Older.
Tired.
Though her appearance never changed.
"When we first arrived..."
Her voice softened.
"I thought we'd all die within a year."
Raj laughed.
"So did I."
"Remember the forest?"
"The Forest of Summoning?"
Raj smiled.
"Hard to forget."
They both remembered.
A different time.
A different world.
A group of confused strangers appearing beneath unfamiliar skies.
People from different worlds.
Different cultures.
Different lives.
Forced together by fate.
Or something worse.
Alice continued.
"We were idiots."
Raj immediately nodded.
"We really were."
"No plan."
"No food."
"No idea how magic worked."
"No idea where we were."
"No idea why we were here."
Raj laughed.
"And somehow Akshay became king."
Alice groaned.
"Don't remind me."
Both girls laughed.
For a brief moment, the weight disappeared.
Then reality returned.
Alice's smile faded.
"Lee stayed."
Raj nodded.
The memory was clear.
Tchoco Lee.
The one who chose the forest.
The one who decided to help future Drifters.
The one who never stopped helping people.
Alice smiled.
"He always was too nice."
Raj smirked.
"Still is."
Silence returned.