Warm sunlight filtered through Hajin's eyelids and pulled him from the darkness.
He opened his eyes to an endless blue sky without recognizing a single cloud.
Sweet fragrance hung in the air, layered with fresh grass, sun-warmed earth, and dozens of flowers he could not name.
Hajin pushed himself upright and searched the unfamiliar ground around him.
Instead of ruined roots beneath his hands, soft clover covered the ground between red, yellow, and violet blossoms.
A breeze crossed the rolling hills and carried waves through the petals.
'This isn't the forest.'
As Hajin stood and brushed flowers from his coat, he found no capital walls, shattered trees, abandoned corpse, or lingering pressure from Maren's demonic core anywhere across the green horizon beneath that impossible blue sky.
The surrounding tranquility felt too complete for Hajin to trust without question.
"Where the hell am I?" Hajin muttered, stepping into the tall grass.
