The Lanes Between are cold. The thick air, surrounded by darkness, permeates, threatening to seep under your armor and swallow you whole. It makes the entire experience – which would otherwise be fun, because who wouldn't love to fly through space on a glorified motorcycle – a little less exciting and a little more terrifying.
Finally, a bright light appears just before you, sucking you in to who-knows-where without so much as a warning.
In the blink of an eye, you're suddenly standing just outside of a forest, a small cottage to your right and a path leading to a faraway mountain in the distance to your left.
You can't wipe the smile from your face.
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It's a bit cliché to say, but it just feels like a new world. Everything from the sights, to the sounds, to even the smells are different. Birds are chirping, and the scent of dirt and grass fill the air. The world seems much smaller than yours. It's a simple place, but not in a bad way. It's simple in the best way, precisely because it's new and forbidden.
"Hello? Can we help you?"
You glance over your shoulder, doing a double-take when you realize you've interrupted a gathering of seven small men and a very handsome couple – an extremely pale woman with dark black hair and red lips, and a brown-haired male dressed in the nicest clothes you've seen in awhile.
"You look lost," one of the short men adds, his arms crossed over his chest as he shoots you a distrustful look.
"Oh, hush, Grumpy," the woman chastises with a soft voice that sounds more like a coo before she turns her attention to you. "Do you need directions back to town?"
"Oh... No, I'm good," you reply, awkwardly scratching the back of your neck as you avoid their gazes for a moment to gather your thoughts.
You know you can't be discovered as being not from this world, to play it safe and avoid the questions that would follow. So you do your best to pretend you're a townsgirl, all while wearing clothes that clearly don't fit in, judging by the outfits of the people before you.
You drop your hand, finally looking at them once again.
"Actually, maybe you can help. I'm looking for my friends – perhaps you've seen them? Terra, Ven, and Aqua?"
"Oh! I met a Ventus," the girl realizes with a smile. "He helped me escape the evil trees."
"The what?" you ask with a dry blink of your eyes.
"Is Aqua tall, with hair that's a shade of blue?" the tall man beside her adds, ignoring your question. You nod in agreement, and he gives you a small smile. "I believe I met her. She pointed me in this direction, back to my beloved Snow White."
The dark-haired woman next to him absolutely beams at his words before devolving into girlish giggles. You, meanwhile, release a sigh of relief. So they had been here, at least Ven and Aqua.
