[ There sure is a lot to take in right now, coming from a world where magic was but a myth to her until recently -- not to mention the supposed state of the universe. It all feels like a strange nightmare, not one plagued with darkness and monsters, but one with so many unknowns and unexplained phenomena that make Pyrrha's head start spinning. This is all so much, and the phoenix sitting beside her is equally confusing.

She doesn’t quite mind it, though, because the phoenix seems pretty quiet. The bird is just quietly watching whoever passes by, though when someone gets a little too close, it lets out a little cry.

Pyrrha blinks and jumps a little, startled, and then she reaches over with some level of uncertainty before she starts to pet its feathers gently. Then, she turns to whoever was the lucky recipient of the phoenix’s attention and says: ]

I'm so sorry! I think it’s a little...excitable?

[ Pyrrha’s no stranger to the three-legged race, and she seems relatively confident in her (and her partner’s!) ability to get through this with ease. She and her partner have already started making progress forward, and they’re starting to approach their first obstacle, unbeknownst to them. Her phoenix is gliding beside them, keeping watch, making sure that no harm will come to its human. So far, so good.

That is, up until they reach their first obstacle: A tree with rather giant roots. At first, it just seems like a matter of stepping over the roots themselves; it’s not until they start moving when Pyrrha pauses. She holds out her arm in front of her partner to try to get them to halt with her. ]

Hang on, do you see that?

[ The roots are slowly starting to shift in different directions. This might be...difficult. ]

We should move now, or those roots will trip us before we have a chance to start.

[ Pyrrha stops before the broken bridge and the rapids and gives everything a quick examination. She can see that the crystals are on the other side and that somehow they’ll need to cross over to obtain them -- of course this wouldn’t be easy. This would be a whole lot easier if magic were applicable here, but alas.

When she finally discovers the plaque in the dirt, she kneels down to read it again, and again. She’s absolutely overanalyzing this, but it’s mostly because she thinks that there must be a deeper meaning to this than just...one being “pure of heart.” Whatever that means, anyway. After a moment of thinking, however, she stands up and turns to the nearest person: ]

Can it really be that simple? … And even if it is, what exactly constitutes someone being “pure of heart”?

[ Feel free to hit me up with whatever! I’m at amplitude or available via PM if you want to plan anything. Canon point is V3E6! ]