Kassian was wary, but his eyes sparkled with longing as he gazed beyond the clearing.
The sound of rippling water echoed softly from the radiant forest ahead, tugging at something deep inside him - something older than fear, older than caution. A yearning for warmth. For life.
He hesitated at the edge of the bare soil, one foot still rooted in the corrupted forest.
The clearing stretched before him like a scar. A place untouched by either world.
The sound urged him.
Finally, with a breath he didn't realize he was holding, he stepped forward.
The instant his battered shoe touched the soil, something shifted.
It was like walking into a dream where the air thickened with presence.
Not the familiar dread he had learned to live with - the heavy gaze of creatures hunting from the dark.
No.
This was something else.
Something aware.
Something… intelligent.
It watched him, not like prey, but like a riddle yet unsolved.
Kassian clenched his fists, standing still for a moment as the sensation washed over him. It wasn't malevolent. Just… focused.
He wanted to turn back.
But he didn't.
He wanted to know what lay ahead.
'What's wrong with wanting to cross over?' he thought bitterly.
So he kept walking.
The soil beneath his feet was moist, smooth, soft like clay. Each step made his shoes heavier, mud clinging with stubborn weight. He dragged his feet forward, struggling a little more with each motion.
Halfway across, he felt it - the gaze fading, pulling back into the distance like a retreating tide.
Whatever was watching had… withdrawn.
Reluctantly?
Respectfully?
He didn't know.
But it left him alone.
And now, he could focus solely on his task.
Getting to the other side.
As Kassian neared the other side of the clearing, he paused to take in the view - eyes wide, breath caught somewhere between awe and disbelief.
It was beautiful.
Unrealistically so.
The trees ahead shimmered beneath the golden light, their bark smooth, almost polished, their leaves swaying gently as if stirred by a wind he couldn't feel. Patches of grass spread in soft, inviting waves just beyond his reach - lush, unbroken, too green. Too perfect.
A smile crept onto his face. Not one of joy, but of sheer relief.
This side of the forest was alive. Vibrant. Free from the decay and horror that haunted the place behind him. Even the air seemed different - lighter, cleaner. He could breathe fully now, without the thick stench of corruption clogging his senses.
Still… something tugged at the edges of his mind.
He couldn't quite place it.
He vaguely recalled something. The bright forest... it seemingly had a distinct feature while looking at it from the other side.
But that wasn't important right now.
He took another step forward, his foot sinking slightly into the soft earth. This was real. Or at least, real enough.
And that was all he needed.
Kassian dragged his feet, each step heavier than the last as the mud clinging to his shoes thickened with every pull. The bare soil of the clearing was deceptively soft, rich with moisture that sucked at his weight.
But finally, he reached it.
The grass.
He nearly collapsed onto the patch of green, kneeling as he let out a breathless laugh. With quiet reverence, he ran his fingers through the blades - soft, real, and full of life. It was unlike anything he'd felt in days. No decay, no slime, no biting worms hidden beneath.
Just grass.
Still grinning, he stood and scanned the area, spotting a smooth, round stone protruding slightly from the earth. Kassian made his way toward it and sat down, wiping the mud from his shoes with quick, careless motions. He didn't really care about the mess.
There was too much to see.
Too much to feel.
This forest - this place - was alive in a way the corrupted land never was.
He left the rock behind and wandered, eyes wide, hands brushing against passing leaves and stalks. Unlike the corrupted forest, which had been dominated by towering, oppressive trees, this forest offered variety - broad-leafed shrubs, twisting vines, and plants that shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
Then, he stopped.
A short tree stood just ahead, no taller than him. Its branches were low and wide, covered in elongated green leaves and bulbous, oblong fruits nestled within them - just within reach.
Kassian tilted his head.
"Salty fruit?" The words slipped from his mouth, unfamiliar but instinctive - like the thought hadn't been his own.
He frowned slightly, glancing at the wooden dagger tied to his belt.
