Reincarnated into my favorite videogame

"Nari, how did you—" Sarah's voice trailed off, her words filled with shock as she approached Nari cautiously, disbelief plastered on her face. The others stood around, still recovering from the obliteration of the ogre, its remains now nothing more than a charred stain on the ground. Nari, on the other hand, felt her stomach twist with a mixture of guilt and confusion. Her hands trembled slightly, but her feet acted on their own.

Before anyone could press her with questions, Nari bolted. She ran through the trees, her heartbeat pounding in her ears, drowning out the world around her. Sarah called after her, "Nari! Please wait!" Her voice was desperate, but Nari didn't stop.

Behind her, Sarah made an effort to chase her down, but she didn't get far. As she lunged forward, Leo stepped smoothly in her way. With one swift motion, he made her trip over her own feet, sending her sprawling to the ground. She shot him an angry glare as he bent down slightly, staring off in the direction Nari had fled.

"I guess she's more powerful than I thought," Leo muttered to himself, watching her form disappear into the depths of the forest.

Sarah pushed herself off the ground, frustrated. "What is wrong with you?" she snapped at him, but Leo didn't seem to care.

Meanwhile, Nari ran like her life depended on it. Her thoughts were a storm of confusion and regret. She had acted purely on instinct, and now she regretted it. What had she done? She had incinerated the ogre in seconds—something that even seasoned warriors would've struggled to do.

By the time she reached the edge of the forest, she had slowed to a jog. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she bent over, her hands on her knees, trying to regain some composure. The cold air stung her lungs.

"What was I thinking?" she muttered to herself, angry at the reckless display of power. "I could've used a simple paralysis spell. Hell, even a basic binding spell would have worked." She scolded herself, feeling the weight of her overreaction.

Suddenly, Nari felt a gentle nudge at her side. Iris, her tiny fox companion, poked her head out of Nari's bag, her bright blue eyes blinking with concern. Nari smiled weakly, reaching into the bag to scoop Iris into her hands. The little fox licked her cheek affectionately, her small tail wagging as she tried to comfort her.

"Yeah, I know, Iris," Nari said, stroking Iris's smooth fur. "Let's get out of here before I mess up anything else."

With a deep breath, Nari whispered the incantation for a teleportation spell, and in a blink, they were outside the familiar entrance of the adventurer's guild. Nari stood there for a moment, staring at the heavy wooden door, as if hoping that stepping inside would erase everything that had just happened.

As she pushed the door open and walked in, the familiar smell of parchment and wood hit her, grounding her slightly. The guild attendant, a young woman with bright green eyes and her hair now in a bun, looked up from her desk with a welcoming smile.

"Back so soon?" the attendant asked, surprised. "How was the mission?"

Nari forced a small, tight-lipped smile. "I'd like to change my group, please."

The attendant blinked in surprise, her cheerful demeanor fading slightly. "Why would you want to change groups? You just got assigned. Did something happen?"

Nari hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor. How could she explain it without sounding ridiculous? How could she admit that she had lost control and nearly gotten everyone killed? She shook her head slightly, refusing to meet the attendant's eyes. "I made a mistake," she said softly.

The attendant studied her carefully but chose not to pry. "Alright," she said, her voice gentle. "If you're sure, you can come back tomorrow, and I'll assign you to a new group."

Nari nodded, her throat tight. "Thank you," she whispered, turning quickly and exiting the guild before the attendant could ask any more questions. As she stepped back into the street, the weight on her chest seemed to grow heavier with each step. She kept her head low as she walked, the afternoon sun casting long shadows on the cobblestone roads.

"I just need to clear my head," she told herself. "A trip to the library will help. Maybe I can find a new spell... something less destructive."

The library had always been Nari's sanctuary. It was quiet, a place where she could lose herself in the pages of ancient tomes and forget the outside world for a while. As she entered the grand building, the scent of old books and parchment hit her immediately, calming her nerves. She made her way to the magic section, her fingers trailing along the spines of the books until she found a section on elemental spells.

But just as she was about to pull a book from the shelf, she froze. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed a familiar figure sitting in one of the far corners. Leo.

"What the hay bell?" Nari thought in confusion, her eyes narrowing as she watched him. "What is he doing here? I thought he was just a swordsman."

She quickly turned back to the bookshelf, trying to act as if she hadn't seen him. Her mind raced. What was Leo doing in the magic section? She cast another quick glance in his direction, but to her surprise, he wasn't there anymore.

"Where did he—"

Before she could finish her thought, she felt a cold breath against her ear. "Looking for someone?" Leo's voice whispered, sending a shiver down her spine.

Nari jumped, spinning around to find Leo standing uncomfortably close to her, a sly grin on his face. Her heart raced as she instinctively took a step back, trying to create some distance.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice sharper than she intended. She hated how he always seemed to sneak up on her, always seemed to know things he shouldn't.

Leo raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "The same thing you are," he said, his voice calm as ever. "Looking for answers."

Nari swallowed, unsure of how to respond. She felt her pulse quicken, the memory of their last encounter fresh in her mind. He was far too mysterious for her liking, and there was something about the way he watched her, as if he knew more than he let on.

But before she could ask him what he meant, Leo stepped closer again, his gaze locking onto hers. "What were you running from today, Nari?" he asked, his voice soft but piercing.

Nari's breath caught in her throat. How did he know? How could he possibly understand what was going on in her head? Her thoughts were a whirlwind, and all she wanted was to escape this conversation, to hide from the truth that was staring her in the face