Part I – The Beginning of the Journey
The wind blew gently, carrying with it the sweet, almost hypnotic scent of wildflowers. The vegetation along the path seemed to change with every step: trees with twisted shapes, bushes of unnatural colors, roots that appeared to move imperceptibly within the soil.
Yuri walked forward with uncertain steps, her light cloak fluttering behind her. Beside her, Kayla strode with her usual confidence, the brim of her hat—adorned with tiny magical flames—bending slightly under the breeze. A little further behind, Lucen watched in silence, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood, as if studying every movement of the girl without ever intervening.
Ahead of them, Yuu was cheerfully hopping along—the small kitsune fox leading the way. He moved confidently through the strangeness of the path, occasionally twitching his ears as though sensing invisible dangers. His playful behavior still managed to instill a strange sense of trust in Yuri.
"Strange place, isn't it?" Kayla remarked with a mischievous smile, casting a sidelong glance at Yuri. "And we're not even inside the real Forest yet."
Yuri merely nodded, unconsciously gripping the edge of her cloak. She had sensed something: a subtle unease, as if a thousand unseen eyes were watching them.
Meanwhile, Yuu stopped atop a protruding stone and wagged his tail, pointing toward a fork in the road.
"Let's follow him," Lucen said, his voice low but firm. It was the first time he had spoken since they left that morning.
Yuri glanced at him briefly. She couldn't read his face, shrouded as it was in shadow, but she felt something… as though Lucen was watching her differently from the others. Not with suspicion, nor with superiority, but with a silent curiosity—almost… affection?
She shook off the thought immediately. This wasn't the time for distractions.
They continued along the path Yuu had chosen, enveloped in a silence that seemed to grow with every step. The sounds of nature became muffled, and even the birdsong took on distorted, unreal tones.
"Welcome to the edge of the Forest of Illusions," murmured Kayla, her voice laced with bitter irony.
"From here on, nothing will be as it seems."
Yuri swallowed, her eyes fixed on the horizon where a sea of silvery mist swayed among the trees. And for a moment, she thought she saw herself—older, stronger—smiling back at her from the heart of the fog.
An illusion, of course.
Or perhaps not.