The Forest of Magic was quiet, muffled by the damp air and a low mist curling between tangled roots and thick underbrush. Between the towering trees and the thick scent of moss and mushrooms, even the usual hum of magic felt subdued. A faint breeze stirred, carrying with it the soft rustle of leaves and the distant creak of unseen movement, perhaps a tree settling, perhaps not.

Alice Margatroid stepped carefully over a moss-covered root, her boots barely making a sound on the damp earth. Her light blue dress swayed with each step, pink ribbons fluttering faintly. A thread of magic danced between her fingers, tethered to a small doll hovering behind her shoulder, its painted eyes unmoving. Another doll peeked from her side satchel, head twitching slightly as it adjusted to her movements. She wasn’t on a particular errand, just walking, thinking, letting her dolls drift through the trees ahead like quiet scouts. Sometimes it helped clear her mind.

She paused, her sharp eyes catching an unexpected silhouette standing still between two birches, someone unfamiliar. A figure, not moving, simply looking around as though searching for something—or nothing. The thread in her hand tightened slightly. The dolls, sensing her caution, slowed to a stop in the air.

Alice narrowed her eyes, but her tone, when she spoke, remained neutral.

"...You’re not from around here, are you?" Her voice didn’t rise above the quiet of the forest, but it carried clearly. She took a slow step forward, the dolls remaining still. "This part of the forest doesn’t usually get visitors."

She let the silence hang a moment, then tilted her head slightly, eyeing the figure.

"Are you lost?"

There was no accusation in her words—just curiosity, restrained and cautious, as though deciding whether to offer help or keep walking. One of her dolls twitched beside her, shifting a tiny leg into place. Another floated slightly higher, silent but watchful.

"I can show you the way out if you need it," she added, softer this time. "But if you’re wandering on purpose... try not to break anything." She looked around briefly. "The forest doesn’t like that."