The Beanies finally chanced upon the opportunity to travel to King's Valley, whereby Chili immediately suggested that they should get lost somewhere so that they can chance upon the Skittermaus and get Demony to hunt one down, which was immediately shut down by everyone else (including Demony, who most certainly did not appreciate being treated like a hunting dog). 

Ironically, they would indeed end up lost due to the sheer expanse that is King's Valley and the Beanies' unfamiliarity with any landmark that wasn't the Nomad's Stone. So lost that they were, that while the quartet were collectively ruminating about what to do and paying no attention to their surroundings, they would end up wandering into a mystical space of perpetual autumn. Lacking the common sense of the locals - or the world of Charon at large, really - it took them a bit to realize that they have wandered into an abnormal location, and by then it was just barely too late as they accidentally entered a stone circle and found themselves, wagon included, by the edges of a pond so smooth you would sooner believe it were a mirror rather than a watery surface, and a willow tree standing tall and grand by the shoreline. Oh dear.

None of the quartet had the slightest idea where they were, how they got here, and what the heck was even going on. The only experience remotely close to what they were currently witnessing was that time they tripped out and into Fae portals- Please don't let this be related to that fiasco, Demony thought as the the sparks of malevolent fury emanated within its being. Left with no other recourse, the Beanies opted to disembark from The Travelling Beanbag and look around for any way they could leave this mysterious realm alongside Demony.

"Fascinating, isn’t it?"

Song murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the smooth, mirror-like surface of the pond. He crouched down, dipping his fingers just enough to feel the coolness of the water, and quickly pulled out a small journal, sketching the willow tree’s sweeping branches as they arched gracefully over the shoreline.

Oblivious to the group’s unease, and the group itself, for that matter, Song began to take notes, mumbling to himself, "A mystical realm with perpetual autumn… how curious." He jotted down details about the strange stone circle, his handwriting neat and meticulous. Occasionally, he paused to study the leaves drifting lazily from the trees, his eyes bright with curiosity.

"Hmm… you’re not what I would’ve expected," Song muttered as he studied the Beanies from across the pond, brow furrowed in gentle curiosity. He paused mid-sketch, eyeing Demony with mild surprise as the creature let out a disgruntled huff. "But then again," he murmured, dipping his quill to jot something down, "stranger things have happened in places like this. Realms beyond realms, where beings appear in shapes you wouldn’t dream of…"
 
Flipping to a fresh page, Song began a sketch of the group, his eyes alight with fascination. "Perhaps you’re guardians of this place?" he suggested, more to himself than to them. "Or maybe… guides?" He tilted his head, the thought seeming to please him. "Yes, yes, a gathering of realm-keepers, each with a unique purpose."

Satisfied with his notes, he looked around with a smile, addressing the Beanies warmly. "Ah, don’t mind me. I’m just here to observe. Please, carry on with your… your hunting, or whatever it is you do here!"

"""Umm...""" The Beanies hadn't the slightest idea where to even begin correcting the stranger who had just appeared out of nowhere near their wagon and came up with some pretty wild theories about their identities - even if they could comprehend that they were just so out of this world that they might be pegged into such otherworldly roles as a result - and looked to each other with one of their ears flapped frontwards with awkward eye expressions.

"We're not guardians or guides or realm-keepers," Star started.
"We wandered our way in here purely by accident," Goody continued.
"And now we're trying to hunt for the exit," Chili ended.
Demony would be glaring if it had any discernible facial features, exasperated at the assumption that it would be on the defending side of anything when it was an aggressive and hostile creature who relished any opportunity to inflict justified violence that the Beanies cannot complain about later down the line.

"So yeah. Would you happen to know how to get out of here, mister?" Star tilted their head as they inquired. "Name's Star, by the way."
"Goody!" Goody leaned to their left and waved their right arm widely.
"Chili!" Chili gave a cute little head salute.
"And that's Demony!" Goody pointed at their shadowy frenemy whose smoky textures seem to fluctuate just a little more in response.

Unbeknownst to everyone in this mysterious location, there was another presence observing them from inside the eerily smooth pond and for the moment, it would only give indication that they were there by sending immaculate ripples in certain intervals towards the shores from the middle, creating another phenomenon to observe.

The creatures spoke! They spoke in common, though Song wondered if they spoke in other languages of their own as well. They spoke with an accent, or perhaps it was just the way they finished each others sentences.

Or it might have been his ears, still not used to this realm. The wind whispered its clues, but Song didn't stop to listen.

"An exit?" He repeated, as if it was something that had never occurred to him, that it would be any difficult to leave this realm. Ah, yes, actually now that he paused to listen, he could hear the wind almost playfully knocking against him. You silly whisperkin, it seemed to brush its words in a sigh through his hair, you do not belong here. You will have to leave too.

Right. So maybe the curious creatures were onto something, however in the future the solution seemed to be necessary. The curious creatures also had names, it seemed like, as they went on to introduce themselves, bringing out a genuine smile from the wind-blessed.

