MEMELAND

The floating wagon continued its silent journey.

No roads.

No landmarks.

Only endless forest.

Kai had long since stopped trying to memorize the path.

Every hill looked identical.

Every stream looked familiar.

More than once, he was certain they had passed the same fallen tree.

Yet each time...

Something about it was different.

"..."

Kai looked outside.

"This place doesn't make any sense."

Chocomint smiled.

"It doesn't have to."

"...What does that mean?"

"You'll see."

The wagon continued forward.

Hours had long turned into days.

At some point...

Kai stopped trying to keep track of where they were.

The sun still rose.

The sun still set.

Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't traveling in a straight line.

Sometimes the terrain climbed.

Sometimes it descended.

Sometimes...

He could've sworn they had circled back.

No one said anything.

Even Chocomint simply sat there as though this was completely normal.

Eventually...

The wagon slowed.

Then stopped.

"We're here."

Kai stepped outside.

Ancient trees stretched high above them.

A rocky cliff stood ahead.

Nothing else.

He looked around.

"...Where?"

Chocomint stepped past him.

"This way."

The two walked toward the cliff.

Kai glanced behind him.

The wagon was still there.

He looked back toward Chocomint for only a second.

When he looked again...

The wagon was gone.

"..."

"..."

Kai blinked.

"...Where'd it go?"

"It'll be here when we need it."

"..."

Kai decided not to ask.

After everything he'd experienced...

This somehow wasn't the strangest thing anymore.

Chocomint continued walking.

Kai followed.

One step.

Two.

Three.

Without warning...

The forest changed.

There was no flash.

No light.

No magic circle.

No sound.

It simply...

Changed.

The cliff that had been in front of them no longer existed.

Kai stopped walking.

His eyes widened.

"..."

A valley stretched endlessly before him.

Crystal rivers flowed between towering trees.

Waterfalls poured from surrounding cliffs.

Wooden houses rested naturally among the forest as though they had grown there alongside the trees.

Rope bridges connected the upper platforms.

Fields of crops swayed gently beneath the morning breeze.

Smoke drifted from several chimneys.

Children chased one another across a wooden bridge.

Adults carried baskets, chopped wood, repaired rooftops, and tended gardens.

Others quietly sparred beneath the shade of old trees.

The place wasn't large.

Maybe thirty-five people were visible.

Just enough to feel like a village.

Not enough to feel crowded.

"..."

Kai slowly looked behind him.

The forest was still there.

He looked forward again.

The valley remained.

"...How..."

Chocomint shrugged.

"No one's really sure."

"You stop asking after a while."

Kai looked at him.

"...Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"I've asked Zane."

"And?"

"She said she doesn't know."

Kai stared at the valley again.

"..."

"...That's unsettling."

"It is."

Chocomint smiled.

"But you get used to it."

The two began walking into the village.

Several people noticed them.

A middle-aged woman carrying a basket smiled.

"Welcome back, Chocomint."

"Thanks."

A blacksmith looked up from his forge.

"You took longer than expected."

"Things came up."

An elderly man sitting beneath a tree chuckled.

"Still bringing strays home?"

Kai raised an eyebrow.

Chocomint sighed.

"...You're never letting that joke die, are you?"

"Never."

The old man laughed.

As they continued walking...

More people greeted them.

None of them looked suspicious.

None reached for their weapons.

Instead...

Their attention gradually shifted toward Kai.

Curious.

Observant.

One teenage girl gave a small wave.

"So that's him?"

"I guess so."

A young boy tugged on his older brother's sleeve.

"Is he the one Uncle Choco rescued?"

"I think so."

An older woman smiled warmly.

"Welcome."

"It's rare to see new faces."

Kai nodded politely.

"...Thanks."

The atmosphere surprised him.

Nobody interrogated him.

Nobody demanded answers.

Nobody questioned why he was there.

If Chocomint had brought him...

That alone seemed to be enough.

Chocomint glanced sideways.

"I told you."

"They trust my judgment."

Kai quietly looked around once more.

For the first time since arriving in Gaia...

He had entered a place where nobody seemed afraid of the next battle.

The buildings gradually became fewer.

Nature reclaimed the land.

A clear stream crossed their path.

Its water was so transparent that Kai could see smooth stones resting at the bottom.

Several colorful fish swam lazily against the current.

He stopped walking.

"..."

For a brief moment...

Everything felt...

Familiar.

A distant memory brushed against the edge of his mind.

Laughter.

Sunlight.

The sound of rushing water.

Someone calling his name.

Before he could grasp it...

The feeling disappeared.

"..."

"You felt something?"

Chocomint asked.

Kai slowly nodded.

"...For a second."

"It felt..."

"...Like home."

Chocomint's expression softened.

"You're getting closer."

The tallest waterfall Kai had ever seen crashed into a pristine lake below.

Mist drifted through the air like morning clouds.

The roar of falling water drowned out every other sound.

Chocomint stopped.

"We're here."

Kai looked around.

"...Where's Zane?"

Before Chocomint could answer...

A calm voice echoed behind them.

"I was beginning to think you'd get lost."

Kai turned.

Standing beneath the shade of an ancient maple tree...

Was a woman wearing simple dark robes.

Her long black-and-red hair reached past her waist.

Her crimson eyes calmly studied him.

She didn't carry a weapon.

She didn't need to.

There was an overwhelming stillness about her.

Not the pressure Taai gave off.

Nor Alice's overwhelming magical presence.

This was something else.

Complete control.

As if every breath...

Every heartbeat...

Had already been measured.

She folded her arms.

"So."

"This is the Kai Chocomint keeps talking about."

Kai stared back.

"...Zane."

For several long moments...

Neither of them spoke.

The valley itself seemed to grow quieter.

Zane slowly walked forward.

She stopped only a few feet away.

Her crimson eyes carefully examined his face.

Not judging.

Not threatening.

Simply...

Searching.

Finally...

She gave a faint smile.

"...You've changed."

Kai frowned.

"...We've met before?"

Zane looked into his eyes for a long moment.

"..."

"Not yet."