Chapter 1: One Step from a Dream
Rain tapped lightly against the cracked windowpane of a cramped apartment, tucked between rusting balconies and flickering neon signs. A cup of instant noodles sat untouched, gone cold beside a glowing laptop screen.
Her fingers trembled as she hovered over the email.
"All my life, I chased a dream no one believed in — until today...."
Subject: Acceptance Letter – Moonlight Press
The words blurred before her eyes.
"No way," she whispered, her voice cracking. "This… can't be real."
She clicked it open.
> Dear Miss Selena Vell,
We are thrilled to inform you that your manuscript, "The Song of Starlight," has been accepted for publication...
The rest of the message was lost behind her tears.
After five years. After forty-nine rejections. After nights spent writing in cafés, eating one meal a day, walking home through freezing streets, skipping sleep, skipping birthdays, skipping life—just to chase a dream everyone told her to abandon—
It was real.
"I did it," she whispered, pressing her hand to her mouth. "I really… did it."
Selena jumped from her chair, barefoot, dancing across the creaking floorboards. Her laughter rang out, unfiltered and wild. She spun in a circle, dizzy with relief.
"You hear that, world? I made it!" she shouted, her voice cracking with joy.
Her phone buzzed.
> Contract signing at 5:30 PM. Office address attached.
She gasped.
It was already 4:50 PM.
---
Thirty-five minutes later, drenched from the rain, she sprinted through the city streets, hair clinging to her face, sneakers soaked and slapping against wet concrete. The folder holding her precious manuscript was hugged tightly to her chest, already damp despite her efforts.
"I'm almost there," she panted, weaving between cars and puddles. Her heart pounded—not from exhaustion, but from joy. "Just a little more—just—"
A horn blared.
Tires screamed.
CRASH.
Pain exploded through her chest, but it felt distant, almost muffled.
Then—cold. Piercing cold.
She was airborne for a breathless second, and then she hit water. Her body plunged into the city lake, the impact knocking every thought from her skull.
Her manuscript folder drifted past her, pages fluttering open like wings… then dissolving, vanishing into ink-soaked fragments.
Her limbs refused to move. Her lungs screamed for air. Panic gripped her, but her body was already giving in.
No…
Not now…
Not when I finally… finally…
Bubbles escaped her lips.
Darkness bled in from the edges of her vision. Her heartbeat slowed. The world grew silent.
She let go.
---
Warmth.
Birdsong.
A breeze stirred her hair.
Selena gasped and sat bolt upright.
Her heart thundered in her chest.
She clutched her chest and looked around, blinking in confusion.
The apartment was gone.
So was the lake.
She was lying on soft grass beneath a sky she had never seen—violet clouds floated across a golden sun, and twin moons hung in the distance like pale, watchful eyes.
Around her, the trees shimmered silver, their leaves glowing faintly, humming with an unnatural energy. The air smelled like wildflowers and magic.
"What the hell…?" she breathed. "Where am I?"
Her mind reeled. The memory of the impact—the screech, the pain, the water—came rushing back. She had been hit by a truck. She had drowned.
But this… this wasn't the afterlife. Was it?
She looked down at her hands. They were unbruised. She felt… whole. Real. Too real.
"What is this place?" she whispered. "How did I get here?"
A sudden chime rang out—musical and strange.
Before her eyes, a floating blue screen materialized in the air.
---
> [Welcome, Creator.]
Initializing: Author's System…
You have been granted access to the world of The Song of Starlight.
Survival Probability: 3%.
System Goal:
Write your fate. Survive your story. Reclaim the ending.
[New Quest: Survive the First Chapter]
Time Limit: 24 Hours
Reward: Status Panel Unlocked
...
> "Welcome, Author. This world is yours to rewrite."
---
Selena's mouth fell open.
"What—what the—?"
She scrambled backward, away from the glowing screen, eyes wide. "System? Quest? Is this a joke?!"
She slapped herself across the face.
Hard.
"OW!"
Nope. Not a dream.
Her breath quickened. She hugged herself, body trembling. "Okay, okay, I drowned… and now I'm here? This doesn't make any sense."
She stood slowly, barefoot on the mossy ground. The forest stretched in all directions—silver trees, glowing ferns, and not a single sign of civilization.
"I need to find someone… something," she muttered. "Someone who can tell me what's going on."
She turned in a slow circle, looking for a path. Nothing.
She took a few tentative steps in one direction… then stopped.
"Where the hell do I even go?"
Every direction looked the same—just endless forest.
Panic crept into her chest again, but she clenched her fists.
Think, Selena. Freaking out won't help you.
She shut her eyes, took a deep breath… and listened.
She heard the gentle lapping of water. The lake.
Her eyes opened.
"…Of course. Follow the water. People settle near water, right? Maybe I can find a village or something…"
It wasn't much, but it was a plan.
She set off in the direction of the sound, stepping carefully over twisted roots and glowing mushrooms.
The trees whispered around her, their leaves rustling in an unseen wind. Every shadow seemed alive. She hugged her arms, trying not to think about how none of this made sense.
Why this world? Why now?
She glanced back at the system screen still hovering behind her, then forward toward the water's edge.
As she stepped out from the trees and approached the lakebank, her reflection wavered on the surface—same face, same body. But something about her eyes felt… different. Sharper. Like she was no longer a spectator in her own life.
She dipped her hand in the water. It was cool, fresh. Real.
But something in her gut told her this world was dangerous.
She didn't have to wait long to be proven right.
A low, wet snarl echoed from the trees behind her.
She froze.
Drip… drip…
A sound like thick liquid falling from jaws.
Slowly, she turned.
From the underbrush, a creature emerged. Misshapen. Oozing. Crimson eyes glowing like coals. Its translucent, gelatinous body squirmed with unnatural motion, its mouth filled with tiny needle-like teeth.
Selena's heart stopped.
She knew that thing.
She had written that thing.
"A… slime," she whispered.
Her blood turned to ice.
"That's… from Chapter One."
The slime let out a garbled hiss.
Then—it lunged.
Selena screamed and ran.
Branches whipped past her face as she dashed back into the trees, heart pounding so hard it hurt. Her breath came in sharp, ragged gasps. She had no weapon, no map, no idea where she was going.
The forest blurred around her, but the thought that screamed loudest in her mind wasn't fear—
It was recognition.
This wasn't just a fantasy world.
This wasn't some random isekai.
It was her fantasy.
It was her story.
> "This isn't just my fantasy anymore…
I'm trapped in it."
----
To be Continued..