GASP!
Leon's eyelids flew open as he sat up from the ground. He began to pant heavily, his face clearly distressed, and his body covered in sweat, as if he had just had a bad dream.
Around him was a vast and vibrant grassland that seemed endless. Above him existed a sky that was so sapphire-blue that it nearly hurt his eyes, with a few splotches of white clouds here and there making it a beautiful view.
Birds flew above him, twittering and chirping away as they did. A few wild sheep grazed in the fields only 20 meters away from him.
The air was warm, the grass was luscious, and the feeling Leon felt at this moment was indescribable. Pure bliss, warmth, and comfort. It was very euphoric.
"A dream?" he thought to himself in slight awe and confusion. "Was it all a dream?" he asked himself once again. He slowly stood up and witnessed the glorious sun above his head, as the warm winds calmly caressed each hair on his body.
For some reason, this awe-inspiring feeling of nature caused a bunch of emotions to swell up inside of him, and his eyes moistened a little.
"Who am I?" he finally said out loud before beginning to walk slowly in a certain direction. He walked for hours with no feeling of discomfort or exhaustion, and soon those hours turned into days, and those days turned into weeks, months, and even years.
Ten long years had passed. By now, Leon had gained a thick brown beard that reached his torso. Although he was only in his twenties, he looked past the age of 40.
He continued to walk at the same pace through this infinite paradise, but suddenly his faded, blurry eyes gained a spark of light. That was when he stopped walking for the first time.
All this time, he had been thinking to himself about that single question. "Who am I?" And now, he had his answer. He was someone who did not want to lose in the game of life.
You see, ever since a young age, when Leon was left to fend for himself on the streets due to being an abandoned orphan, Leon treated every aspect of his life as no different than a game. If he was starving, he would steal from rich store owners and eat his fill.
If he was injured or ill, he would endlessly look for herbs and medicines of all kinds to cure himself. It was the way he survived for so long, not having experienced the most basic of things which every other person experienced, such as a home, school, parents, or even friends.
All he knew was that he wanted to win. It gave him a primal, human sense of pride. A sense of worth, not for himself, but for life itself.
At this moment, Leon realized himself once again. Who was he? Someone who wanted to win life no matter what. After all, every human that ever existed was only their purpose in human form. That was Leon's purpose.
Once he realized this, those eyes which still were moist finally dropped a tear, which then quickly transformed into a stream that flowed down his face. But these were not tears of sadness, regret, or anger.
Instead, they were tears of happiness. With a smile on his face, Leon walked to the first tree that he had ever seen up until now and sat down under its shade.
For some reason, the sun that had welcomed him for years had become too hot. The grassland that was so beautiful had bored him, and the sheep and birds had all collapsed.
"I still have a chance to win," Leon thought to himself as he looked at the horizon in front of him.