The Forest's consciousness... This was beyond a sorcerer's knowledge.
But if the magical world allowed beings like Tower Spirits to exist, a Forest gaining consciousness did not seem so inconceivable.
Did that count as "something he couldn't understand"?
"Were you looking for me?"
The girl in the forest shook her head. "I only came to see my home one last time."
Annan looked back at the Woodland, thinking he could ask Tadel about it. Then he turned back. "What do you mean, 'one last time'...?"
But the girl and the White Deer were gone. So were all the animals that had surrounded him. The entire Forest had fallen still and silent.
All of them had vanished.
Did this count as something he couldn't understand...?
Annan stood in the warm morning sunlight, but a chill raised goosebumps across his skin.
An unseen sense of foreboding quietly settled over him. Touching his Amulet and World Tree Leaf, Annan hurried toward the Southlands.
Before long, the sight of withered vegetation put him at ease. He felt the relief of escaping something eerily beyond description.
He even felt a flicker of affection when a group of Screaming Banshees came drifting toward him like gauzy curtains.
Annan stopped before the Withered Woodland and made his peaceful intentions clear. "I've come on behalf of the Vampire Clan's Princess to deliver a letter to the Skeleton Duke."
"Please begin the test."
The drifting Screaming Banshees whispered in cold voices that seemed to hover between shadow and reality. They looked much like ghosts, with pale, gaunt faces that held little beauty. The sharp teeth revealed when they opened their mouths were more chilling still.
"Beautiful ladies, I'm an envoy, not someone here to take a test..."
One Screaming Banshee floated forward and circled Annan, letting out a grating