Chapter 3: ARC 1-The Enchanted Forest-Part 3

I open my eyes to bright sunlight.

I’m alive! Woohoo!

Wait…am I alive? I’m pretty sure I am. This could be the afterlife. People always say that they see a bright light when they’re dying. Could this be the Paradise the saints speak of?

…Nah. Can’t be. Only really good people go there. That’s not me. Nope, I’m alive. Is it right to feel disappointed after surviving a near-death experience? It’s not my fault. The whole thing has made me do some serious self-evaluation.

From now on, I should strive to be a better person. Maybe then I’ll have some good fortune and I can get to the real Paradise.

Ah, but wait. Being a terrible person is what got Cosmo interested in me and that’s why I’m alive now. Is it alright to be terrible? Universe, you make this too confusing. There should just be something that explains life.

Shaking my head to clear the whimsical thoughts, I push to my feet. I notice something wrong right away. For some reason, I’m naked. Bare to the world. Cosmo, you pervert. What did you do with my clothes? They were torn and bloody after that idiot stabbed me but they would be better than nothing.

This sucks. The sun is warm now but without shoes, I’m going to cut my heels on every rock in this place. Saints forbid I’m still out here when night falls. I’ll freeze to death.

…Hmm? Come to think of it, where am I? The capital is situated in a lush valley. Great for crops but we don’t get many trees. Definitely not the thick mass of giant trunks I’m looking at right now. Crowley couldn’t have taken me too far from the road. I mean, I’m not the heaviest girl in the nobles’ court but that’s over a hundred pounds of dead weight and my would-be murderer was nothing but bones.

Cosmo, you are getting on my nerves. You have the cosmic attribute. It should have been easy to drop me back home. You put me here, wherever this is, just for laughs, didn’t you?

Thank you for saving my life but if I see you again, I will slap you.

Nothing for it but to walk. Hopefully, I’ll stumble upon a landmark that can give me an idea where I am or, even better, a friendly huntsman that will carry me to safety.

I pick a direction at random and start walking.

-

After a few minutes, I conclude that this is not an ordinary forest. The trees that grow near my home are stout things with thick branches and light brown bark. Once, during a trip to the south to visit a friend of my father’s, I saw a fruit farm. Those trees were slim and tall, with long branches that dangled fruit enticingly.

These trees are a combination of both. The massive trunks are too thick to wrap my arms about, even if they magically doubled in length. Gnarled, twisted roots peeking out of the soil are obscured by dead leaves and low shrubs, making them treacherous to navigate. Thousands of branches spiral upwards, interlocking so closely it looks like a spider has spun her web in the sky.

But the most surprising thing is the trees’ colors. Most of them are brown but there are some unnatural colors mixed in; silver, gold, even a few greens and a single pink.

What the heck is this place? Ah, I wish I had paid a little more attention to my lessons. The trees should be obvious clues to where I am but I have no idea.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a branch snapping. I freeze but I don’t immediately turn around. That sounds stupid but I have a very good reason. If I turn around, then I come face to face with whatever is behind me. I can’t pretend that it’s a harmless little rabbit or a cute squirrel. It might be one of those things but it most likely isn’t and the moment I see it, I have to deal with that. I really don’t want to have to deal with that.

The growl at my back makes up my mind. Swallowing, I turn my head. Yeah, that’s not a rabbit or a squirrel.

That’s a wolf.

Aw, it’s cute!

The little canine barely comes up to my knee, even counting its ears that jut upwards. Dark green fluffy fur makes its lean body softer, its big eyes a shade lighter and almost glossy. A long tail wags excitedly as it trots over, tongue lolling as it pants.

Here I am, trapped in a strange forest, bare to the world. No rational person would stop to pet the wild, though incredibly adorable, animal.

