A gentle, slightly cool breeze seemed to brush against his face.
How long had it been since he had breathed so easily? How long since he had lain down so comfortably? How long since he had felt so peaceful, so content—every ache and fatigue had drifted away, and every chronic illness seemed to have healed.
In his memories, a feeling like this seemed to belong to decades ago.
"This child is blessed when he is with the land. He bears the grace of the Goddess of Harvest..."
Suddenly, a voice buried deep within his memories broke into his mind, gathering his chaotic, scattered thoughts back together. The feeling of being unable to distinguish illusion from reality vanished at once. The wind on his face became real, and the faint scent of green grass and soil drifted into his nostrils—Norris suddenly opened his eyes.
An endless green plain stretched out before him. A breeze truly swept across the land, sending waves through the grass. In the distance stood peculiar mountain peaks, seemingly pieced together from blocks of color. Majestic formulas and Rune Arrays could be seen amid the clouds, while a huge sun with gentle radiance slowly crossed the sky. He himself lay amid this unfamiliar world.
Norris awoke in this strange place and stared at everything before him in confusion.
Vague memories began drifting through his mind. He remembered figures moving before his eyes, remembered Margarita and Beltira whispering beside his bed, remembered walking through the final long sigh of his life. As confusion continued to rise within him, he pushed himself up from the grass and stood.
He found his body more nimble than ever before—he had not felt this way in many years.
There was a small earthen slope nearby. He should be able to see more from