I came awake all at once, the way I always did for early morning training. Eyes open, mind clear. Except this time, I wasn't in my bed.

  I was lying on grass, damp with morning dew, staring up at an unfamiliar sky streaked with colors that had no right to be there. Purples and greens wove between stars that were too bright, too close.

  I sat up, my body responding normally despite the shock coursing through my mind. Last thing I remembered was walking with Erik and Sofia along the lake road. A flash of light. A sound that wasn't quite sound. Then... this.

  "Erik? Sofia?" My voice sounded small against the vastness of the forest edge where I'd woken. No answer came back.

  I pushed myself to my feet, taking inventory. No injuries. My clothes were intact – jeans, boots, dark jacket. No phone in my pocket, though. No wallet. Nothing but the clothes I wore.

  The forest stretched behind me, ancient trees with trunks wider than I was tall. Before me lay rolling hills covered in tall grass, swaying gently in a breeze I could barely feel. No buildings. No roads. No sign of human presence at all.

  My training kicked in. Panic wasn't useful. Fear wasn't useful. Assess the situation, make a plan, execute.

  First priority: find Erik and Sofia. They had to be nearby, right? We'd been together when... whatever happened, happened.

  "ERIK! SOFIA!" I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth. The sound echoed and died away. Nothing.

  I turned in a slow circle, studying the horizon for any sign of movement. Nothing but grass and distant hills. The forest behind me was silent in a way forests shouldn't be – no birdsong, no rustling of small animals. Just the whisper of leaves in the breeze.

  A blue glow caught my eye – not from the sky, but from my own skin. Faint lines traced patterns across my forearms, pulsing softly before fading to near-invisibility. I pushed up my jacket sleeve, finding more of the same strange markings covering my bicep.

  What was happening to me?

  I studied the markings for another moment, but there was nothing to be done about them now. Focus on survival first, mysteries later. I had no idea where I was, what had happened, or where my friends were. But I knew I needed to find shelter, water, and possibly other people who might have answers.

  I'd taken only a few steps toward the grasslands when I heard movement from the forest edge. I spun, automatically raising my fists in a defensive position.

  "Who's there?" I called out, keeping my voice level and controlled.

  A figure emerged from the trees – human, female, hands raised in a gesture of peace. She was about my age, maybe a year or two older, with short-cropped dark hair, olive skin, and watchful eyes. She wore torn jeans and a faded t-shirt with some kind of gaming logo I didn't recognize.

  "Hey," she said, lowering her hands slightly. "You're the first person I've seen in two days. Not going to attack me, right?"

  Her accent was distinctly French, but strangely, I understood her perfectly, as if she were speaking Swedish.

  "I'm not looking for trouble," I replied, relaxing my stance slightly but staying alert. "Just answers."

  She nodded, stepping fully out of the forest. Now that I could see her clearly, I noticed how beautiful she was – high cheekbones, full lips, those eyes that seemed to catalog everything around her. Her tanned skin caught the morning light in a way that made something in my chest tighten slightly, though I pushed the feeling aside. Current circumstances made such thoughts irrelevant.

  "I'm Louise," she said. "And I'm guessing from that confused look that you're new to whatever this is." She gestured vaguely at the sky, at the world around us.

  "Marcus," I replied. "And yes, I just woke up here. Last night, I was in Sweden with my friends, and then..." I trailed off, unsure how to describe the inexplicable.

  "The System," she filled in. "That's what I've been calling it, at least. Like we've all been pulled into some kind of game." She watched my reaction closely. "Have you noticed the blue lines on your skin?"

  I nodded. "What are they?"

  "Part of the System's integration," she said, pushing up her sleeve to show similar markings on her own arm. "You're lucky you ran into me. I've figured out some of how this works, but it took a while."

  "What is happening?" I asked. "Do you know?"

  Louise shrugged, a quick, expressive movement. "Not really. I was in my apartment in Lyon, playing Elden Ring, and then boom – blue light, weird humming noise, woke up here. That was two days ago." She kicked at a stone. "Been surviving on berries and stream water since then. You're the first person I've found."

