A familiar warmth kissed Jasper’s face, causing the young knight to blink his eyes open in subtle confusion. Jasper hadn’t moved at all in his sleep, but the morning sun hitting his skin told him that he had slept for far too long. He sat up quickly and felt his heart rate instantly pick up.

“No!” Jasper cried as he scrambled to gather his belongings. “I can’t believe I let myself sleep that long!” He shoved the coin into one of his pouches and threw the map in as well. The early morning sun was blinding, but Jasper had no choice but to take off running in the direction he was already headed in order to make up for lost time.

In his haste, Jasper did not realize how deep into a wooded area he had run rather than remaining on the road. He slowed himself down and forced himself to think for a few minutes before going any farther. Jasper pulled the crinkled map from his belt and looked back and forth between it and the trees surrounding him.

“Wait,” Jasper said as he panted a few heavy breaths. The area did not match the outlined route he was meant to travel. He had lost sight of the road, and there were far more trees where he stood than were shown on his map. His chest began to ache a bit from the burst of energy he had exuded as he tried to make sense of where to go next.

Panic was beginning to set in. Jasper had studied maps of the areas surrounding Lumen for years and was even more studious the year leading up to this moment. The ache in his chest worsened as Jasper tried to understand why he couldn’t process anything on the map in his hands. He might as well have been reading a foreign language.

A light breeze blew through the trees and tousled the loose strands of Jasper’s dark hair. Jasper closed his eyes for a moment and let the cool air settle his panic. He folded the map nicer than he had prior and placed it in its place on his belt. 

“Maybe I’m just dehydrated,” Jasper muttered out loud. Though his only conversation partners were the birds overhead, he continued to speak. “I ate all those scones and drank everything in my canteen. And then all the crying. That couldn’t have helped.”

Jasper shrugged and closed his eyes in an attempt to listen to the sounds around him. Perhaps he would be able to catch the quiet sounds of running water somewhere off in the distance. The trees rustled around him, and the birds continued to chatter. Jasper sighed and opened his eyes and chose to walk in the same direction the wind was blowing. For some reason that Jasper couldn’t quite explain, it felt right. He needed to trust his gut rather than let the dehydration and panic win.

Much to Jasper’s relief, after walking what felt like well over a mile, he noticed a stream of clear, glistening water on his left. He was tired, thirsty, and pretty sure he had taken a wrong turn, despite his “gut feeling.” This would be his chance to rehydrate and reevaluate where he needed to go. Along his path toward the stream, there were several much larger trees providing plenty of shade and cover from the sun.

“I should have just stuck to traveling at night,” Jasper mumbled to himself as he approached the stream. Charting the stars to navigate his path was simple, but Jasper’s sense of direction disappeared with the sunrise. 

Jasper knelt down and pulled his gloves off, shoving them into one of the pouches on his belt. Once they were secure, he reached into the stream to splash a handful of cold water on his face. He would have to make camp soon in order to truly figure out what he needed to do to get back on track. Jasper dried his face on his sleeve and filled his canteen, quickly gulping down the contents. After refilling a second time, Jasper stood up and stretched, finally taking in his surroundings. 

There were trees as far as the eye could see. While Jasper expected a lush forest along his path, he was not supposed to find himself in the middle of said forest. The path he had mapped out ran along the outskirts of the trees, but clearly, he was far off that path.

As Jasper continued to clock his environment, a deep crimson hue that did not belong in the middle of the woods flashed out of the corner of his eye. Jasper’s attention snapped around to the offending color, spotting a neatly folded pile of clothing perched on top of a log. With cautious steps, Jasper crept closer to find a well-worn red tunic. On the ground beside the log stood a pair of mismatched black boots. 

Jasper slowly pulled his shield off of his back and took a defensive stance. Though his ears and eyes told him there was no one in the vicinity, the full set of clothing was too curious to ignore. As he reached for the hilt of his sword, a gust of wind followed by the sounds of flapping wings sent a shiver down Jasper’s spine. 

There’s no way…Jasper thought to himself. He watched as lush branches that seemed to reach the clouds themselves quake, which caused him to grip his sword harder. His disbelief was short lived, as a massive beast appeared from amidst the treetops. Its wingspan was larger than anything Jasper’s active imagination could have conjured.