"Go on, Larry!" I encouraged myself, although I was excited, I still had some doubts.
Weirdly, my legs seemed to block after the first step, and I forced myself not to look back.
Back to where my family was, where I had spent the last sixteen years. My whole life…
*Chirp*
A bird flew over my head, and as I glanced up, I saw the rising sun over my first destination.
The forest.
In front of me, there was a small meadow, with a beaten path that I had walked before, just like a lot of people.
The lush grass gently swayed in the morning breeze, glistening with dew.
Everything felt new and beautiful.
It almost felt like nature itself was preparing me for my journey. I could practically inhale the scent of fresh earth and grass in the cool morning air.
"Why am I doubting at all?" I asked myself out loud.
Maybe I'm smarter than Phillip and myself thinks, I thought smiling. Because despite my foolishness, I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I turned back now.
I took a deep breath and put a smile on my face again.
Then I took one foot in front of the other. My second step.
Then my third, a bit hesitant but not unwilling. Then the fourth, the fifth, the sixth.
By the tenth step, I felt no pull from behind but, once again, a pull outward.
Not toward the settlement but into the vast, distant world, toward my dream.
I now followed the narrow beaten path with eager steps, leading away from the city gate and into the vast forest.
With each step, I felt the rising excitement within me. I couldn't stop smiling; I had a perpetual grin on my face.
The world lay before me, unknown and full of secrets. I knew this was the beginning of an adventure that would take me to places I had only dreamed of before.
"And I will document everything!" I said with confidence.
After walking across the meadow for a while, I reached the edge of the forest.
This was the only small forest I could see for miles.
Occasionally, when I climbed the hill with the city wall, I saw that apart from the forest and the giant tree in the center, there was nothing but meadows. But in the distance, after a thunderstorm, I saw a massive mountain, and that's where I felt drawn.
The dense canopy of leaves seemed inviting and mysterious at the same time, yet not unfamiliar.
I had been here a few times hunting with Phillip.
I really owe him a lot, I realized.
I grabbed the backpack straps and took my first steps into the familiar but now new forest.
With every step I took into the forest, it felt like entering a different world.
The golden morning light filtered through the leaves, and the ground, covered with a soft carpet of moss, had golden patches.
As I followed the beaten path and saw individual tree stumps, the light gently flickered in my eyes.
Birds chirped above me, and I could hear the faint sound of a stream in the distance.
As I ventured deeper into the forest, I felt a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
Everything felt new and exciting. Every tree, every stone, and every sunbeam that broke through the leaves seemed to have a story to tell.
Suddenly, I heard rustling in the underbrush, and my heart began to race. I stopped and listened.
A small animal, likely a squirrel, darted across the path in front of me and disappeared into the trees. A smile spread across my face.
"Don't smile so foolishly," I thought I heard Emma say, and I chuckled lightly.
Thinking about it now, I won't miss Emma.
The path led me up a gentle slope, and soon, I reached a small forest stream that divided the woods.
The path ended here, and I gazed at the gently flowing river.
The water sparkled in the morning sun, and I could see the reflection of the trees on the surface.
However, the river was also clear, and I could see that it wasn't deep.
I'll cross it and make my way to the central tree!
But first I sat on the river's edge and observed the nature around me.
Dragonflies danced above the water, and birds flew from tree to tree.
Nature didn't seem to mind my presence; it welcomed me.
As I dipped my hand into the clear water, I felt its coolness and freshness.
I immediately felt thirsty.
So, I knelt down, propped myself up with my hands, and bent my head towards the river.
Then I took a few sips.
"Ahhh!" I exclaimed. "Delicious!"
I licked the water from my lips and wiped them with the back of my hand to dry them.
After my brief rest, I stood up and resumed my journey.
I brushed the dirt off my knees and started wading through the water.
My shoes were instantly soaked, and I could feel the cool water on my feet as it reached my knees in the middle of the river, soaking my pants in the process.
Upon reaching the other side, I climbed out of the water, leaving a wet trail behind.
I shook my legs lightly in an attempt to dry them, but with little success.
I conjured a green flame to try and dry my wet leather pants.
The small green flame danced in my palm, and I brought it closer to the pant leg, causing it to immediately shrivel up, so I quickly withdrew my flame.
Darn it!
Now that I thought about it, I recalled some words of advice from my mother. She had warned me not to dry leather, especially wet leather, over an open flame, as it would ruin it!
I was frustrated, not only with my own foolishness but also with my wet shoes and pants.
Nonetheless, I continued my journey into the forest, heading towards the large tree, despite my little setbacks.
After a while, the trees began to thicken and getting larger, and I could sense the wilderness of the forest increasing. However, I wasn't bothered by it. On the contrary, it filled me with a sense of euphoria.
I was no longer the boy pretending to be an adult; I was now an adult, an explorer, and an adventurer!
I ventured deeper into the woods, keeping the enormous tree in sight, its canopy towering above the other trees.
Wow, I thought, the tree was even larger than I had imagined. It had appeared smaller from a distance.
