Returning to Familiar Ground

Night shrouded the Forbidden Forest.

Layer upon layer of tree shadows overlapped as the wind swept through the woods, carrying a damp scent. Skylar stopped and held out a hand to the person beside him.

Viviane looked at his hand, fell silent for a moment, then placed her fingertips in it. Her hand was cold, as though it had been immersed in water year-round.

The next instant, space abruptly lurched.

Apparition.

For a brief moment, their vision lost all sense of balance before steadily stabilizing again.

They landed on an unfamiliar stretch of land.

Mist drifted low along the ground. In the distance lay rolling hills and fractured rocks. The sky held an unchanging twilight, with neither sun nor stars, as though time itself had slowed here.

The air was fresh, yet carried a trace of moisture.

This was the legendary Island of Avalon, the birthplace of King Arthur.

This was actually Skylar's first time setting foot on the island. Although he had successfully claimed it after defeating Morgan last time, he had been severely wounded, so all matters had been left to his maidservant.

Viviane stood beside him, her gaze lingering over the land for a long while. Her expression no longer held the desolate chill that time had hollowed out within her in the Forbidden Forest. Instead, it carried a near-reverent tranquility.

"Avalon," she softly spoke the name. Its syllables stirred a faint resonance in the air. "It's still just as I remember it."

Skylar noticed that as she uttered the name, something deep within the island seemed to respond—the lake rippled, and the distant stone circle glimmered faintly, as if a sleeping consciousness had been gently touched.

"This is your homeland?" Skylar asked.

"Yes, and no." Viviane shook her head, her long silver hair glowing softly in