The girl felt an unspoken compulsion: she had to leave the place where she’d awakened.

Guided by instinct, she began descending the mountain. Her pace was neither hurried nor sluggish, but it didn’t take her long to reach the base.

Step by step.

Each time her foot touched the ground, the surrounding trees lost their vitality. Their once-lush branches withered and fell with brittle snaps. Animals and monsters, sensing danger, held their breath or fled as quickly as they could.

Nothing seemed capable of blocking her path except for the rugged terrain. Even that, however, failed to impede her progress.