Up on the ladder, was a man in beige peasant clothing. Just as the winds, rain and thunder did not affect the ladder, they did not affect him. It was as if a vision from a faraway world was playing itself out before us, refusing to acknowledge the new reality around it.

From up on high in the clouds, a small figure fell. Lighting gathered around it and shot at the man on the ladder. It passed without leaving a mark and crashed into the field a distance behind us. The man just kept climbing, one step at a time, oblivious to the rage of nature around him.

The figure crashed before us - on the other side of the ladder - and looked up with four faces. His skin was a grey stone, lamellar armour made out of black quartz covered his body. His beards were a gnarled nest growing oak leaves and his eyes lightning.

The man raised an axe and shot lightning towards the small figure up on the ladder. Again, it passed harmlessly and the man roared in frustration. He jumped and continued to throw his power at the oblivious adversary. From the storm, came a call of a thousand horses, ready to join their master in battle.

Tom shook himself out of his stupor and jumped into a sprint. I waved at the figures in the sky and turned back to my book. The spiderling hadn't stopped performing her horrific tune and played it still.

A couple of chapters later, the cat veered off the road, towards a small birch grove. In its centre, the trees weaved with each other, forming a wooden cave. Tom stopped before it and slid his hand over some writing.

He shook his head and stepped away from the hole. A sudden gust of strong wind shook the boy and we fell in it still. We fell for a while and broke through a film of dark liquid.

I rolled off Tom and looked around. We stood at the edge of a forest. I looked back and the world just cut off, a couple of steps behind us. A wall of black liquid stretched up and turned into a humongous globe. I turned to the wood. Before us was a line - few trees deep - of birches, slowly mixing with and turning into an oak forest.

From the wood, came voices of various birds and deer, occasionally split by the howl of a wolf.

"We need to wait a couple of hours before the barrier will let us out," Tom informed me and the spider and pulled out a book from my bag. The spiderling sat down and focused her eyes on something in the distance.

I was tired from just sitting around so I went into the wood. I heard the cat yell out something, but when I turned, I found myself deep among the trees. The birches were gone and everywhere were just old oaks and thick underbush. With a shrug, I continued.

There was an unnatural darkness all over, or maybe natural? The almost idyllic brightness outside the trees was weirder, considering the dark barrier. I boosted up into the canopy.

I flew through the branches and they seemed to stretch higher, so I boosted again. At the height of the jump, I blasted more mana and flew more. The branches just didn't end. I thought to just drop back down but boosted one last time.

The branches did not grow sparser and suddenly I felt a pull, up. I was falling towards the ground, so I puffed a couple of times and landed.

I looked around, it was the same spot I stood in earlier. Since going up didn't work, I walked forward. The birdsongs seemed dimmed and subdued. As I looked closer at the trees, they all were identical. Even the pattern of the bushes was repeating.

I heard a pained call of a deer from the right and followed the noise. The pattern either shifted with me, or the bushes grew the same in any direction, as they looked just as they did at the spot I came in, into the wood.

After a couple dozens of steps, I stood before a mire. In the middle, was a doe, trying unsuccessfully to extract itself. I extended panes of mana on my feet and walked over the mud. The air smelled of old earth and decay. Once I got close to the doe, I kneeled and patted it on the neck. It was a beautiful creature, it's fur the colour of caramel and smooth.

The animal struggled more strongly, calling for help. It was answered, a pack of wolves coming from the shadows and surrounding the mire. The doe grew silent and began to tremble, while the predators circled us, growling and sniffing the air. None of them willing to enter into the mud.

I patted the deer on the head, to calm it down, but it snarled at me. I looked closer at its face, and there was malicious intelligence in its large black eyes. I lifted my head and searched through the wolves. They were waiting.

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The air stilled and all sound died down. I charged to leap above the canines. Three jumped and forced me back onto the mire. Then, they stood, waiting. I walked over to the deer again. It was watching me and made a small show of struggle once I got close. It raised it's head, presenting its neck.

The wolves growled in unison. The deer called out in despair. They had a role for me.

I shot four manaballs at a wolf directly ahead of me. It avoided one, got hit by another and the last two were taken by the wolves at its sides. The wolves ran in disarray around the mire and once more stood in a perfect circle.

Everything was silent, soft breathes of the animals, but not even a rustle in the leaves.

Fine.

I shot four balls at the doe's head. A gnarled spear, lodged itself in front of the animal, shielding it from attack. A horn resounded through the wood. Sound returned from a single direction.

