The scent of pine and green grass lingered in the air — still the same as he remembered.
The sweet fragrance of ripe fruit wafted through the soft mountain wind, which traveled down the hills, weaved through the forest, and rolled gently over the valleys.
The sun shone as brightly as it had in his childhood, its golden rays slanting over the peaks, casting long shadows across the land. The light struck the distant mountains just right, turning their edges to soft gold.
The forest leading to those mountains remained wild and lush — just as he remembered.
This was where he used to play as a child, out on the forest's edge.
But deeper inside... deeper inside hid mysteries that no child should pry into.
It once seemed so vast to him, when he was small. Now, standing tall and older, he couldn't help but feel as if the distant mountains had grown smaller. Or maybe… he had simply outgrown them.