With my gaze directed upwards, I continued, albeit not for long, as I was abruptly halted.
*thud*
I ran into a tree.
"Auch!" I muttered as I rubbed my chin.
I looked around, realizing that I should probably pay more attention to where I was walking.
I made sure to be more careful about this during the next half-hour as I wandered through the forest. Eventually, I reached the shore of a lake.
Since there were no trees growing there, I had a clear view of the enormous tree on the opposite bank.
It was so massive that it weighed down on me with a sense of awe.
I saw roots as thick as ten men extending into the lightly green water and disappearing into the ground at its base.
I looked up at the tree and had to tilt my head back completely.
With amazement, I noticed that despite the vast canopy of leaves, it was bright here.
Upon closer inspection, I thought I saw the canopy of the giant tree glowing faintly.
"That can't be," I thought, and dismissed it as a silly idea.
I tore myself away and followed the rocky lake shore to reach the other side.
As I did, I heard the crunching and tapping of stones with each step. A light breeze rustled the leaves and made the water gently lap against the shore.
It created an idyllic atmosphere.
The only annoyance was my wet feet.
Nevertheless I heard birds singing occasionally, and saw beautiful, unique flowers blooming.
Some even grew on larger rocks!
I decided to pick some of these flowers to sketch later, or at least attempt to.
As a result, my backpack filled with eight different flowers.
I followed the lake's edge to the left for a while. The lake wasn't very large and I estimated it would take about two hours to walk around it.
At least, that's my guess.
I'd been walking for about 30 minutes, I think, but it's hard to be sure without the sun or moon as a reference.
Well, never mind.
Now I was on the other side of the lake, standing directly in front of the massive tree's roots.
They were about ten meters high, which meant they were half the size of the trees in the inner circle of the forest.
I divided the forest into circles because the closer you get to the great tree, the larger the surrounding trees become.
I was quite proud of this idea, as I came up with it all by myself!
Unfortunately, I had no one to share this with, which made me intend to write it down in the evening.
I briefly examined the tree's trunk and noticed some scratch marks on the bark that went upward.
I followed them with my eyes but couldn't see anything. However, they were relatively large, with four and five scratches that were at least a few centimeters deep.
"I wonder what kind of animal made these," I thought, whispering softly out of fear. Philip once told me about a fight with a... What was the name of the creature again?
...
Ah, I can't recall it! I think it started with a 'P.'
At any rate, it was supposed to be quite strong, and I wanted to avoid it for now.
So, I pressed on without resting.
Some time later, I probably reached the outer circle of the forest because the trees were no more than five meters tall.
I was getting hungry, and I decided that once I left the forest, I'd have my first meal.
I didn't feel like hunting, even though the forest seemed full of life.
Occasionally, I encountered rabbits that darted away when I got closer. Some even attempted to defend themselves using their magical abilities.
A space hare, as we called them, fired a space blade at me, which I instinctively dodged.
I had experience with them! It wasn't a fun time...
Their brown and white-spotted fur was very soft, and I had gloves out of it not long ago.
By the way, do I even have gloves with me?
Well, no matter, it's still early summer!
As I pondered that, I reached the forest's edge. It almost abruptly ended, and I now gazed upon unfamiliar territory.
The forest was new in a way, but I saw it more as a boundary to the open world.
Beyond my settlement, which I simply called "the Bay," was the sea. To the left and right were coasts that quickly curved away.
Inside the bay, it felt somewhat like being on a semi-island.
And when I looked over the wall now, all I saw was the forest and, on clear air days, the distant mountains.
So, I was excited once again, filled with anticipation.
The first step, the beginning of my journey, was taken. Now came the second step, and after that, there was no turning back. The vast dungeon awaited me.
I stepped out from behind the last tree, and a gentle gust of wind hit my face and ruffled my head scales.
I couldn't help but smile, and indeed, I could feel my fangs lightly grazing my lower lip – likely that "silly smile," as Emma used to say.
A vast view stretched out before me. Lush green grass, even greener than in our bay, extended into the distance.
Small hills and mounds defined the horizon, which was quite beautiful.
The grass, swaying in the wind, gave it the appearance of a living landscape.
I sat down and leaned against a tree, savoring the light rays of the sun and the breeze on my skin.
I took my backpack off and grabbed some dried meat. I savored the atmosphere and the view.
It was now noon, and I stood up again. In the meantime, I had taken off my shoes and socks to let them dry in the sun.
I had started to develop some blisters, probably because of the wet shoes. To avoid forgetting this, I wrote it down on a piece of cowhide using charcoal – just as bullet points, as space was limited.
I stood up and felt the cool grass under my feet. I put on the warm socks, which had been drying in the sun, and then my shoes, which were still damp, and tied the shoelaces tightly.
Then I disappeared behind the tree to relieve myself.
When I finished, I put on my backpack and looked into the distance, holding the straps in my hands.
As I took a large step out of the forest, I said, „Let's get going, then!"