Arty’s joy was almost infectious to the others. She skipped the last few steps to the water, leaning forward so close that her hair nearly brushed the mirrored surface.
Her eyes sparkled wide and unblinking, drinking in every glimr of sunlight bouncing off the ripples like she’d stumbled into a fairytale. Then she rembered that she is, in fact, in a fairytale.
"This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen!" she exclaid, her voice carrying the kind of breathless wonder only a teenager could muster.
She crouched to touch the cool water, gasping at its clarity. The reflection was so sharp she could see every strand of her hair and every drifting cloud above.
The lake itself was a living painting. The water was shimring blues that deepened toward the center, frad by the lush green of the forest.
The waterfall at the far end spilled in a graceful sheet. Its constant murmur harmonizing with birdsong. Dragonflies darted over lily pads. Their gossar wings catching the sun.
The air slled faintly sweet, like flowers and clean rain. Sothing like this was not existed in the city where she lived.
Esther stepped up beside her with hands on her hips, a faint pride in her voice.
"Moon Lake’s famous for that color. The water’s infused with natural Magic energy from deep underground, you know? That is what gives it that crystal glow. People say it can soothe the mind if you sit by it long enough."
Annette joined them, kneeling to let her fingers skim the surface of the water. "And at night, the moonlight makes the whole lake glow silver. The old stories say it’s blessed by a spirit who fell in love with the moon." She smiled softly, glancing at Arty. "We won’t see that today, but it’s worth coming back for."
Arty’s mouth ford a little "o" of awe.
"A glowing lake... and a moon spirit..." She hugged her knees, her gaze sweeping across the scene as if committing it to mory. "I’m definitely coming back. Hehe."
While she was still marveling, Jan’s voice called from behind. "Well, don’t just stand there. We’ve got a whole afternoon planned."
She turned to see the rest of the party unpacking gear from their bags. They were not taking out swords or rope this ti but blankets, wooden cups, a small kettle, and bundles wrapped in cloth.
Arty blinked. "Wait... are we having a picnic?"
"Of course," Jan said matter-of-factly as he spread a thick blanket on the grass. "This is our first easy mission in... well, forever. So I thought we would enjoy it instead of marching ourselves with haste like always."
"I thought we would just keep going," Arty admitted, still looking a bit stunned.
Esther laughed. "And miss a perfectly good excuse to relax? Not happening, girl."
Hund was already unwrapping a loaf of crusty bread while Annette arranged berries and cheese on a wooden board. The sll of fresh herbs and spiced at wafted up from another cloth bundle.
Arty grinned and hurried over, sitting cross-legged on the blanket.
She glanced from the shimring water to the small feast laid out before her, her heart brimming with a glowing happiness.
—
Krono and Eccar erged into the heart of the rainforest. Imdiately they were swallowed at once by its towering presence of huge trees around them.
The air was cold and damp, carrying the sharp scent of wet earth. Mist curled between the roots like ghostly fingers and above them, the canopy locked the sky away in a deep green.
Eccar tilted his head back and gazing at the enormous trees that rose like ancient pillars around them.
"This is a huge forest, Krono," he murmured, his voice hushed as if afraid to disturb the age-old stillness. He didn’t know what but he had a feeling for that.
Each tree’s trunk was broad enough to fit a small shack inside. Their dark bark ridged and weathered. He could only imagine how many centuries or perhaps millennia they had stood here.
Krono scanned the shadows between the trunks, his sharp gaze looked restless.
"We have to imdiately move," he said quietly.
His usual regal display as Ti Dragon was gone. The gold and black robe traded for a more practical outfit of a fitted black tunic, leather armor trimd in muted gold. Nothing shimred now. No gleaming fabric to catch the light.
They set off between the roots of the trees. Their footsteps were muffled by thick moss.
"You know where we’re going?" Eccar asked after a while, his eyes flicking over the endless saness of trunks and ferns.
"To a certain extent," Krono replied, his tone calm but focused.
Eccar gave a faint smirk. "Good enough. At least we’re not walking blind into this huge forest."
The forest was a maze of green and shadow. No matter which way he looked, the view was the sa. Towering trees, tangled undergrowth, and vines as thick as his wrist.
Eccar finally said what had been on his mind, "We could fly, you know. To see our bearings from above."
"That would raise attention. We don’t want that for now." Krono’s answer was instant.
"Right," Eccar admitted, scanning the treetops again. "Then tell , what are the natives here like?"
Krono didn’t slow his pace. He spoke, "The dominant power here is the Elves. Their territory stretches farther than any other races and their influence of power is extensive."
He shifted his gaze briefly toward Eccar. "The second are the Aarakocra. They were a race of birdfolk who built their cities high in the canopy, connected by bridges and rope paths."
"How about the humans?" Eccar prompted.
"They were few in number here. Scattered into small kingdoms," Krono said. "But their Magic is strong. Strong enough to rival even the Elves in certain arts. That’s why the Elves just let them be."
Eccar nodded thoughtfully. "Every world has its own balance. Sounds like this one’s been built on Elven rule."
Krono’s lips curved faintly. Not quite a smile, more like acknowledgnt. "Yes. And that ans we tread carefully here. They tend to be unpredictable with outsiders."
They pressed deeper into the green, the mist swallowing their outlines until they beca little more than moving shadows in the ancient forest.
—
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