《Emery Vail: The beginning》 Prologue: Born Again This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. (Entity detected: Human.) Chapter 1 Cold. That was her first sensation. The shock of it against her skin sent a shudder through her newly formed body. Wind bit at her like tiny needles, wrapping around her limbs, whispering through the fabric of¡ª Clothes? Yes, she was wearing something. Rough cloth, thin and scratchy against her skin. Not much protection against the biting chill. Her eyes fluttered open. The world was a blur of color, too bright, too sharp after the nothingness she had come from. She was lying on her back, staring up at the sky¡ªblue, impossibly vast, with wisps of clouds drifting lazily. She inhaled sharply, lungs burning as if they¡¯d never tasted air before. For a terrifying moment, she choked, her body unfamiliar, her limbs weak as she pushed herself upright. Her fingers dug into the ground¡ªcool, damp earth, speckled with dead leaves. A forest. She was in a forest. The trees stretched impossibly tall, thick trunks wrapped in vines, their canopies so dense they swallowed most of the sunlight. Strange calls echoed through the trees¡ªbirds? Animals? She had no idea. Where was she? Emery wrapped her arms around herself, trying to steady her breathing. Her body felt wrong¡ªclumsy, weak, as if she hadn¡¯t used it in ages. Every small movement was an effort. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Her head pounded, fragments of knowledge surfacing without context. She was¡­ fifteen? Yes. That felt right. But beyond that? Nothing. No memories of before, only the vague awareness that she shouldn¡¯t be here. That this wasn¡¯t where she was supposed to be. A shiver ran through her. Not just from the cold, but from the overwhelming wrongness of it all. She was alone. She had nothing. And she had no idea what to do next. Survival. That was the first priority. Food. Water. Shelter. She pushed herself onto unsteady legs, immediately regretting it. The world tilted, her knees buckling, and she barely caught herself against a tree. Her breathing was too fast, her chest tight. Calm down. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to focus. Think. Water first. She needed water. Her throat was dry, lips cracked. She scanned the forest, hoping for some sign of a stream. The trees were too thick to see far, but she could listen. Water made noise, didn¡¯t it? She closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus. The rustling of leaves, distant animal sounds¡­ and there. A faint, bubbling sound, just barely audible over everything else. She stumbled toward it, gripping trees for support. Every step felt unsteady, her legs weak and unfamiliar. The undergrowth tugged at her clothes, the damp earth clinging to her feet. Finally, she saw it¡ªa small stream, clear water rushing over smooth stones. Relief flooded her. She dropped to her knees at the edge, cupping her hands to scoop water into her mouth. It was shockingly cold, but she drank greedily¡ª And choked. The moment the water hit her throat wrong, panic seized her. She coughed violently, lungs burning, body convulsing as she tumbled forward. For a brief, horrifying moment, she was falling. The stream was deeper than it looked. Her head went under, water rushing around her, pulling her down. She flailed, limbs weak, panic overriding thought. She couldn¡¯t breathe. Couldn¡¯t swim. The current wasn¡¯t strong, but her body was too exhausted, too unfamiliar. Her head broke the surface for a second¡ªshe gasped desperately before slipping under again. No, no, no¡ª She refused to die like this. Somehow, she forced her arms to move, clawing at the water, dragging herself toward the bank. Her fingers caught the slick edge, her legs kicking weakly as she hauled herself onto solid ground. She collapsed onto her back, coughing, water streaming from her mouth. Her whole body ached. But she was alive. Barely. She lay there for a long moment, staring up at the sky, chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. Then, something clicked in her mind. A strange, mechanical awareness, like a thought that wasn¡¯t hers. (System detected.) Her breath hitched. What? Words formed in her mind, crisp and undeniable. (Welcome to the system.) She barely had time to process that before exhaustion dragged her into unconsciousness. Chapter 2 Pain. That was Emery¡¯s first sensation when she woke¡ªmuscles aching, throat raw, and her entire body feeling like it had been wrung out like a damp cloth. Her second sensation was cold. A shiver wracked her body as she curled into herself, the dampness of her clothes making everything worse. It took her a moment to remember why she was wet¡ªoh, right. Almost drowned. She groaned, rolling onto her side. The stream gurgled beside her, deceptively peaceful. It had nearly killed her, and now it had the audacity to just exist, like it hadn¡¯t tried to drag her under. Rude. She pushed herself upright, legs trembling as she sat up. She needed to get dry, or she¡¯d freeze before she even had the chance to die from dehydration. Her gaze flicked to the forest, dense and unfamiliar. Everything about this place screamed dangerous, but she didn¡¯t have the luxury of staying put. Her stomach growled, sharp and insistent. ¡°Great,¡± she muttered, voice hoarse. ¡°Food¡¯s next on the list.¡± Water had nearly killed her, but at least it was drinkable. That was one problem solved. