"Ugh…my head…"
Aren clutched his head with a hand as he sat upright on the bed. It felt as if someone put him in a human washing machine and left it spinning for hours on end.
He slowly looked around at the surroundings, testing his vision but mostly confused about where he was in the first place.
Rough-cut wood beams ran across the top of his room. The air smelled faintly of pine, but not overwhelmingly—just a clean and light feeling that calmed him a bit more.
Where am I…?
Outside the window, the space opened up into a wide stretch of land. Wooden buildings stood scattered across the clearing, connected by worn stone paths that had clearly seen years of use.
Beyond them, endless trees stretched up the hills like a wall of green. Aren finally recognized where he was.
The Highlands…which means—
"I was starting to think you'd sleep for another day," a voice resounded from the door as it was pushed open.
