19: Wild Place

Alexa After walking for some time, my feet hurt. Since passing through the outer magical fog for over two hours, I still hadn’t found a bus stop or public transportation. Although I had come across a few cabins on the edge of the forest, it seemed I was still quite far from the human’s town center. The First Light area and Southern Star were two different cities. The distance was around 50 miles. Walking to Southern Star would have taken roughly fifteen hours and two hours by bus, according to the map app. So, of course, I had to look for the nearest bus stop. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, I moved away from the main road, headed deeper into the forest, and sat by a small river. I sipped some river water and splashed my body in the shallows. The cool sensation flowed over my sweaty body, and I whispered a gratitude to the Moon Goddess. Something piqued my interest as I climbed deeper up the riverbank. The breeze carried the scent of food—roasted meat. My nose sniffed, and my stomach