'Isn't this ironic?'
I stumbled along a narrow path lined with four large rocks.
"Show yourself. I know you're watching, damn Goddess!"
At the end of the path stood a white door glowing with faint yellow light.
'It just had to be today of all days...'
My heart ached with regret when I looked at the door.
"What's wrong? Are you too ashamed?"
I had no memory of how I arrived at the path in the woods, however, the cause of my memory lapse did not require much thought.
I blamed myself for not noticing the signs, wondering whether the outcome would have changed if I paid more attention. I fully acknowledged my part, however, the moment I saw that damn door, I knew that someone else may have had a hand in things.
How else could you explain a glowing door in the middle of the woods? It happened to appear before me on the worst night of my life.
The conditions aligned perfectly, exactly how I explained it to her back then.
I tripped over my foot and collapsed in front of the door, shattering the near empty bottle beside me.
"Why did you have to take everything?"
I couldn't get her face out of my mind, the expression of the love of my life when she told me that she no longer considered me hers.
I crawled onto my hands and knees, clawing dirt and fragments of glass into my fingernails.
I felt unjustly targeted. To lose the two most important things in my life on the same day felt like a practical joke, and hours later, I still waited for them to confess to it.
"I'm here just like you wanted, so just show yourself...prove that I'm not crazy"
Despite the lack of response from the Goddess, I knew that it was all her doing, at least in part.
Two years ago while watching an Isekai anime, my girlfriend presented me with one of her infamously outlandish scenarios.
"If a Goddess from another world appeared and asked you to leave Earth in order to become a powerful hero in her fantasy world, would you go with her?"
"If I were a teenager at the time, I would say yes before the Goddess completed her question. However, as an adult with an incredibly supportive and loving girlfriend, and amazing job, the Goddess would leave Earth disappointed" is what I said to her.
A reasonable and logical response I would say.
I reached for the shiny golden doorknob to pull myself off the ground.
I held the doorknob as the world spun around me. I placed my forehead against the door to maintain my balance.
Her expression flashed in my mind again, causing my chest to tighten.
'There's no way to go back to how things were is there?...'
A moment of clarity and acceptance struck me like a bolt of lightning.
I had nothing left on Earth to sway my decision.
Although the Goddess did not appear to ask the question, I believed the door to be the next best thing.
Through the perfect combination of alcohol, vulnerability and imagination, I couldn't see it any other way.
'Maybe this is for the best'
I don't take any pride in my thoughts and actions, nor do I excuse them as the delusions of a depressed drunk. I simply did what I felt was right at the time. I chose the path that I believed would give me new purpose, and hopefully, happiness.
I closed my eyes and thought about various Isekai anime in order to prepare myself, then made one final wish.
Instinctively, I turned the doorknob in a clockwise direction, however, it did not budge. When I tried it in the opposite direction, it turned smoothly with a click.
Inhaling the cold night air to give me the final push, I opened the door and crossed the threshold.
***
Harmonious chirping, the rustling of leaves and a variety of other ambient sounds entered my ears.
I opened my eyes slowly to allow for accommodation to the bright light.
After a period of adjustment, the sight of an unnaturally vibrant forest came into view.
'What the?... This can't be real'
I couldn't believe my eyes, rather, I didn't want to.
Despite the conviction I held before crossing the threshold, I began to question reality. Any sane person would. Granted, most sane people wouldn't blame an Isekai Goddess for ruining their lives, much less assume that a glowing door in the woods led to another world.
My brain struggled to comprehend the view before me. I identified it immediately, however, that did not mean that I should readily accept it.
Without question, I arrived in another world. However, the differences between this one and Earth were to great to comprehend. To put it simply, this one appeared to be two dimensional, hand drawn with a transcendental level of detail and quality, in the unmistakable anime art style.
Somehow, I entered an anime world.
When the realisation finally struck, I hurriedly checked my body.
'I still look the way I did on Earth... Wait, the door!'
I turned around to inspect the white door, however, it vanished as though it never existed.
'Of course, what did I expect?'
With my connection to the real world severed, I had no choice but to accept my new reality. My head ached, and I couldn't determine whether it was a hangover, or my brain struggling to process the absurdity of my situation.
I decided to lay on the grass to gather my thoughts, it was then that I noticed a strange phenomenon.
'What's going on?'
I brushed my hands over what looked like soft grass, but didn't feel a thing. I got up and touched all manner of plants, trees and rocks, but the result remained the same. It felt as though my hands were numb and the circulation of blood had been severed. When touching my body, I received the appropriate tactile feedback, which led me to a startling theory.
'It's due to the difference in dimensions right? But where does that leave me going forward?'
It felt as though the world itself rejected my existence. Panic set in when thoughts regarding food and water crossed my mind.
'What the hell am I suppose to do?'
"This prank has gone on long enough don't you think?"
I called out to the Goddess, hoping that she would finally reveal herself and put an end to this stupid game.
No response came back.
"Screw you! I'll just test it out myself "
I decided to explore the forest in order to find a drinkable source of water, and hopefully, a fruit or two.
The fear of dying from dehydration and starvation outweighed that of a monster attack, after all, that encounter would end quickly. As morbid as it may be, being killed and eaten by a monster sounded way better than a slow and agonising death due to lack of water.
***
After walking for what felt like hours, I finally heard the sound of rushing water roaring in the distance.
'Finally'
It was fortunate that I did not encounter any monsters or wild animals along the way, which was strange to say the least, but I attributed it to my unique situation and kept moving.
I followed a narrow path that led beyond the treeline, hoping that I could quench my thirst.
The path opened up to a cliff overlooking a wondrous view that could easily be mistaken for a painting or high-resolution fantasy wallpaper.
Adjacent to my position, a river flowed into a large lake surrounded by pink and purple trees. Strange flowers and plants of varying sizes decorated the ground near the water's edge, further emphasising the otherworldly aesthetic.
"Charlene would love this…"
I shook my head, banishing stray thoughts before they festered.
The Azure lake looked so inviting, practically daring me to leap over the edge. Naturally, I fully intended to take the plunge.
"Who is Charlene? A scorned lover perhaps?" an inexplicably enchanting voice asked.
My heartbeat quickened in response to the voice.
An unnatural excitement rushed over me, causing the hair on the back of my neck and arms to stand on end.
'It's her right? She has some nerve showing her face after all this time'
I clenched my fists to reign in my emotions. I still needed her help with my situation, however, that did not mean that I couldn't vent my frustration with her way of doing things.
"So you've finally decided to –"
I turned around swiftly, ready to fire off my complaints, however, my thoughts could not keep up with my body. I froze.
I stared at the violet-haired woman with pointy ears, my mouth agape.
It didn't come as a surprise that her physical appearance matched that of this dimension, however, I did not expect her character design...and proportions, to be so astonishing that it would take my breath away instantly.
She flicked her wavy hair that flowed all the way to her tailbone, then fixed her striking violet eyes on my slack-jawed expression.
I gulped reflexively as our eyes met, causing a bewitching grin to emerge on her face.
'She's gorgeous...'
I wanted to punch myself in the face for being so naive. How did I ever believe that I could face her and not be affected by her presence?
She was absolutely radiant.
If I harboured any lingering doubts about her identity, they'd be rather pointless now. I had no choice but to accept that the woman standing before me was an Elven Goddess.