That wasn't the first time something like this happened.
And with everything he'd been through in the corrupted forest - survival, understanding strange symbols, sensing danger - he was beginning to suspect…
It wasn't just an ordinary wooden dagger.
Not at all.
After a moment of thought, Kassian decided that the fruit would be useful later. He plucked two from the tree and tucked them carefully into his pouch, mindful of their weight. Best not to carry too many. Speed still mattered - especially if this paradise harbored secrets of its own.
He resumed his journey, following the gentle roar that had lured him across the veil.
Every step made his smile stretch wider.
The trees danced with color. Mosses glowed faintly beneath his feet. Tiny flying insects zipped through shafts of light like wandering sparks. It was as if the very air shimmered with vitality - like the forest itself was alive and watching him, but not with malice. With welcome.
No one from his world had seen anything like this.
Not his generation. Not even the ones before.
This place - whatever it was - felt like a dream someone had once forgotten to wake from.
Eventually, the trees parted again, revealing a low river winding through the forest like a silver ribbon. Kassian stepped onto the riverbank and froze.
It was beautiful.
The water rushed swiftly but shallowly, its surface broken by smooth, rounded rocks that glistened beneath the sun. The sound that had pulled him here was richer now, clearer - like the earth breathing in rhythm.
At first, terror gripped him. His breath caught, chest tightening.
He had never seen a river before. Not outside of filtered screens or crumbling books. His world was walls, pavement, filtered air. And now, here was something ancient and untamed - something real.
But that fear quickly faded.
It melted into wonder.
Kassian crouched and touched the edge of the water, his fingers trembling as he felt the chill. It wasn't cold like the void. It was refreshing. Alive.
A grin broke across his face as he stepped away from the current and began exploring the bank. He scooped the wet sand into his palms and let it fall between his fingers. It clung in clumps, soft and cool. For a moment, he forgot everything - the forest behind him, the monsters that hunted, even the strange powers that whispered through his blood.
He just played.
Like a child who had never known freedom.
Like someone discovering the world for the first time.
Soon, Kassian encountered a smaller body of water - a gentle stream that fed into the rushing river he had found earlier.
It murmured softly, winding through the forest with a grace that felt untouched by corruption. He followed its path upstream, treading lightly so as not to disturb the water. It was quieter here. Calmer. The kind of quiet that didn't scream danger.
Drawn by the clarity of the stream, Kassian crouched beside it. The water sparkled as it passed over smooth stones, so clear he could see the fine grains of sand resting below. He dipped his hands in and brought a handful to his lips.
No warning.
Usually, something deep inside him stirred when he was about to make a mistake - an instinctive shiver, a wordless push from that same awareness that told him which mushrooms not to touch, which leaves not to chew. But this time, there was nothing.
He drank.
And it was unlike anything he'd ever tasted.
The water slid down his throat with a cool purity that made him pause. It didn't just quench his thirst - it soothed something deeper. Like it was cleaning him from the inside out, stripping away something he hadn't known was there.
He took another scoop. Drank again. Then closed his eyes.
The sensation was… healing.
Soft.
Whole.
But then - he caught a scent.
Faint. Metallic.
Blood.
Kassian froze, still crouched, his senses sharpening like a blade being drawn. Slowly, he stood, moving with practiced silence as he stepped away from the stream. The sound of the water faded behind him, overtaken by the crackle of underbrush beneath his boots.
Ahead - just past a tangled cluster of bushes - something lay in the grass.
He rose to his toes and peered over.
There, slumped on the forest floor, was a mangled corpse. Animal, but unrecognizable. Its flank had been torn open, ribs jutting from the mess, and the insides... devoured.
Flies hadn't even found it yet suggesting it was a fresh kill. Or perhaps there were no flies in this world.
Kassian's instincts screamed at him to run.
But something - deeper than fear - told him to stay.
To wait.
To see.