Reflecting upon her first ventures into this chaotic tumult of canopy and thick bush, she remembered her previous feelings apprehension and uneasiness; an adrift fear for the worse, the adrift fear of becoming yet another hapless subject for the territory's many rumors, of becoming yet another hopelessly lost victim, forever consumed in thick leaf and canopy until the end of her days, completely lost in time, and eventually faded from all memory.
Now, however, she strolled through this forest with very different eyes, a very different mentality. It was a mentality of great calm and serenity, a mind capable of the long enduring patience required in order to eventually escape this maze, a mind capable of dealing with the required disappointed of constant trial and error, in order to eventually reach success. She'd now understood the pieces this forest's puzzles, recognized the exploits in it's verdant defenses. The previous mist of apprehension and uneasiness no longer lingered within her heart, as it had done in the past. It was far gone. She'd ventured through this forest enough times, in order now to understand and avoid it's threats.

As much as she'd often tried to avoid the area, her adventures seemed to constantly navigate her right back into this thick leafed mess. Despite its many risk, however, the forest was still, without a doubt, the most efficient and safest of travelling paths, for those with the heart and mental fortitude required in order conquer through it. Common bandits rarely had the courage to venture into the area, or the sagacity required in order to successfully navigate and leave it. In addition, there was admittingly an alluring calm about the place, blended together with a mystifying beauty. It was a calm and beauty far more alluring than the rough terrained view of the open road.

It was early winter now, a time where the snow had not yet fully consumed the entire terrain. Despite the change in seasons, Ha Neul felt all the same. The lingering emptiness of her heart seemed to remain; a heart devoid of definite purpose, a heart struggling to remain relevant in this ever changing and evolving world. She'd manage to make a distracting pastime for herself in this realm, one which sought to maintain the magical stability of her current abode, in order to avoid an inevitable destruction like that of her previous world. Yet, it was a lonesome endeavor, a purpose only she seemed pursue alone. The inhabitants of this realm did not care for such things, they had no concern for the affairs of the future. They were far too entangled in the present, seeming to be perpetually consumed only in the pursuit of their current desires and temporary afflictions. She pondered if there were another soul in this realm besides herself, who could see past such delusions, who understood the value of upholding such ideologies. It seemed as if she was truly a foreigner in this realm. In the midst of her deep contemplations, her armored boots lightly crushed against the moist dirt and leaves in her wake, her equipment lightly clattering against itself, interrupting the deep silence of the forest from time to time, yet not completely interrupting it's serenity, as she strolled through the early morning.

As the morning slowly faded into the night, the once cool weather of the forest now began to turn noticeably cold. Fortunately, Ha Neul was wearing enough weighty armor and equipment to endure the sudden change in the atmosphere. Still, however, the change was becoming more and more noticeable with each passing hour into deeper darkness. The snow began to more rapidly accumulate upon the ground, and her breathing began to create mist into the air, as the warmth of the sun disappeared. Eventually, throughout her venture, a stream would seen be heard. The sound of running water which would bring a sigh of relief upon the wearied warrior's expression. Her trek through the maze like forest had been long, and without rest. Though travelling without rest was taking a toll on her stamina and patience, the reward of doing so would be that she would be able to leave the forest much more quickly. Although, now that it was night, she was finding that navigation through the forest was becoming more difficult, in addition to her accumulating fatigue.

Taking a moment to make her way to the quickly running stream, she crouched down and placed her gauntleted hands in the water, cupping them and bringing them to her lips, in order to drink water from them. The taste of the clean running water was refreshing, reinvigorating, and re-inspiring. It admittingly made it heavily tempting to stay and rest in the area until the next day. Yet, she knew doing so would further extend her sojourn in the forest. With enough mental willpower, she finally motivated herself to stand back up, in order to continue pressing on her journey. Walking away from the stream, however, she would notice something in the snow, not too far away from the stream's location. It was something that was very unusual to see in these parts; footprints. These were not the footprints of the native wild animals of the forest, but the footprints of something more foreign; a human. Additionally, they were rather fresh footprints, meaning that it's maker had passed by the area fairly recently. A curious eyebrow rose at the thought that another had actually opted to take the forest path instead of the open road, like herself. Though, she pondered if the human had a similar mind of navigating through the forest as her, for beneficial reasons, or if they were simply lost. The footsteps looked alone, and did not seem to be accompanied by anyone. With a stretch, she began to follow the recent indents in the snow, curious as to whom else she would discover daring enough to venture through this maze like forest.