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Sort of. She still had no idea where she was. Or how she got here. Or what had spoken to her before she passed out. That last thought made her pause. Something had spoken to her. Not aloud, but in her head. A crisp, clear voice, entirely separate from her own thoughts. System detected. That¡¯s what it had said, hadn¡¯t it? And then¡­ Welcome, Emery Vail. Your journey begins. She frowned, rubbing at her temples. A system? Like¡­ a game? No, that was ridiculous. And yet¡ª She wasn¡¯t exactly in a normal situation. Waking up in a forest, nearly drowning, and having no memory of how she got here wasn¡¯t normal either. There was one way to find out. She hesitated. Then, cautiously, she spoke aloud: ¡°Uh¡­ system?¡± Nothing. Well, that would have been too easy. Maybe she needed a specific command? If this was a system, there had to be a way to access it, right? What did games call it again? Status? She took a breath, feeling a little ridiculous. ¡°Status?¡± A sharp ping echoed in her mind, and suddenly, words filled her vision. [STATUS] Name: Emery Vail Race: Human Level: 0 Class: None Title: None Mana: Unawakened Attributes: ? Strength: 0 ? Dexterity: 0 ? Endurance: 0 ? Intelligence: 0 ? Perception: 0 ? Willpower: 0 Skills: None She blinked. Well. That was¡­ underwhelming. Zero across the board. Not even a single point in anything. ¡°Wow,¡± she muttered. ¡°I¡¯m pathetic.¡± She had been hoping for something¡ªanything¡ªthat might give her an edge. Some kind of clue, at least. But no, the system had apparently decided to officially declare her weak and useless. Still, at least she knew for sure that she wasn¡¯t hallucinating. This was real. Which meant that whatever had brought her here had given her this system for a reason. Emery¡¯s gaze flicked back to the attributes section. Strength, dexterity, endurance¡­ those made sense. But what about intelligence? Did that mean book smarts? Or something else? And willpower? Did that mean she could get stronger just by being stubborn? Because if that was the case, she was set. The mention of mana: unawakened caught her attention, too. Mana¡­ like magic? Her heart leapt for a second, but she forced herself to be realistic. If she had zero in all attributes, she wasn¡¯t about to start throwing fireballs anytime soon. She sighed, rubbing her face. At least she had something to work with. A starting point. And if she was going to survive, she needed to figure out how to improve those numbers. But first¡ª Food. And warmth. She pushed herself to her feet, legs still shaky but holding. If this really was some kind of system, then survival probably meant getting stronger. She wasn¡¯t sure how yet. But she¡¯d figure it out. One step at a time. Chapter 3 Surviving was hard. Harder than I ever imagined. It was one thing to think about being lost in the wild, imagining all the things I should do. It was another thing entirely to be here, starving, thirsty, and covered in scratches, trying not to die. But I wasn¡¯t going to give up. Step by step, I forced myself forward, ignoring the hunger gnawing at my stomach. The stream was my lifeline¡ªI followed its winding path, hoping it would lead me somewhere civilized. Or at least somewhere I wouldn¡¯t die curled up in a bush. By the time the sun dipped behind the trees, exhaustion had settled deep into my bones. I needed warmth. The nights were cold out here, and I wasn¡¯t about to test how well my body handled hypothermia. So, fire. Fire was necessary. Fire was life. I just had no idea how to make one. I sat on the damp forest floor, staring at the twigs and dry leaves I had gathered, rubbing two sticks together like a complete idiot. I had seen people do it in movies¡ªit looked so easy. It wasn¡¯t. Half an hour later, I had nothing to show for my efforts but sore arms. I groaned, flopping backward. ¡°Okay. Fire is hard.¡± A small, chime-like sound echoed in my head. [Skill Available: Firestarting (Novice)] - Ignite small fires with basic materials more effectively. I bolted upright. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Finally! I mentally accepted the skill, and warmth spread through my fingertips. Nothing fancy. No grand whoosh of flames. Just a tiny, subtle shift in how I felt about fire. I tried again, using the same materials, but this time¡­ Smoke. A spark. And then¡ª Fire. It was small, flickering weakly, but it was real. A grin stretched across my face as the warmth licked at my hands. ¡°Oh, hell yes.¡± I had made fire. And the System had helped. Encouraged, I spent the next hour carefully feeding the flames, warming myself as best I could. My body ached, my stomach growled, but I was alive. More importantly, I was learning. I could use the System. And that meant I could grow. With that in mind, I started experimenting. I found a flat rock and tested different ways to grip it, trying to swing it like a club. My arms felt weak, clumsy, but I kept going. If I had to fight, I needed something¡ªeven if it was just a rock. It wasn¡¯t long before another chime rang out. [Skill Available: Improvised Weaponry (Novice)] - Gain slight effectiveness when using found objects as weapons. I accepted it immediately. Then, something else happened. [Attribute Increased: Strength +1] I blinked. That was possible? I hadn¡¯t leveled up, but my Strength had increased. Just by swinging a rock around. Slowly, a realization settled in. I didn¡¯t have to wait for some grand moment to get stronger. I could grind. Just like in video games. By morning, I was desperate for food. I had water. I had fire. But if I didn¡¯t eat something soon, none of