Violet
Bei paused, pulling the worn map from her pack and spreading it out in front of her. Her brow furrowed as she eyed our route and compared it to our landscape.
"We are here," she said slowly.
I murmured. "I noticed…" Then I looked at her, noting the tension in her shoulders. "You're uncomfortable."
"A little," she admitted. She folded the map carefully, but didn't put it away. "You should be too. Unclaimed lands are unclaimed for a reason, and last I checked, most are toxic. It could be the air we breathe, the water, or forestry." She sniffed. "The air feels different here. It's hard to explain."
I understood what she meant, though I didn't feel the same discomfort. If anything, I felt lighter here. More alert. Like something in this place was waking up a part of me I hadn't known was sleeping.
"I think it's still relatively safe," I whispered, looking around.
Bei looked worried.
