With his near-death experience still fresh, he carefully navigated himself through the trees. He was cautious of anything that moved, most especially signs of human life. He avoided them even if he had to take a longer path around. It burned more daylight than necessary, but the fear that his pursuers might be nearby forced him to reconsider his choices.

He vaulted over exposed roots, dodged sharp branches, and walked over fallen trees. He needed to be out of the forest by dusk, for he knew that at nighttime, it was not a place for him. Strange and wild beasts roamed the night and the thought of encountering one made him ill at ease. Armed with knowledge he may be, it would do him no good if he did not even know how to fight.

He expected that he would be exhausted by now, more so with his hefty bag and thus be forced to camp in the forest. But it was not the case as he was still brimming with energy which added more to the mystery of his change. And while he questioned on where his improved vitality came from, he gladly accepted it still as he would be able to get out of the forest in time.

When sunset came, he found himself at the edge of the forest. A smile naturally bloomed on his face. He dashed forth, throwing caution to the wind and as soon as he stepped out, he felt the gentle breeze of the plains.

“I got out,” he said to himself with a smile.

After enjoying the brief respite, he checked his bearings. He searched around the forest for a vantage point, and found a hill. He stood on top and swept his gaze. In a moment, he spotted marks of civilization: it was a highway leading to a town. With this, the problem of finding a nearby human settlement was resolved.

“Now, what to do?” he asked himself while enjoying the view.

He now had to decide if whether he should rest for the night, or continue on. He pondered for awhile, and in the end, decided to rest. But once he made the decision, he felt confidence swelling up. It was a confidence he never knew he had. He could feel, albeit indistinct, that something was urging him to continue on, as if enticing him. It told him that no one was his equal, but he knew better than to act on instinct; he was a rational man.

He hurriedly tried to shake away such rash thoughts as it seemed too strange... and dangerous, but in doing so, his view changed. He found himself again in the fog, and around him was the same dead world where he almost died. He instinctively turned his head back, and there, he saw the decrepit tree. Fear flashed for a moment across his eyes before he steeled himself for a fight.

“Something is definitely not right!” he said in fright.

He looked around, and saw countless silhouettes in the fog. They neared him, and every time they inched closer, the fog followed. He could hear voices speaking in a language he could not understand, and numerous were they that it sounded like a discordant requiem for the dead. It filled him with dread, and a sense of crisis came upon his senses that he was going to die. Sweat formed, in face of the sudden threat to his life. He was frantic as he madly looked around, trying to find a way out. Something! Anything!

“Stop! Don’t come any closer!” His voice was palpable with fear.

When the silhouettes were one step away from consuming him, his view changed back to the hill.

His legs buckled, and fell. His face was covered in sweat, and in his eyes was unbridled fear. He was hyperventilating as if it was the only way to calm down. He took a deep and long breath, and said, “In Astorrah’s name, what the fuck!”

*

He walked along the highway for he had no choice. He did not want to experience that kind of event again. Fortunately, the urge and the strange confidence went away since then, but he rather would not take the chance and agitate it by taking a rest. And other than the despair he begrudgingly felt, he also gained some clues pertaining to the disappearance of the fog. Although It was not enough to grant him a solid answer, it made one thing clear: it is related to him.

It must be related! It must be! he thought with conviction. And with his thoughts occupied once more with the fog, he gloomily walked under the night sky.

His pace was neither fast nor slow; it was a steady and comfortable pace. Along the way, he discovered that the highway was well-maintained and wide enough to accommodate three caravans side by side. Judging by its design, it should lead to a large town.

He continued his trek late into the night, which by then he could see something faint in the horizon. He focused his sight, and with the help of moonlight, he could see it was a figure of a person.

Unperturbed, he kept his steady pace but when a moment had passed, a few more figures came into being. He stopped and went into deep thought. After reconciling with some things in his mind, he nodded and strode forth.

He went uphill and neared the group of people that had already noticed him. After coming closer, he noted that it was a group of five: two men, and three women. Based on their attire, it reminded him of the adventurers that roamed the continent.

He approached the group, intending to greet them, but he stopped as one of them went out first. It was a man with a pair of swords by his side. The man looked over and scanned him.

“Hello there,” greeted the man in a friendly tone.

He nodded and responded aptly, “Hello to you, too.”

The man paused for a brief moment and asked, “Where you headed to, friend?”

Discal contemplated if he should answer, but in the end he decided that he should. After all, where he was right now, it was unknown even to him.

Though a bookworm he might be, it was still considered an impossible feat to know the geography of the lands based on literature alone. He needed some information, and what better way to get it, he thought, than to become acquainted with someone who did have it?

It was also a better alternative than to aimlessly walk in a direction, hoping that he would encounter a settlement soon. He was confident that the highway would not fail him, but he was not so sure on how long it would take to get there. His bag might be handy, but even it could not hold food for more than a week’s portion.

Discal replied, “I don’t know.” and softly shook his head. “I got lost when I accidentally stumbled myself in the Accursed Woods...”

The man, surprised, hastily asked, “You went into the fog!?”

“No, no.” answered Discal. “I was just skirting the edges, until I encountered some trouble. After that, I found myself deep within, and lost my way.”

“Oh...” the man spoke, apparently half-convinced. “But you are indeed lost, right?” the man probed.

“Yes.” Discal promptly replied. “That is why I would appreciate it if you could help a friend out. Of course, I will offer something in return,” he said as he fished out some coins from his leg pocket.

“Hmm,” the man scanned him with a strange gaze. Discal did not understand what the gaze meant, but he speculated that the man was just cautious of him.

“What do you need?” the man asked.

Discal let out a weary smile. “I want to head north,” he said. “But I don’t know these lands. It would be a great help if you could tell me what’s the nearest town from here, or somewhere I could buy some supplies. ”

The man thought for a moment as if confused. He looked at Discal with an expression of minor doubt. “It would not cost you that much. But…” he ended in suspense.

“...But what?” Discal asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Did you not wonder why we stayed here on this hill?”

“Well. Not for extorting unwary travelers, I presume?” Discal quipped

The man chuckled in response. “No. We’re here to offer our services,” he said as he pointed his thumb behind.

Curious, Discal made way for the top of the hill, and what he could see surprised him. For someone who had just gotten out of his village, his practical knowledge was still low. Thus, he did not expect to see something like this, especially this soon. He knew the continent was vast and it hosted a lot of things that no man could confidently say he knew all. But to him, who only knew the world through the pages of a book, the sight shocked him. It was just, “Amazing!”

He could see a settlement, larger than his village by a couple times, that had built itself at the base of the hill. At a glance, he estimated that the settlement was capable of supporting more than ten-thousand people, a number that his village could never reached in his lifetime.

It might be a small community when compared to the scale of the world, but it was bustling with activity. He could see merchants and chains of caravans circling the settlement. People in all sorts of professions mingled themselves in the heap, engaging with anything they could see. And other groups of people like the group beside him had situated themselves near the hill.

He read somewhere that the Empire was massive, and it had cities and fortresses the size of small mountains, but even a minor settlement like this was enough to excite him. To him, seeing them in person was grander of a feeling than any book could provide. His face may be pale, but from his expression alone, you could confidently tell it was brimming with life.

The man walked to his side and at that moment, morning had come. The sun rose up from its slumber and beams of resplendent light came down. Like a wave, it covered everything he could see and basking whatever it touched in a holy glow. Silhouetted against the cascading light, the man introduced, “Welcome to Sateya, an outpost in the north.