This wasn't what I was expecting. The tall grass, the lush leaves under the summer sun. It all felt too artificial, too unreal. Not like what I read while I was hidden away in that tower.

The thief took one glance at me, then back at the dense forest we found ourselves in. It felt endless, and I was trapped there with a total stranger for eternity. I didn't even know which way to begin to go. It was all too shocking even to touch the grass that now tickled the bottom of my feet. I tried to calm myself, sniffing all the types of smells the forest had to offer. It was completely different, sending my nerves into overdrive, only making the...