Astral Flow

Chapter 44

Lily sat in shock as she watched the scenery pass by, this was nothing like any of the areas she'd experienced prior.

This place wasn't on its last legs or in the process of getting there, it was alive, lush and beautiful.

Birds sang and flew overhead, many she didn't recognize at all.

Deer could be seen slowly making their way through the plains, undisturbed by the cart's presence.

Even the path they were on was well maintained and clearly tread over a lot.

It was whiplash compared to what she'd seen prior, from the beta all the way up to full release, everything pointed to only exploring dead bits of the world.

Yet now here she was, seeing what might be a portion of this world in its prime.

Alongside her being the new mysterious stranger who seems to be as shocked as she is, and then there's the swordsman and fairy driving this thing.

It seems like they aren't trying to keep her around, there's no rope keeping her tied up and the cart is moving slow enough she could just jump out.

"So, stranger, where are you from?" Vonder speaks up now, his voice is a bit gruff but surprisingly kind, holding not a single shred of animosity. "I'm actually from Drauffton originally, might know it for being home to Saint Lucent's tree."

Lily hesitates for a moment, trying to decide what to even tell this stranger.

He seemed trustworthy enough... but was he putting on an act? Was he just trying to get on her good side?

She still had no good clue where she was, what was happening or where anyone else was.

Perhaps she could use her journal to message someone but there's no telling how anyone would respond to her reaching for it.

Vonder slightly looks back at Lily, now feeling even more awkward as he sees the nervousness clearly painted on her face. "I'm not going to do anything to you, only reason you're back there with the supplies is because Aida spotted you washed up on the shore of the Elios River."

The fairy now turns back and looks at her with a smile, politely waving at her.

No hostility could be found between either of them, if anything they seemed surprisingly normal.

"You can trust them." The stranger spoke up from behind her, his demeanor now fully relaxed once more. "If they meant to harm you then you wouldn't even be able to see right now, just knowing the path we're on is enough to show we're being escorted to the city."

She looks at the stranger, his calm smile and relaxed nature seeming to calm her own worried mind as well.

With a deep breath she fully calmed her nerves and leaned back against one of the cart walls before speaking.

"My name is Lily, and I'm not really from around here... I'm an Outlander." Lily calmly states.

Aida looks a tiny bit surprised but Vonder just lets out an amused hum, nodding a bit as well.

"You'll have to tell me more about your home some time then, not often I get the chance to hear about stuff like that." Vonder casually says with a relaxed smile still clear on his face. "Are you the only one?"

"No, I wasn't, but I don't know if everyone else is alright or where they even are." Lily quietly admits, now training her eyes on the upcoming section of woods they were passing.

"Well you should try contacting them as soon as possible, let them know you're alright." Vonder says while slowing the cart down now. "Better than assuming the worst."