that would matter. The problem? I had zero idea what was safe to eat. The forest was full of berries, but I wasn¡¯t about to test my luck on random plants. I needed protein¡ªsomething more filling. Eventually, I found my target: a small, sluggish lizard sunning itself on a rock. Catching it was an absolute disaster. It took three failed attempts before I managed to bash it with my rock, and even then, I nearly lost it. Catching the lizard was one thing. Figuring out what to do with it was another. It was small, barely the size of my hand, and covered in shiny green scales. Its tiny claws twitched even after it stopped moving, which was horrifying. I swallowed down my hesitation. Food is food. Skinning it was¡­ a mess. I had no knife, no real experience. I mostly just hacked at it with a sharp rock, wincing the entire time. By the end, I had a barely recognizable lump of meat. Cooking it over the fire? Even worse. The smell was awful, like burning rubber and swamp mud. But my stomach didn¡¯t care. I took a cautious bite. Chewy. Overcooked. Tasted like a dirty sock. But it was food. A small chime rang in my head. [Skill Available: Basic Survival Cooking (Novice)] - Reduce chances of food poisoning. Slight improvement to taste and nutrition extraction. I laughed weakly. ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll take it.¡± By the time I finished my lizard dinner, I had a better grasp of how things worked. The System responded to effort. ? Making fire had earned me Firestarting. ? Using a rock as a weapon had given me Improvised Weaponry. ? Butchering and cooking (badly) had given me Basic Survival Cooking. ? Even hunting had improved something. [Attribute Increased: Dexterity +1] That was the second time I¡¯d seen an attribute go up. First Strength, now Dexterity. I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what that meant yet, but one thing was obvious: If I kept pushing myself, I¡¯d keep growing. And that? That gave me hope. Satisfied, I let the fire burn low and curled up in my makeshift shelter¡ªa little nook under the roots of a massive tree. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was safe. Or so I thought. Sometime past midnight, I woke to a sound. Snap. I went still. Something moved beyond the firelight. A rustling, a soft shuffle of clawed feet against leaves. Slowly, carefully, I reached for my rock. A low growl rumbled through the darkness. My heart pounded. I wasn¡¯t alone. Chapter 4 The growl sent ice down my spine. I wasn¡¯t alone. The fire had burned low, casting weak flickers of light across the forest floor. Beyond its reach, in the shifting darkness, something watched me. My fingers tightened around the rock in my hand. Stay calm. Don¡¯t panic. Panic got people killed. But what the hell am I supposed to do?! Another growl, deeper this time. A shape moved just outside the firelight¡ªa low, hunched form, circling. I caught a glimpse of glowing yellow eyes. And then, a System notification. [Identify Unavailable. Insufficient Skill Level.] Oh, come on! I didn¡¯t need a skill to guess what it was. Some kind of predator. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A wolf? No, it moved wrong¡ªlower to the ground, shoulders shifting like a big cat. But there was something off about it. The way it watched me, its eyes too bright, its body too still¡ªlike it was thinking. Fight or Flight? Running wasn¡¯t an option. I didn¡¯t know the terrain, and if I turned my back, it would pounce. That left fighting. Against a wild animal. With a rock. Brilliant. But I wasn¡¯t just a helpless girl anymore. The System had given me skills. I had fire. And if I had to go down, I wasn¡¯t going down quietly. The creature lunged. I rolled sideways, barely dodging as claws raked the dirt where I¡¯d been. Too fast! It was smaller than a wolf, but lean, quick¡ªlike some nightmarish mix of a hyena and a panther. I scrambled back, swinging wildly with my rock. It missed. The thing growled, circling again. Testing me. My heart slammed against my ribs. I needed to change the fight. That¡¯s when I saw it¡ª The fire. Fire had worked against predators back home. And this thing, whatever it was, had stayed out of the light. It feared it. I lunged for a burning branch, gripping it with both hands. The heat seared my palm, but I didn¡¯t let go. The creature snarled. I swung the flaming stick toward it¡ª And it flinched. Yes! I pressed forward, waving the fire wildly. The creature hissed, backing away. But it wasn¡¯t giving up. It paced just outside the reach of the flames, waiting for an opening. I needed to end this. I had one shot. I faked a stumble, letting the fire dip¡ªjust enough to make it think I was weakening. It lunged. I threw the burning branch. It hit the creature¡¯s face. With a screech, it reeled back, smoke rising from singed fur. Its glowing eyes widened¡ªand that¡¯s when I struck. I swung the rock with everything I had. A sickening crack. The creature collapsed, twitching once¡ªthen went still. Silence. I stood there, panting, shaking, staring down at the motionless body. And then¡ª [Skill Gained: Unarmed Combat (Novice)] [Skill Gained: Predator Instincts (Novice)] [Attribute Increased: Strength +1] [Attribute Increased: Dexterity +1] A final chime¡ª [You Have Leveled Up!] The First Level-Up I leveled up. I almost laughed. I was alive. I had won. And the System had recognized it. I collapsed onto the dirt, still gripping my rock, staring up at the sky. Tomorrow, I¡¯d figure out what to do next. But tonight? Tonight, I had survived.