As I emerged from the confines of the towering tree that had served as my sanctuary for the past year, the awe-inspiring vista of the Elarion forest sprawled out before me.

  A verdant sea of colossal trees stretched as far as the eye could see, their immense stature dwarfing the forests of my past life. The vibrant purple sky provided a stark and otherworldly contrast to the lush green canopy below, an ethereal tapestry painted by the hand of an artist beyond comprehension.

  My gaze was drawn to the distant horizon, where a flock of massive, feathered beasts soared in unison. Their size, even from this distance, was comparable to that of a small car, an intimidating reminder of the untold dangers that lurked within the depths of this primordial forest. I recalled Picea’s warnings of the perils that lay in this forest, and as I observed the strange creatures navigating the skies, the gravity of her words began to resonate within me.

  A sense of caution gripped my heart, and I knew that my journey would be fraught with trials and tribulations.

  Despite the inherent risks, I felt a sense of security in the boundless expanse of the sky above. The trees' dense foliage obscured the forest floor below, a labyrinth of shadows and secrets that threatened to swallow any who dared tread upon it. In the open air, however, I was granted the gift of perspective, the ability to discern the dangers that lurked on the horizon. If I was in the sky, I could detect danger from miles away.

  The sight of the distant, feathered beasts served as a stark reminder of this advantage, and I resolved to maintain a cautious distance as I embarked upon my journey. Yet, before I could fully commit to a path forward, the lingering memory of a crucial piece of information from Picea's vast collection of tomes resurfaced. Within her magical residence, I had spent countless hours poring over ancient texts and maps, absorbing the knowledge of Amaranthine's diverse kingdoms and cultures.

  The memory of a specific passage, detailing the existence of a kingdom of beast-folk on the western border of the Elarion forest, now guided my purpose. Known as the Kingdom of Caudis, this realm was but one of several scattered across the continent, each home to a myriad of unique beings that walked the line between man and beast. According to the maps I had studied, the nearest settlement lay just under two hundred miles from my current position, a considerably closer destination than the distant elven settlements that Picea had once mentioned.

  With a newfound sense of determination, I focused my resolve on the path that lay before me. Caudis, the Kingdom of the beast-folk, would be the first stop on my quest to uncover the secrets of my past and forge a new destiny amidst the untamed wilds of Amaranthine. Now, I just needed to figure out which direction to go.

  I remembered the old mantra of my previous world. ‘The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.’ Now, I had no clue if that still applied to this world, but it was the best I had to go on. I looked up at the sky and saw the direction the morning sun was moving, and I came to the conclusion that the west was to my right side. With this in mind, I promptly began to fly away from Picea’s tree with the sun behind me.

  My aether had developed greatly in the past year, and the speed I could now move in far surpassed what I could manage previously. It took some intense effort, but I estimated I could move at least twenty miles an hour at my fastest speed.

  This was a speed that most normal humans could only reach for a short time during a sprint. I knew I couldn’t keep this pace forever, but I didn’t intend to slow down until the towering tree behind me was long out of view. As I soared through the air I took in the scenery below me. It was a sea of green that seemed to never end, and I wondered how long it would take me to find a hint of civilization.

  I did some quick mental math, and I estimated that at my current pace it would probably take me at least ten hours of continual travel. I knew that this wasn’t too feasible though, for I wouldn’t be able to maintain this speed for too much longer.

  ‘It will probably be days before I see even a glimpse of a city or town.’ I thought, realizing I would have to stop several times before I reached my destination.

  Sighing, I thought back to the time I had spent with Picea. Even after what they did, I couldn’t bring myself to hate them. After all, they had taken care of me for an entire year. They had taught me about this world, let me practice my powers, and they had even nourished my very body.

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  Judging by my current size, I figured that my body was now around five years old. This was pretty incredible considering that I had only been on this world for a little over a year and a half. Their essence had been jam-packed with celestial energy, and that energy had been the sole thing feeding me for this past year. When I stretched in the air, I remarked that my little limbs felt stronger. I didn’t know how strong a five year old was supposed to be, but I could tell that I possessed strength I shouldn’t yet have for many more years.

  I spent the next hour lost in thought as I travelled above the forest. At this point Picea’s tree had shrunk until it was little more than a dark blip in the distance. I slowed down when I saw this, but I didn’t want to stop completely until I knew they were far, far away.

