Alix exhales, a little stunned.
"…Oh. Wow," he mutters, glancing around again. "That went more smoothly than I expected."
He takes a slow step forward, the forest silent except for the faint rustling of unseen branches.
No Gander.
Alix looks back—there's no portal. Just trees. Endless, unbroken trees.
His brow furrows.
"…Huh."
He doesn't panic. Instead, he touches the space beside him, and the system's faint interface shimmers into view. Still functional.
"Looks like we didn't arrive together," he mutters.
The mist curls a little higher, and somewhere deep in the forest, something cracks—like a branch under weight.
Alix's eyes sharpen.
"Well," he says under his breath, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips, "guess we find out where the hell I am."
