The Journey of a Novice

the Edge

the rush of modernity. Nestled between rolling hills and dense, whispering forests

ame sun dip behind the hills each evening. The scent of fresh-baked bread from the bakery, the distant laughter of children playing near the old oak

f familiarity, something deep

h ordinary lives. The world outside Willowbrook called to her in ways she couldn't expla

had made h

morning she

ght of

dge of her small bedroom, her backpack packed with the essentials: a change of clothes,

ep b

elf lined with stories of great explorers, the small window that overlooked the tow

eyond be so vast and consuming that the

the thou

lyn, had been up since before dawn, preparing a small bundle of food for Emily's journey. He

he asked, his voice stea

. I don't know where the road wi

y's ear. "Just promise me you'll be safe," she said, pressing a sm

he lump in her th

off. Oliver, her childhood best friend, stood with

't you?" he asked,

iled. "O

but said n

ne last moment in the town that had sha

Steps into

ke a ribbon unraveling into the unknown. As Emily took her first steps beyond

out here-fresher, wilder, filled with the scent of pine and earth. Birds called from

eamed of seeing-Verdant Hollow, where the rivers ran silver in the moonlight; the Misty Peaks, where lege

s stretched endl

traps of her backp

nd Dete

nd. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting patterns on the gr

de the rig

f she

s never meant

she remembered the way her heart had ached whenever she looked beyond Willo

n't turn

y taken the first step

rip on the map and

nger on

Emily spotted a figure in the distance. A traveler, dressed in a w

curious, Emil

s, his face weathered by years of travel. He stu

ad," he said,

before answering

e to rest. Nightfall isn't far off, and

eatening-made her trust him. She sat acros

on the roa

y no

ell. There's a look in the e

e fire. "Do you ever get u

mitted. "But that's the beauty of it. If you knew exact

d, lingering long after the fire h

r beyond the hills, beyond the

first time,

the who