The forest stretched endlessly in all directions, shimmering with hues that didn't quite belong to any season Kai had ever known. Soft blues and luminous golds clung to the leaves, with bark that shimmered like polished stone. The trunks of the trees rose like cathedral pillars, vast and ancient, with silver-streaked vines twisting in gentle spirals around them. The light that filtered through the canopy overhead was soft and almost unreal, like something out of a video game-like the elven forests he remembered from his old world. Beautiful. Serene. Unreal.
Vepice said nothing, but he caught her wide-eyed glances as she took in their surroundings. Her hand brushed the feathered ferns beside her, as if to make sure it was real.
A distant rustle made them all pause.
