I am aware.
Black stretches into my eyes, enveloping me in darkness.
A voice in my head tells me I have eyes and it must be so. I open them and light floods in, blinding me with a white glow. I blink until the pain subsides and my vision clears.
Clouds surround me and I remain still as I absorb the colors of mist swirling in the room. It must be a room. I look around, but only swirling vapor catches my eye until I see an opening. A doorway leads out of the room.
I have legs, the voice tells me. I step from the room, clouds closing in behind me, and finally feel a dirt path beneath my toes.
The path leads from my room of mist, into the woods, and off to the unknown. As I walk between the trees, they seem to close in behind me, preventing me from returning to my clouds. I don’t like this at all. Am I imagining it? I glance behind me again as the trail bends. No, those trees were definitely not there before.
I notice that the forest is eerily quiet. I freeze. There is not a single living creature in sight. Not a bird, a squirrel, or an insect appears and certainly no other sentient beings. Am I alone?
I blink to clear my head as I continue forward.
A flash of light instantly terrifies me and I stand paralyzed. I squint into the source and a shape begins to appear. Recovering my wits, I gingerly reach out and touch the object, which cools my burning skin. I grasp it from the air, swinging it naturally as I discover what it is.
A sword. I might like this place.
The path narrows before me, the trees reaching in as I wander past. Branches seize my hair and I hear twigs snap under my feet, but no one is around to see or hear. I feel a creeping sense of desperation in this still and silent world.
There is a clearing ahead! In my hurry to reach the open space I nearly run face-first into a creature hanging from a tree branch. It snaps at my face as I jump back, becoming immobilized with fear and surprise.
This is a snake. No, it is not simply a snake, but a serpent so dark it seems to be a shadow. Not a single creature for miles and now a vicious shadow serpent bent on eating me alive? I do not like this place.
I close my eyes, hoping it will be gone when I open them. It’s still there. Gathering my courage, I wield the sword and strike. I miss the serpent and it lunges, barely scratching my arm. I see my opening and slash the sword across the snake’s middle, severing it in half. One part falls to the ground while the other half remains tangled in the tree.
What kind of world is this?