  ‘There’s no way I can rest in peace while still in this forest. Picea is literally a magical forest spirit, I’d bet money she has some way of tracking me while I'm within the trees.’ I thought, not intending to so much as touch the ground under any circumstances.

  This was not to mention that the forest floor didn’t seem to be the most welcoming place. Although I couldn’t see below the tree line, I could hear the vast array of life below me. Birds chirped illusive songs, and subtle animals barked strangely. There was the occasional boom from the roars of more powerful beasts as well, and those sent shivers down my spine.

  After I had flown for another half an hour, my pace had slowed to a jog. I was starting to get a throbbing headache that made my vision shake. This was likely due to me over-exerting my powers for such a prolonged period of time. I definitely had to stop soon, but I couldn’t find anywhere that looked suitable.

  Since I couldn’t see below the tree line, I had no way of knowing which spot would be the best to land on. It made the most sense to look for the tallest tree I could and rest there. With this in mind, it only took me around ten more minutes to spot a suitable landing place. The tree I found wasn’t too much taller than the rest surrounding it, but it still perched several meters higher.

  My pace slowed to a halt, and I floated towards the upper branches of the tree. The wooden exterior seemed to be a dull purple, and when I stared at it the very bark seemed to shift and move beneath my gaze.

  Just looking at it made my skin crawl. ‘Yea, maybe not this one.’ I thought, turning away from the tree to find another that looked less.. sinister.

  As I did this though, my attention was drawn to a number of light colored figures jumping around in the distance. These figures looked like white blurs, but when I focused my eyes I saw that they were jumping in and out of the tree line. Some of them were even colliding with each other. They must’ve been a good half a mile away, but I still heard their strange hollers and screams.

  ‘Are they fighting each other? What kind of creatures are those?’ I wondered, not willing to stick around to find out.

  I immediately floated as high as I could, even as my ever-increasing headache was hindering my abilities. When I tried to spot the earlier figures though, I realized that I had lost track of them.

  ‘They probably disappeared back under the trees.’ I thought, looking around at the tree tops below me. I quickly put the creatures out of my mind as I continued my search.

  After another ten minutes of flying I was beginning to feel queasy. My stomach felt like it was twisting around itself, and I knew that I had to stop to rest very soon. I had never tested the effects of over-exerting my powers, but I didn’t want to end up killing myself.

  Luckily, there seemed to be a rather large tree off in the distance. It wasn’t nearly as large as Picea’s, but it still sat at least a score of meters above the rest. I estimated it was around two miles away, but it was getting hard to tell with my vision swimming. I set course towards the tree, and drifted over to its direction while my speed fell even further.

  However, my attention was drawn to a few white figures that had jumped up from the tree line below me. These white figures screamed as they threw furious fists in the air, attempting to claw eyes out as they threw each other across the trees.

  At this distance, I could see that the creatures appeared to be monkeys!

  They had pure, white hair covering every inch of their bodies, and their frames were slim but sturdy. They also had strange tails, I noticed that one of the monkeys had just one tail, when others had two or even three. These monkeys were evidently fighting, and the ones that had more tails were clearly winning.

  A monkey with three tails grabbed the leg of a retreating monkey and roughly bit into one of its tails, tearing its fur as it stained it with blood. The monkey that was grabbed howled in pain, turning to claw at its attacker with sharp talons.

  It tore a series of jagged cuts into the other monkey’s chest that elicited another pained howl. The three-tailed monkey let go of the other one, and they took this chance to dash down past the tree line, out of my sight.

  There were two remaining monkeys now, one with three tails and another with only one. They began to violently hoot and holler as they screamed into the air, likely proclaiming their victory to the rest of the forest. I wanted no part in their celebration though, so I continued my flight towards the tree off in the distance. I was around forty meters in the air still, far out of reach of any violent creatures. I still hoped they wouldn’t see me though.

  Unfortunately, the monkey with one tail had keen vision. This monkey began to hoot and scream as it pointed in my direction, jumping up and down as it stared at me.

  I couldn’t speak monkey, but it was obviously saying something like, “Look, a flying baby!”

  Their commotion drew the attention of the other monkey, and he stopped what he was doing to stare at me in bewilderment.