Once again, I am forced into more uncomfortable self-evaluation as I crouch down, sticking out my hands as I coo at the little wolf. My heart does a little jump when it comes jaunting over. I can’t believe it. Animals never like me. I don’t know how I’m going to take care of the little guy, but I’m definitely-

*Chomp*

“Son of a-”

I snatch my bleeding hand back, holding it against my chest as I scramble backward. The green wolf swallows something and its tail begins to wag faster. My stomach twists but I can’t stop myself from looking down. I knew it wouldn’t be good but the sight of my missing middle and ring finger is still shocking.

The wolf bares its teeth in an expression that eerily resembles a smile. Is this thing intelligent? Had it played me from the start? Suddenly, the bright green eyes are more creepy than cute.

I have a bad feeling about this.

My feeling is almost immediately confirmed when the wolf begins to growl threateningly. Its small body makes a surprisingly deep sound. Saliva wets the fur around its muzzle as its body tenses, preparing to strike.

This is when magic comes in handy. A nice, big fireball to scare the puppy away. Make him think twice about having me as a meal. If I make it back home, I will never take my studies lightly again.

Right now, I only have one option.

I turn and run.

The wolf runs after me. It’s fast. It catches me within seconds, tackling me to the ground as its claws tear into my back. Screaming, I manage to turn, my good hand pushing against the side of its head to keep its jaws away from my throat.

Powered by sheer desperation, I get a leg between me and the wolf, pressing the flat of my foot against its belly and kicking out with all my might.

The wolf yelps as it’s thrown into the air, the miniature beast slamming into the trunk of a tree several meters away before crumpling to the ground.

…Huh?

I sit up and stare at my legs wonderingly. What the heck? Since when was I that strong? Did Cosmo do this too? I might have to take back my promise to slap him. That was amazing!

The wolf slowly pushes to its feet. It’s watching me with cautious eyes now. I push to my feet and stare down at it haughtily. I mean, if I’m this strong, I don’t have to be afraid of this thing, do I? Bring it, pup.

It does not bring it. Instead, it tilts its muzzle up and howls, the sound echoing through the trees wonderfully. I’m pretty sure I could hear that on the opposite side of the forest. I get a sinking feeling.

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The feeling is confirmed moments later when an answering howl reaches us. It called for reinforcements. Suddenly, it looks a lot less cautious and I feel a lot less confident. I’d even go so far as to say that the wolf is smiling at me again. It’s not very friendly.

I might be able to take on one of these guys but I don’t know how many he called. What the heck am I going to do if I’m surrounded by four? Or five? Or ten?

Nope. Can’t do that. Super strength or not.

Back to plan A.

I keep running.

I can hear the wolf crashing through the trees after me but it doesn’t tackle me, preferring to keep a distance until help arrives. He doesn’t have to wait along. After a minute, I can see other shapes darting through the trees, keeping pace with me.

This is bad. If I just keep running, I’m going to be cornered and eaten. What a terrible way to die. There has to be a way out of this.

My eyes move up to the branches. Well, of course. Wolves can’t climb. If I can just get up onto one of those branches, I’m home free.

The only problem? The lowest branch is far above me. Level with the roof of my house. I’d have to find purchases in the very smooth looking bark and climb up to it.

Wolves might not be able to climb but they can jump. I doubt they will just let me struggle for handholds while I’m trying to escape them.

But wait. My legs are stronger now. Can I jump that high? It seems impossible but it’s the only chance I have to get out of this alive. I don’t see any other option. No choice but to try.

I spot a branch that’s as low as it’s going to get, tense my legs, and jump with all my might.

I soar through the air. Whoo! I’m seriously amazing. The branch I aimed for is getting closer and closer. I can almost reach it-

But then I feel my momentum shift. I stop climbing upwards. There is a fraction of a second where I am completely still. That’s when I know I’m screwed.

Then, I start to fall.

Oh, no. This is the worst possible situation. I’m falling straight down. The wolves know this. They have come out of the trees and are standing in a circle around where I will land. The moment I get into their range, I’m finished.

If only my arms were longer. The branch was right there! Now it's shrinking. If only I could just stretch a little. I need to reach that branch!

