#Chapter 236: In Between

Grace I found myself in a place I had never been before. A vast, empty plain stretched before me, the ground was a dusty brown under the sun that at once felt cool and burning. The air was thick with something and still. It was absolutely silent. Dead. In the distance, I swore I could hear the occasional sound of a bird. But what was this place? Trees all looked scorched like a forest fire had burned through the area. In the distance, I could just make out the imposing silhouette of Blackwoods Castle. Its red stone walls seemed to pierce the sky. It looked so much more majestic than I had ever seen it in pictures, yet it was impossibly far away, and I knew I would never reach it on foot. The pathway between where I was and the castle vanished into the dark, scorched woods around me. I bent down and frowned. The dirt wasn't ashy the way I expected it to be, but dry and barren. As I scanned the horizon, searching for any sign of life, I spotted a lone wolf in the distance. It stoo