  "I was with two friends when it happened," I said. "Erik and Sofia. They must be somewhere nearby."

  "Maybe," Louise said, but her tone suggested doubt. "From what I can tell, people got scattered pretty randomly. But hey, maybe you're lucky."

  I studied her, noting how she stood with her back to the forest, how her eyes constantly scanned our surroundings. She'd clearly adapted quickly to this new reality.

  "You know more about this than I do," I said. "This 'System.' What else have you figured out?"

  Louise's face lit up briefly, her hands starting to gesture animatedly as if she were about to launch into an excited explanation, but then she seemed to catch herself, taking a deep breath and speaking more deliberately.

  "So I was a pretty hardcore gamer before... all this," she explained, gesturing to the strange sky above. "This is basically like being pulled into an MMORPG, but real. There's something called a status window you'll be able to access eventually. It shows your abilities, something called a unique talent, and other game-like stats."

  "Access how?" I asked.

  "You need to kill something first," she replied matter-of-factly, though her eyes flickered with what might have been remembered distaste. "It's like the System doesn't fully recognize you until you prove you can survive here."

  "Kill something?" I repeated, the words feeling foreign in my mouth. I'd never hurt anything in my life beyond the controlled environment of the boxing ring.

  "Yeah," she said, her expression darkening. "There are creatures here that definitely aren't from Earth. Some are harmless, some... aren't."

  As if her words had summoned them, a rustling came from the tall grass nearby. Louise immediately grabbed a crude spear leaning against a nearby tree, her movements suddenly fluid and practiced. I dropped into a fighting stance, fists raised.

  "Horned rabbits," Louise whispered, nodding toward the movement. "Aggressive little bastards. They travel in groups."

  Sure enough, three rabbit-like creatures bounded into view, each the size of a small dog. They looked almost like normal rabbits except for the short, sharp horns protruding from their foreheads and their eyes – red and unnervingly intelligent.

  A blue rectangle of light suddenly appeared in my vision – hovering in the air like some impossible hologram:

  [Horned Rabbit, Level 2]

  "What the—" I began, but was cut off as the first rabbit charged, moving with startling speed directly toward me.

  Instinct took over. I sidestepped and lashed out with a kick that connected solidly with the creature's side. It flew through the air, landing several meters away with a pained squeal. I felt an unfamiliar power flow through my legs, the impact far stronger than I would have expected from my kick.

  The second rabbit leaped at Louise, who met it mid-air with her spear. The crude weapon moved in her hands like an extension of her body, catching the rabbit cleanly through its midsection. She immediately flicked it off and readied for the third.

  "Behind you!" she called.

  I spun to find the first rabbit charging again, apparently undeterred by the blow I'd delivered. This time, I met it with a front kick, catching it directly in the face. There was a sickening crunch, and the creature went limp.

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  It began dissolving into motes of blue light almost immediately.

  Another blue notification appeared:

  [First Kill Achieved!] [+35 Experience Points] [Character Level Increased: 1 → 2] [You have unlocked your Character Sheet. Say or think "Status" to view]

  I stared at the floating text, uncomprehending. Experience points? Character level? This couldn't be happening.

  No time to process this. The third rabbit was circling us cautiously, joined by two more emerging from the grass. Louise stood back-to-back with me, her spear held ready.

  "They're smarter than they look," she warned. "Don't let them surround you."

  One rabbit feinted forward, drawing my attention, while another leaped from the side. I barely had time to react, throwing up an arm instinctively. Sharp teeth sank into my forearm. Pain flared, but I grabbed the creature with my other hand and hurled it to the ground, following up with a powerful stomp that ended its attack.

  More blue light, another notification I didn't have time to read.

  Louise dispatched the fourth rabbit with practiced efficiency, her spear finding its mark with surprising accuracy. For someone who claimed to have been a technology-obsessed gamer just days ago, she moved like someone who had spent years in the wilderness.

  The last rabbit, seeing its companions defeated, turned and bounded away into the tall grass.

