Anton Vogel

"Where is this?"

A second ago, they had still been at a holiday inn on the outskirts of Berlin. Then, after an intense sensation of suffocation and crushing pressure, Louise, who had collapsed to the ground in a dizzy haze, discovered that they had appeared in a field planted with rapeseed and winter wheat.

After gasping for breath several times, the world before her eyes finally stopped doubling. Looking at Amosta and Kingsley, who had landed steadily beside her, Louise muttered, (Freakish wizards.) Then she took Amosta's offered hand and staggered to her feet.

A fresh breeze swept past, carrying a pleasant, crisp scent. Louise turned in place, taking in her surroundings.

Berlin's gloomy sky was gone. Above them now stretched a sapphire-blue sky. Not far away, a crystal-clear river cutting through the open wilderness reflected the color of the heavens. Its bright, melodious murmur was like wind chimes, so beautiful it seemed to have flowed straight out of a fairy tale.

Standing atop a raised ridge between the fields, Louise rose onto her tiptoes and gazed out at the river, which looked as though countless jewels were flowing along its bed. She lost herself in the sight for a moment, then saw the golden farmland stretching from her side all the way to the horizon, and her mood immediately became incomparably light.

"We're on the outskirts of Bonn—"

Pleasant natural scenery could always lift one's spirits. Even the smile at the corner of Amosta's lips became lighter. Like Louise, he surveyed the surroundings, and soon spotted the faint, turning shadow behind the swaying wheat stalks. It was probably the blades of a windmill.

"Let's go—"

Having determined the direction, Amosta took the lead and walked that way.

"Before I went looking for you, I did some investigating. Some old