A butterfly took him away.
Another led him home.
***
Sky had been too caught up photographing the beauty of Mount Arcanum to realize he'd lost track of his friends during the hike.
No signal. No way to contact anyone. No sense of direction. Even maps were useless. His only choice was to keep walking, hoping his legs and logic would be enough to lead him back.
But somehow, he always ended up in the same place. An endless loop. As if the mountain itself refused to let him go.
Not wanting to wander further, he took shelter in a cave, hoping another hiker would pass by. But Mount Arcanum was too quiet. Too gentle. Soothing him… until he began to fall asleep.
Just before he drifted off, he saw something—a butterfly. It flew closer. And closer. Until its shimmering wings filled his vision.
Darkness.
***
"Come on, Sky… this has to be a dream."
He awoke in a foreign land—where old wounds between elves and humans had never fully healed, and peace lived only in the shadows of hope.