minute ago was now playing in slow motion. She evaded the strike, and grabbed its throat.

Their position had reversed, he was the prey, and she was the hunter. The bear couldn’t see anything, but his eyes, his big white eyes, were shivering in fear. A fear he never experienced in his life. Alice diverted her own eyes from them, and snapped its neck.

What… what happened? I feel, so… powerful. My body feels lighter than before.

It’s the same feeling than when I managed to improve my vision before. My wound still hurts, but the blood is not flowing out anymore, and I feel some kind of reassuring warmth. The weird part is that I think this comes from me, I’m the one healing myself.

I looked down at the beast corpse. It was a close call, I never thought creature so fast and strong would exist, I was careless.

And there is no guarantee something even stronger won’t come my way. I have to investigate this unknown power, before…

Cough… shit, my head… and I coughed blood again. The wounds hurt again. Shit! I might pass out…

Calm down. The healing process is still ongoing, I’m gonna be fine. I hope.

I sat down against the walls of the tunnel, trying to slow down my breathing.

Oh god… where the hell did I fell down?

After some times, She had recovered enough to move again. Her wound has miraculously closed themselves, leaving two ugly scars close to her waist and in the middle of her chest. She had thought through all of this, only one word came to her mind that could explain everything: magic. When something impossible happens, you have to embrace even the most improbable possibility. The other reason, is that she wanted it to be true.

She placed her hands face up in front of her, and try to remember the feeling she had a moment ago. The adrenaline is still partially there, and she plans on using it. She felt a slight warmth in her palm, that got more and more intense. As she felt her skin almost burning, the sensation dissipate, letting place to a small flame. A tiny, beautiful and frail dancing flame, that disappeared after a few seconds.

That… that was easier than expected… if I discard the fact that my headache has worsened.

I repeated the process once more, and managed to reproduce the flame. It’s like there is a new kind of energy inside of me, and I can use it to create fire. If I focus a bit, I can supply the flame, and make it bigger.

Maybe it’s thanks to this that I managed to heal myself, and how I outspeed the bear. Really, this is a miracle…

The corpse was still there. I looked down at it. This was probably the closest I ever got to death… This place, no, this world, is more than I thought, I have to find answers, and quickly.

With the flame, I can easily spot the flow of the wind and find the exit. I just hope I won’t encounter other monsters like this one. Just thinking about what happened… I’m shivering.

But it’s only the beginning, I sense it. I want to leave this place, but most of all I want answers, and quick.

On this wise thought, our heroine resumed her journey towards her next struggle.