“Her Majesty visited?” Sheyden asked while they were riding in the carriage. Kassel, who had been staring blankly, replied in surprise after a delayed reaction. “Uh? Oh, yes.” Observing Kassel’s odd response, Sheyden inquired. “Didn’t sleep well last night, did you?” Sheyden then glanced back at Jay and Tanya. “The other two as well.” As…

Kassel sat on a chair arranged on the balcony, unable to sleep, looking up at the night sky. The stars were densely stitched into the black, deep sky, which seemed like one could fall into it and never emerge. The grand spectacle of the mountain ranges in the sky, acting like a fence due to…

Night came, and day followed, soon turning into evening. Whenever she felt hungry, Irene ate fruits from the trees, and when thirsty, she drank water from a stream. She had lost track of time and kept walking without much sleep. As darkness fell and visibility decreased, she stopped and looked back. Something was following her….

Dense trees that completely obscure the sky sometimes move even when there is no wind. It’s as if they are conversing with each other, exchanging information about intruders. Rocks disappear from where they were or move to another place. If one is captivated by the gradually changing terrain, they may get lost in the forest…

Billy couldn’t remember how long he had thrashed around while unconscious. He only recalled his body alternately burning like fire and then becoming so cold that his teeth chattered. Occasionally, when he looked up at the dark ceiling, a blurry haze seemed to come and go. “Billy, can you see my face?” It was Suvel’s…

Sheyden awoke to the sound of a bubbling and the delicious smell that accompanied it. A fire blazed nearby, and a warm blanket was draped over him. A small pot was perched above the flames. He looked around, but no one was in sight. Fearing the food in the pot might burn, he forced himself…

It was the second evening since the White Wolves had left Blue Gate. Kassel, Loyal, Dunmel, Azwin, Sheyden, and Gerald—these six members of the White Wolves had gone on without much trouble as usual, until they sought refuge from the pouring rain in a nearby barn. After a heated discussion about who should go find…

As dawn broke, Jaymer woke Kassel. It was not yet sunrise, but there was enough light to ride. “We can still make it to the Gold Gate before them if we hurry now.” Kassel, with half-open eyes, washed his face roughly and mounted his horse. They rode quite a distance before the sun came up….

“What is Master Irene like, Mr. Jaymer?” Jaymer slowed his pace slightly for the exhausted Kassel, but even then, Kassel struggled to keep up. “Hey, Kassel.” “Yes?” “What’s with the ‘Mr.’?” “Then, Lord Jaymer?” Jaymer growled, showing an irritated expression. “Just call me by my name. I don’t stand on ceremony, and neither should you….

Jay’s earliest memory from his childhood was of a spinning ceiling. He saw the ground, then the ceiling again, and finally fell, hitting the ground back first. His mother screamed in horror. At only four years old, Jay couldn’t comprehend what had just occurred. He cried more out of shock than pain. It was only…