The instant that wintry desolation touched He Xi, he did not feel the slightest chill.
On the contrary, an indescribable sensation of being peeled away seized him.
The world lost its weight and substance.
The valley before his eyes warped into streaks of brilliant color, like an overturned palette stirred at random by an invisible hand.
Then, all his senses descended into chaos.
Fragments of laughter, distant bells, barely audible whispers—
"It smells so good..."
His consciousness broke the surface as though rising from underwater.
Damp, yielding sensations pressed against his back and limbs, carrying an unusual fragrance.
He Xi grabbed at it with his hand, raised his arm, and slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the sky, painted in colors so dazzling they seemed unreal—purple, orange, pink, and blue intertwined like a flowing oil painting.
Then his vision focused on the waterweed and duckweed in his palm.
"...A wetland?"
He muttered hoarsely.
He climbed out of the shallow water that had reached his ankles, and a fierce hunger rose in his belly.
After walking a few steps, as the water grew clearer, he noticed his reflection in it. Short stubble had grown across his face.
It seemed he had been unconscious for quite a long time.
Why had they been separated?
The scene of his teacher leaving their group surfaced in his mind.
At the time, they had still been discussing whether time would flow faster or slower after entering the Feywild.
Then a powerful suction force had suddenly appeared. More precisely, that force seemed to have targeted Fletcher, but everyone nearby had been affected as well.
What followed was a dizzying sensation of weightlessness. When he woke again, he was here.
He Xi surveyed his surroundings.
This was a strange swamp. Glowing lotus leaves