  "Let it go," Louise said, seeing me tense to pursue. "There will be more where these came from."

  I nodded, examining the bite on my arm. It was painful but not deep. Already, the blue lines beneath my skin seemed to be glowing around the wound, and the bleeding was minimal.

  "You okay?" Louise asked, wiping her spear clean on the grass.

  "Fine," I replied. "You handled yourself well."

  She shrugged, but I caught a flicker of pride in her expression. "Like I said, my talent makes me good at this stuff, even though I hate it. Before this, my idea of camping was a hotel without Wi-Fi." She gestured to the wound on my arm. "The System will heal that faster than normal, especially if you rest. And you should check your status now. Just say or think 'Status.'"

  "Status," I said, tentatively.

  Immediately, a larger blue window appeared before me:

  [Character Sheet: Marcus Andersson] [Level: 2] [Experience: 75/200] [Health: 112/120] [Mana: 30/30] [Stamina: 83/90]

  [Attributes:] [Strength: 14] [Agility: 12] [Vitality: 12] [Intelligence: 9] [Wisdom: 9] [Charisma: 8]

  [Unique Talent: Fleet Fist]

  [Skill Acquired: Basic Unarmed Combat (Level 1): You have rudimentary knowledge of unarmed fighting techniques. +5% to accuracy and damage when fighting without weapons.]

  [Inventory:] [Empty]

  I read through the information twice, trying to make sense of it. Character sheet? Attributes? It was like something from one of those games Jonas, our classmate, was always talking about.

  I reached out to touch the floating window, surprised when my fingers passed through it like it was made of light.

  "Show talent details," I said, guessing at the command.

  [Fleet Fist: Your arms become exceptionally slow and weak, but your kicks gain tremendous power and speed. Arm attacks deal 50% damage, leg attacks deal 200% damage.]

  I frowned, reading the description again. My boxing training – useless? My arms had always been my strength, my weapon. Years of training, of disciplined practice, rendered worthless in an instant. And instead, my legs...

  "Let me guess," Louise said, watching my expression. "Your talent contradicts everything you were good at before?"

  "Boxer," I said simply. "Since I was four."

  Her eyes widened with understanding. "And now your talent makes your arms weak but your legs super powerful. That's... rough."

  I didn't respond immediately, processing this new reality. Everything I'd trained for, everything I'd built my identity around – rendered not just useless, but a liability. And yet, I'd felt the power in my kicks, the unnatural strength flowing through muscles I'd never particularly focused on.

  "The System seems to build on what we already know, but twists it," Louise continued, watching my face. "Mine's called Unplugged Potential. I get stronger the more I disconnect from technology and embrace nature. Me, the girl who lived online." She gave a bitter laugh. "It's like the universe has a sick sense of humor."

  She pointed to her spear. "Made that myself. Works 75% better than any modern weapon would in my hands, just because I made it from scratch and it's 'natural.' The less I talk about memes and games and the more I focus on, like, the feel of the earth or whatever, the more powerful I get."

  I nodded slowly, understanding. "Adapt or die."

  "Pretty much," she agreed. "Though I'm still pissed about it."

  "We should move," I said, looking around. "Those rabbits might have friends."

  Louise nodded toward the hills. "Away from the forest. I've been staying near it for the shelter and food, but I'd like to find some sign of civilization. Or at least other people." She paused, watching me. "You can come with me, or go your own way. Your choice."

  The invitation was casual, but I caught the hopeful undertone. Two days alone in this strange world had clearly taken its toll, however capable she seemed.

  "Together is smarter," I said simply. "At least until we figure out more about this place."

  Relief flickered across her face before she masked it with a nod. "Good. Let's move then."

  We set off across the grasslands, keeping a wary eye out for movement. Louise walked with surprising confidence, occasionally pointing out plants she claimed were edible or explaining aspects of the System she'd figured out. Despite her apparent distaste for nature, her knowledge was impressive – a side effect of her talent, she explained.

  "I can just... tell," she said when I asked how she knew which berries were safe. "It's like having a guidebook in my head. The further I get from technology and the more I embrace this primitive survival crap, the stronger it gets."