A weird feeling goes through my body. The skin on my right arm ripples, the smooth, bronzed skin losing its color. It changes into the star-studded black of Cosmo. Then it reaches out. My dark limb latches onto the branch and wraps around it.

I swing in midair as my fall is halted and stare dumbly up at my arm. Is it my arm? I don’t know. It doesn’t look like an arm. It’s more like…a tentacle? It is rounded at the tip.

No, no. Now’s not the time. Below me, the wolves are circling, staring up at me. One of them leaps for it. I pull my legs up to my chest as its jaws snap close to where my ankle would have been.

Wow. You guys are very athletic. And determined. Seriously, why are you guys still here? I mean, shouldn’t you be off looking for easier prey? It’s not good to be too stubborn.

Ah. The jumper is looking antsy. Is he going to try again? Can he reach me? I need to get onto that branch. But, hmm. How do I move this tentacle thing? Does it work like an arm? Can I retract it?

As I imagine the action I want to take, a ripple goes through the tentacle and it starts to retract, slowly pulling me up to the branch. I’m delighted. This is cool. If I think too hard about it, I will freak out. After all, I am wielding an alien appendage. But right now, it’s saving my life and as long as I focus on that, it’s cool.

I reach the branch and grab it with my other hand, hauling myself onto it and pressing my back against the trunk. The branch is thick enough that I don’t have to worry about accidentally falling off if I lean the wrong way but still, I wrap my legs around it tightly for security.

The wolves are circling the trunk of the tree restlessly. I smile down at them. Haha. I win. You lose. Scatter like good beaten puppies.

Now that my life isn’t in danger, I study my strange arm. Yeah, that’s a tentacle. I brush my fingers over the smooth surface. Saints, it feels better than silk. It’s really out of this world.

With a thought, I wrap it around my opposite hand, clasping them in a sort of handshake. It’s quite sensitive too. I'm aware of even the slightest amount of pressure along it Not painful exactly, just…very present.

It’s also very malleable. Besides the way it stretched for me to reach the branch, I can curl it backwards toward my shoulder in a ball. Couldn’t do that with bones. I can even whip it out.

That is almost a mistake. I hit the branch I am sitting on and it snaps right off. My resting place becomes unstable so I hastily move to a higher branch. Okay. The tentacle is very strong. Be careful where I throw it out. Got it.

The more I experiment with it, the more useful this thing seems. It can take any shape. All I need is a clear image. A ball, a square, a hammer, and even a sword, the rounded end sharpening into a point that easily cuts deeply into the tree. Next time a wolf jumps out at me, it’s going to be in for a nasty surprise.

Then the questions start coming. How did this happen? What is it? Is it just my arm? If my legs are these tentacles, it would explain why I was able to push the wolf off me. But if they are, why do they look like normal legs? And they don’t just look like normal legs. They feel like normal legs. If I get cut, it stings and I bleed red blood.

Is it that? Did Cosmo turn me into some kind of shapeshifter? Or did he just strengthen my body? One is cool and the other is completely terrifying. I need to find out.

The tentacle is activated by thought. Maybe if I just think it? Just try to imagine my whole body as the silky-smooth material.

My body shakes. The world changes. My point of view narrows as my range of vision expands. A barrage of sensory input bombards me, too much to process. Then the stomach-churning flood of information drains away and the world becomes recognizable.

Everything looks bigger but I doubt the forest had a major growth spurt in the last couple of moments. Did I shrink?

My heartbeat is gone. I can’t feel it thumping reliably in my chest. For that matter, I can’t feel much of anything. Whenever I try to flex a muscle, all I get is a subtle ripple through my body.

I try to raise my hands and two long tentacles appear in front of me. When I look down at my feet, all I see is a puddle of the star-studded black ooze that defines my arms. At this point, my head is swimming dangerously but I can’t help it. I look down at the rest of my body.

Seamless ooze. That’s all I am.

I’m not human anymore.

The buzzing in my head reaches a fervor point and darkness rushes in to claim me.

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