Various animal voices cooed, barked and trilled, leading a procession. From within the trees, stepped out a massive stag, its horns barely fitting through. There was a slight, green shimmer on its fur and its eyes had the same look as the does.

On the stag, sat a huge figure of a bare-chested bearded man. His hair was green moss, his skin the colour of bark, muscles flexing and twitching in the soft light that surrounded the procession. Behind, walked smaller deer, wolves, hares and foxes. At the very end, stood a pair of large bears, shuffling their legs without hurry.

The spear flew out of the mud, into the giants left hand. He leapt off his mount and walked over the mire. With a swift, but caring move, he slid the doe out of the earth and the animal hugged its saviour.

A voice, as ancient as the mightiest Oak and full of the violent promise of a wood at night, resounded, "Who dares attack this innocent creature, for self-gain and malicious greed?"

"I see no innocent creatures, but I am Mads." It wouldn't hurt to keep the conversation going, maybe.

"INSOLENCE!!" Rumbled the might of thunder. "REPENT!! FOR YOUR ACT OF NEEDLESS VIOLENCE, YOU SHALL RECEIVE PUNISHMENT!!"

The animal voices picked up in a chorus of shrieks and the monstrous man jumped onto his stag. He and his posse turned around and slowly walked off, dissolving into darkness. All that remained was an unnatural silence.

I stood for a bit, searching around if anything would come. Nothing. Everything was still, the grass and leaves static. I felt as if the air crawled, with countless bug legs over me. I shook myself and walked onto the dry ground.

Small fires appeared in the distance. I turned in the direction opposite them and took a couple of steps into the trees. I looked over my shoulder and the fires were gone. From where I was going, came voices of Tom and the little spider, calling for me.

After a moment, they were joined by Horace and Madeline's parents. I changed my direction again and kept walking. All was silent once more.

A small blue flame appeared before me and began slowly drifting away. With a frustrated sigh, I turned back, into the one direction there hasn't been anything yet and where the mossy man left.

After I crossed the mire the second time, nothing new came, so I with spring in my step I continued. All of the trees and bushes were still the same, but if I kept going straight, I'd get somewhere.

The shadows deepened, limiting my sight to the nearest trees. I drew an arrow in the earth ahead of myself, between the tress and walked backwards over it, until it was at the edge of visibility. Then I drew another and continued. I kept going like that for three arrows when a noise distracted me.

The arrow was gone, so I looked around. It was on my right. I corrected my course and walked on. Another four trees further, a small orange flame flew before my face, distracting me once more. I looked for the arrow again and there it was, on my left.

I continued like that, getting distracted by some of the noises and flashes, for fifty trees. Finally, the darkness became oppressive enough, I could barely see the tip of my nose.

Drawing in the ground with my boot, I turned around until I formed a half-circle. I double-checked it was correct and walked through the dark, with measured steps. 

After a while, I stumbled upon a bush. I pushed it away and felt it was warm and had thick branches. One of them slithered around my right arm. I jumped back and shook the offender off. Even though it was dark, an outline of a tangled pile of snakes was visible before me.

I walked around it and none of the snakes followed. I shrugged, or maybe I didn't. How you doubted your body when you couldn't see it.

"I see a red door..." My voice came out strained. I coughed, massaged my neck and tried again, "... and I want to paint it black." My voice was a-okay. I sang on, still measuring my steps.

Halfway through the song, I heard the wings of a murder of crows. They descended upon me from all over, knocking me over. I pushed out with my mana and just as I got back up, their wings, claws and beaks were hitting me.

I surrounded myself with fire. The birds just began exploding, new ones coming in. Their outlines clear in the dark, I saw the fallen feathers reform into crows and get back to attacking me. Birds were supposed to do neither, explode from a bit of fire, or reform from shadows and feathers.

I felt slashes mounting on my face and exposed hands. The top of my dress and the cuffs were getting wet. I swirled the fire around myself, pushing the creatures away. They left as suddenly as they came and silence reigned once more.

"I look inside myself and see my heart is black..." I continued the song. I cared less about how I walked.

When I finished singing, outlines of Tom and the spiderling appeared from behind the trees. They walked side by side, the little girl smiling through tears and waving at me. Tom smiled, exposing his sharp teeth. There was hunger in his eyes.

I blasted weak manaballs at them. Tom avoided his by boosting himself up and the girl got hit square in the chest. She shrieked and run at me, raising clawed arms.

I shot four, flaming projectiles at her and she exploded into spores just before my face. The large cat dropped on me from above and I slid forward. Shooting another four fireballs from my back. I felt a wave of spores land on me.

This was going to be a long day.