Vin stepped out of the cave's fires with a flat expression.

Cold mountain air hit him first. 

Then the view.

A cliff stretched before him, overlooking a horizon so wide it almost swallowed him.

Gray clouds squeezed the sunlight into a dull haze. Forests rolled endlessly across the land—mountains, ridges, valleys—everything drowned in deep lavender tones. Millions of purple trees covered the world like spilled ink.

It was beautiful.

And he didn't trust a second of it.

Beauty is just as much of a trap as one that was plain-faced, and he wouldn't let that world claim his life again.

Fresh wind brushed against his skin.

He stepped back from the cliff and exhaled through his nose.

He opened the journal to the [Map] tab and found an illustration of the planet. 

Unlike Earth, which had seven continents, the new world had one enormous landmass, excluding a tiny, unnamed island far East.

5 boundaries were drawn to separate territories, such as nations. What mattered was that a land poorly named Earthia was at the dead center and bordered the other 4 regions. 

The most helpful feature of the illustration was that it painted a red dot on the map to signify where he was. It even had an active compass that rotated in the direction he was looking.

From what it depicted, he was near the border in the Western region labeled Vulcorath. Apparently, there were Elves in this world; hopefully this territory is home to friendly aliens.

He had to climb down.

Surviving came first—admiring the scenery came last.

Vin stretched, popping stiff joints back into motion, then tossed his magic journal from the cliff to clear the landing before lowering himself onto the first stone jut.

His fingers didn't hurt.

His arms didn't shake.

That confidence wasn't his.

It belonged to whatever the phoenix did to his body.

He climbed for half an hour without breaking pace. When he reached the forest floor, he retrieved the journal, wiped sweat from his chin, and entered the lavender woods.

Under the canopy, everything darkened.

Thick leaves muted the sky.

Plants rustled quietly, alive and watching.

Vin took five steps.

The phoenix stabbed his mind, and he stopped.

A massive bellflower snapped shut where he would've walked—its petals clamping like jaws.

Vin glared up at the air. He had his guard up, yet almost died so soon after entering that area.

"I won't thank you," he muttered.

The phoenix didn't reply.

He stepped toward the carnivorous plant, studying its movements. "It's fast, huge, and definitely not vegetarian. What is this thing?"

The magic journal vibrated.

Vin immediately dropped it and kicked it like a misbehaving phone.

After he saw it wasn't dangerous, he reluctantly picked it up. A glowing tab flipped open on its own.

[World Info:] knowledge pertaining to the planet Auroraan that has been publicly documented across all human journals.

The pages raced to a subsection labeled: [Plantlife]

[Discovered By:] Q.Q.

[Discovered On:] Date: 1/1/300 A.D. (After the death of Archangel Constantine Verthry)

[Name:] Piranha Plant

[Notes:] This plant seems to disguise itself in its surroundings. It clipped my leg. Only a small cut.

…Never mind. Leg going numb.

…VERY poisonous.

…CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING HELP.

[End]

Vin raised his brows at the bizarre text. "…Who is Q.Q."

He flipped through more entries—roses, cedar, poison ivy. Mostly Earth plants. All written by different humans.

A shared database, he realized. A planet-sized Wiki.

He wanted to try to log something himself.

He wandered to an amethyst-colored tree and asked the journal to register it.

It flipped instantly:

[Discovered By:] Q.Q.

[Discovered On:] Date: 1/1/300 A.D.

[Name:] Amethyst Tree

[Notes:] It's some sort of mutant variant of the Jacaranda Tree. They only grew in tropical environments on Earth, so they only share physical similarities.

[End]

Vin frowned.

His next four attempts were already logged—but the fifth wasn't. A tiny plant wedged between bushes.

He wrote:

[Discovered By:] Vin Dance

[Discovered On:] Date: 1/1/300 A.D.

[Name: ] Green Bean String

[Notes: ] It's safe to touch.

[End]

Afterward, ink formed across the bottom of his notes, spelling, [Make Private?]

"No."

He shut the book here—before he spiraled and began looking into even more functions.

Moreover, he began to consider that this Q.Q person may have ended up in the same region. It was the only way to explain why a human was seeing the same things as him.

That poor individual...

He barely took another step before the phoenix stabbed his mind again—causing him to stop and clutch his head.

"What now!" Vin barked.

He focused—and spotted it: a thin ripple in the ground.

He threw a rock.

The floor exploded into snapping vine-tentacles, grasping wildly.

He shivered. "I hate this planet."

The journal vibrated again.

[New Entry!]

[Discovered By:] Vin Dance

[Discovered On:] Date: 1/1/300 A.D.

[Name:] Floor Tentacles

[Notes:] Uneven ground = trap. Don't step.

P.S. If you meet Gavin, Hellen, or Macy Dance, tell them Vin is alive. Thanks.

[End]

Vin slowly closed the journal.

A hollow ache settled in his chest.

Three years was a long time. Who knew how much they'd changed...

He just needed them to be safe. They had to be.

He tightened his fist and stared deeper into the violet, dangerous forest.

He continued walking.

Just a few more steps toward a very long journey.