Aisen was becoming increasingly aware of the lack of foresight they'd shown in their decision to part ways. It had seemed a simple prospect at first--split up and search the forest in opposite directions. As long as they traveled in a straight line they'd be able to make their way back to each other, but Aisen was beginning to lose track of his direction. It was hard to come to terms with. He'd been walking in a straight line but he couldn't help but feel as if he'd gone drastically off course.
The surrounding trees and undergrowth were cloaked in a dreamy fog, impairing his vision significantly. He was regretting his decision to strike out this way--but what else could he do? He could turn around, but where would that lead him? He hadn't the faintest idea of how he might return to his original location. Sitting still did him no good either, so he kept moving. He felt as if he was occasionally switching directions without meaning to. He couldn't put his finger on it. There was something drastically amiss with this forest--it was unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
He considered for a moment calling out for Terakiel or even Casnie, but he dismissed the thought. The mist coalescing around him would swallow his words just as surely as it was directing his path. He hoped for a moment that the forest was leading him somewhere, even if it was to his peril. Anything was better than wandering forever with no destination. Was this how Terakiel felt? He had been running away and he had been alone. It was a lonely, miserable feeling.
He craned his head toward the sky in the hope that it would give him a better bearing on his surroundings, but it was to no avail. The trees stretched up to the sky until they disappeared into the mist. As far as he knew, there was no sky above him. He was trapped in some extraplanar artificial forest and being observed by some puppetmaster. They'd been released into a maze with no exit.
Aisen walked as he peered intently into the forest's canopy, willing his vision to pierce the shroud. It was no use. He was so far away from home now--and he might never return. It was an uncomfortable thought but it was his current reality. He couldn't help but feel some level of resentment toward Terakiel. It wasn't his fault. He had no control over his remarkable powers. He was a victim of circumstance as much as Aisen himself. Plucked from the Exod and deposited into a forest ostensibly hundreds of miles away. What a strange thing to happen.
Would there be any meaning to all of this? Would Aisen accomplish anything by coming here? Or would he meet his end, alone in the depths of an unfamiliar land? He had to admit that his life to that point was one lacking direction. The biggest thing he'd accomplished was seeking his fortune in Dannyth--not that there had been much fortune to be found, of course. It was a humble city in comparison to the grand display of vel'Sidea to be sure--but there had been nothing for him there. He felt there might be nothing for him anywhere.
His thoughts were rudely interrupted as the world collapsed beneath him. He felt a rush of air and the pain of impact as he hit the ground and tumbled unceremoniously forward as his mouth filled with water. He struggled to gain his bearings as he pulled himself out of the stream, sputtering water. He pulled his damp locks back to wring out some of the water and to get his hair out of his eyes. Well, he'd found water. That was a good thing, he supposed.
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