Traveling through a white passage so bright that not even a sight could be opened by the brightness or anything be distinguishable in it. I-rangris flew through it till shortly after another gate opened and she got enveloped in it.

Somewhere in a gloomy forest, a green portal opened out of nowhere with the girl thrown out.

THUMB!

She dropped out landing hard, tumbling on the ground and her head feeling dizzy, “ouch!” sitting up with her headache, I-rangris moaned “what was all that? My head hurts to- huh?!”

Opening her eyes, looking around, she found herself being surrounded by thick titan trees with bushy hairs on their heads. She looked around, scanning her surrounding as she tried to placate herself. Perhaps she might discover some answers. The ground was carpeted in grasses with bushes leaning by the trees, the girl grew astounded by the atmosphere and her surroundings. “but, where am I? What is this place? Is This is some… kind of forest?” fear consumed her and commenced increasing in her trembling and disconcerting her.

She bore herself exhaling, inhaling several times, and said “don’t panic…. It’s going to be alright. It’s just a forest. Perhaps, there must be someone nearby camped or a group resting. Normally, there could be some chances.” She tried staying positive.

But, her mind refused to think that way, she thought “I am in a forest! What if a beast…. Or a lion come to devour me?!” her mind started thinking of all the creepy and treacherous scenarios that could happen. Her heart started beating madly, she was scared.

She was frightened struggling hard to hold herself or keep her mind away from such thoughts for a while. she sought to remember what had brought her here.

“Ahh! I remember! The box!” at first she was worried thinking she lost it. Remembering something, she looked at her hand and she grew puzzled to find nothing. “the crest?” The brooch that was treasured in the chest back in her room, “where’s the box? Where did I drop it? Why?..... how?” enormous pressure of anxiety conquered her, several questions filled her head.

She pushed them aside slowly, calming herself, catching her guts and stood on her guard.

Standing back on her feet, dithering for a moment, her feet seemingly planted on the ground as she looked forward at the dense forest.

There was this feeling of scrutinizing rooting deep inside her as she peered at the farthest part of the forest. As far as her eyes can see, her heart skipped a beat as her hands throbbed slightly.

Attached to that feeling of probing was the feeling of procrastination, fear, worries all grappling on her feet, pulling her away from the path as her mind urged her to go forward.

She raised her leg and took the first step into the forest, freezing when she looked down at the ground where her foot had crossed the line which detached the forest and the area she landed.

Nothing happened.

There wasn’t any beast or a lion or eat her, or a cliff, or a snake sliding down the trees to her. Nothing, Nothing happened.

A wave of relief washed over her as she took the second step into the forest. Nothing happened again. And in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Nothing happened. A smile appeared on her face, as she could relax now.

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“It’s okay,” she thought to herself as with every step she eased, “just like this. One step after another, nothing has happened for now. Nothing will happen later on if I keep going step by step” she nodded her head as she assured herself and progressed forward.

She was frightened and could barely think. There were paths leading at all sides. She got trapped in at the center of various roads, in a new place with no clues.

The forest was at the daylight but, still the dark atmosphere appeared on some sides. Rays of the sun pass by the bushy hairs of the trees till the ground. The loud chirps of birds with the wind breezing slightly, displayed some life in the surroundings.

I-rangris stared at the surrounding paths, picking up her decision, she turned back and took the one at the right saying inwards “staying in an open place won’t help in anything. I have to move forward. Maybe then I will find out where I am transported to.”

Pacing through bushes, passing by the trees, and crossing soggy soil, the lone girl halted. “wait..” she heard something like water rushing, she asked talking to herself “could there be a river nearby? I am certain it’s the sound of water.”

She scurried her steps further, following up the sound, nudging away some bushes I-rangris got surprised to find near her foot fresh river gushing.

Clear, colorless water running down the hill. She passed by the opposite way of the river till finally, she reached walking by the bank of the river, which she felt was much safer, “ah! There’s someone….” She spotted a coat hanging on a branch of a tree with a sheath leaning down near it. I-rangris arrived near the tree, finding out the coat soaked and the sheath washed well, which proved it was just washed and kept for drying and that there is really someone nearby and that person is still there.

The figure of the two objects were abnormal.

The coat had been designed and decorated with linings, gold lace, and crystal, whereas the sheath had a red covering with silver carving.

“Is this place some sort of fantasy world?” asked the girl herself inwards “in my world these are only imaginary stuffs?” she wanted to feel and touch it, whether it was real.

The moment she was about to touch the sheath “I won’t do that if I were in your shoes” suddenly a male voice came alarming her. She withdraw away her steps surprised by the sudden noise, looking here and there, wondering where could that sound come from. Her heart skipped another beat as another wave of anxiety rushed over her.

At first, she thought it was her imagination but then she persuaded herself it wasn’t cause it was loud to be true and occurred after she was about to touch the sheath.

From the corner of her eyes, she noticed something moving. Her eyes drifted to the side and spotted on figure at a far distance. There was a tall male wearing a simple shirt, black pants, and boots sitting near the river water.

“AHM…. I am sorry for misbehaving,” apologized I-rangris.

The young man wiped his face, stood up, and approached his stuffs, pacing towards her. When he stared at her, at first she didn’t take note but, after she looked at him again, she grew stupefied as shock stamped I-rangris’s heart, sinking it to the ground. There was something odd about him.

“His eyes have a crest in them…. Identical to mine but, much modified. How is he even capable of looking at me with those?” startled I-rangris looking at the cold eyes of the stranger.

The man had black eyes with hoary hairs. In his eyes, there was a purple crest obvious to all. Anybody looking at it might feel as though, they would go blind having those but, this man was normal in his looks.

He picked up his stuffs while the girl only stood there like an idiot.

He noticed she was staring at him. “You want something?” he asked while buckling his sword belt, preparing to leave as he was finished with his work here.

By his complexion, he looked like a person who would rush to support someone and seemed caring, “I am lost….. I don’t know where to go” answered the girl respectfully.

Picking up his coat, he directed her to head north. Perhaps, the place you would visit might be your home “or precisely your last home…” he sounded serious.

After finishing his piece, he walked away, jumping in the opposite direction, and got ingested into the forest.

I-rangris stood there wondering what did he mean by this?

My last home? It sounds weird.

“This place is freaking me out. Better follow the given instruction rather than going insane here,” suggested the girl to herself and headed straight into the forest.