  Despite her complaints, I noticed how naturally she moved through the landscape, how her eyes caught details I missed, how each makeshift tool she crafted seemed perfectly suited to its purpose. Her talent might be the opposite of her personality, but it was keeping her alive.

  My thoughts drifted to my own talent. Fleet Fist. Years of boxing training rendered nearly useless, replaced by skills I'd never developed. Why? What was the purpose of these changes? What kind of system would reorganize reality itself just to place humans in a game-like world with twisted versions of their own abilities?

  As we walked, I found myself thinking about my family. Mom would be worried sick. My little brother, Liam, only ten years old – what was he experiencing right now? Was he safe? Were they together, at least? And what about Erik and Sofia? Erik had already lost so much with his grandmother's death. His parents were rarely home, always traveling for business. Sofia's family was close-knit, numerous – were they together, or scattered like we seemed to be?

  The sun – at least, I assumed the bright orb above was this world's sun, though it seemed slightly too orange – was beginning to lower toward the horizon. We'd been walking for hours, stopping occasionally to rest or to gather edible plants Louise identified.

  "We should find shelter for the night," I said, eyeing the darkening sky. "Those colors get strange after sunset."

  Louise nodded, scanning the landscape. "There's a rock formation up ahead. Might provide some cover."

  As we walked, I found myself studying her profile against the sunset. Despite everything, despite the danger and uncertainty, there was something captivating about her – the determined set of her jaw, the graceful way she moved, her quick intelligence. In another context, I might have been too shy to talk to her. Now, survival trumped social awkwardness.

  "Tell me about your friends," she said suddenly. "The ones you were with when the System appeared."

  "Erik and Sofia," I said, their names bringing a pang of worry. "Erik's been my best friend since we were kids. He's brilliant but quiet. Lost his grandmother last year – she raised him more than his parents did. He hasn't been the same since." I paused, considering how to describe Sofia. "Sofia is... energy. Talks constantly, notices everything, wears thick glasses because her eyesight is terrible. She's the one who keeps us connected to everyone else."

  "They sound nice," Louise said, her voice softening. "I hope you find them."

  "I will," I replied with more certainty than I felt. "What about you? Anyone you're looking for?"

  She shrugged, her expression closing slightly. "Not really. I lived alone. My parents are in Paris, but we're not close. Most of my friends were online – people I've never actually met in person." She gave a bitter laugh. "Ironic, right? I spent my life building digital connections, and now I'm stuck in a world where that means nothing."

  We reached the rock formation as the last light was fading from the sky. It wasn't much – a cluster of boulders forming a shallow cave-like space on one side – but it was better than being completely exposed.

  "Home sweet home," Louise said, arranging her meager possessions. She had a small collection of tools, all handmade – the spear, a crude knife, a water container fashioned from some kind of gourd. "I'll take first watch if you want to sleep."

  I shook my head. "I'm not tired yet. I'll watch first."

  She looked like she wanted to argue but then nodded, settling down with her back against one of the rocks. "Wake me in a few hours then."

  I positioned myself at the entrance to our makeshift shelter, my dark jacket providing some camouflage against the night. I watched the strange stars appear one by one, the aurora-like lights beginning their dance across the sky, casting multicolored shadows across the landscape.

  This was real. All of it. The System, the monsters, the talents, the scattered people trying to survive in a transformed world. And somewhere out there were Erik and Sofia, maybe fighting their own battles, maybe searching for me as I was searching for them.

  I thought of Mom, always working two jobs to support us since Dad left. Of Liam, who still needed someone to check his homework each night. The boxing gym where Coach Larsson had been teaching me since I could barely wrap my own hands. All of it gone in an instant, replaced by this impossible reality.

  "I'll find you," I whispered to the alien sky. "All of you. I promise."

  Behind me, Louise's breathing had already settled into the rhythm of sleep. I glanced back at her, this stranger who was now my only ally in an impossible situation. We'd survived one day. Tomorrow would bring new challenges.

  For now, that would have to be enough.