The sun had just started peeking over the horizon when we left the house the next morning. Bai Ye led me onto his flying sword, carefully holding me in his arms as he steered us toward the location he had picked for the ritual.
It was my first time visiting this place—he didn't want to tire me out with the chore, so he wouldn't let me help much with the preparations ahead of time. I looked down beneath us curiously on our way, wondering where he was taking me, and I found the landscape we passed a bit familiar. Though I couldn't quite recall when we had been to such a place before.
"Where are we?" I asked when we landed on a hilltop.
A mysterious smile crossed his lips. "You'll find out before the end of the day." He helped me step off the sword and guided me toward a tree. "I've set up this space for you to rest. The spell will take some time … Keep yourself comfortable while you wait for me."