"I am Song of the Zephyrnn."

His name, a melody that rides the wind ^[1] as the leaves around him gently lift in a soft dance that dies out quickly after. His long hair flow in harmony. The true form of his name has a call and response, where the wind that responds to him raises to the call. And yet, it was such a short movement in a larger symphony, it was something that many had missed, passing it on as a simple breeze.

"It is very nice to meet you, Star, Goody, Chili, and Demony."

The true greeting of the Wind-Blessed was almost ceremonial in its elegance. Song, blissfully unaware of any lurking danger, opened his arms in a sweeping arc, extending his fingers gracefully in the gesture known as Welcoming the Breeze. He followed this with a soft, controlled spin, letting his clothing billow as it caught the air--a motion called Turning of Seasons. Completing the ritual, he brought his hands to his heart and offered a gentle bow, performing the final part of the greeting, Whisper of Kinship.

"May the winds bring peace between us."

Song paused, watching the tranquil scenery ripple around him as he traced the gentle currents of the wind, searching for any disturbances... A shift that might warn him of something amiss, like a hidden portal... But the wind remained silent, as if playfully indulging Song’s habit of stumbling into worlds beyond his own.

With a soft, apologetic smile, he turned to his unexpected companions. "I’m afraid I don’t know a way out. But if you’re not in any hurry, I’d be happy to help you look, just as soon as I finish here."

---

[1] Flavoured Bullet-Dash: Controlling the wind similarly to the beginning of a Bullet-dash, without the dashing. 

"""Hi Mr. Song of the Zephyrnn!""" The Beanies greeted in unison, noticing the change in the surrounding wind but failing to connect it to the words spoken by the Chronicler in front of them and so thought nothing of it.
"Ooooooh..." Goody couldn't help but be somewhat impressed by the grace Song demonstrated with what appeared to be a ceremonial greeting. Dramatic, perhaps, but some people were just like that so the Beanies paid no mind.
"May the winds bring peace between us?" Chili tilted their head slightly. "Chili would prefer if it brought food. Chili want food. Maybe Chili will go eat potato." Chili began heading back to the Travelling Beanbag once more.
"Chili-plush!" Star couldn't help be annoyed by Chili's usual rudeness and crossed their short arms in response. "Sorry about that. "The only thing on Chili-plush's mind is food about 90% of the time."

"Oh." Star couldn't help but be slightly disappointed that their new acquaintance knew nothing about an exit, but they quickly bounced back up like the perky balls of positivity that they were. "Oh well! No worries, take your time. We don't really have anything lined up either, and it is a really pretty place." Even if Star and Goody would like to stay as far away from the lake as possible-
"Chili-plush! What Chili-plush doing?" Star was now stomping (as much as a Beanie can anyway) on the ground angrily, snout raised, ears flapped forward and arms raised in a V-shape.
"Star can't tell? Chili fishing." In Chili's paws were a handcrafted fishing rod on one paw, and a chunk of potato on the other.
"Chili-plush know what Star-plush means!" Star retorted in roiling frustration.
"Stop shouting! Star will scare all the fishies away!" Chili yelled back in childish vexation. Oh dear.
"Um um, please stop arguing," Goody tried to speak up and get the two to calm down to no avail as the two immediately shut down the hatted bear with "Shush, Goody!" "Stay out of this, Goody-plush!"

It was at that moment that the line began to tense up and sink.
"Um, Chili? Line bobbing." Goody meekly pointed at the end of the line reflected near-perfectly symmetrically, the only difference being the ripples on the actual water surface.
"Chili said- wait, really?" Chili redirected their attention to their line, and true enough, there was something caught in it... which quickly threatened to pull the polar bear plushie into their possible watery doom instead.
"Chili!" "Chili-plush!" The two ran headfirst to help keep their friend from falling in, and through their heaving, they would successfully fish out... Um, what?

A cloth doll roughly the size of a kindergarten child would emerge from under the depths of the lake surface, flung upwards by the hook connecting it to the fishing line before it is moved away magically and the newcomer... landed squarely on top of the three Beanies, squishing them underneath.
"Star-plush! Goody-plush! Chili-plush!" A squeaky voice echoed from outside the doll much like how it does when the Beanies speak, its mouth unmoving. "Jul wanted to meet you all!"
"Um... Could Mx. Jul please get off us?" Goody asked politely, surprising not as perturbed as one would normally be in this situation.
"Jul-plush." The doll's tone immediately shifted to a cold monotone.
"Uhhh?" Star was not expecting that.
"Jul. Plush." The voice echoed eerily, resounding repeatedly in a demanding tone.
"Could Jul-plush please get off us?" Goody pleaded, eyes glistening with highlights now from an indescribable yet somehow uncannily familiar fear.
"Jul no wanna!" The doll reverted back to its squeaky voice and wrapped their arms around the three, cradling the Beanies in its soft embrace.

Existential fear swelled all around Demony's being the instant the doll appeared, and it did not have the slightest hint as to why. All it knew was that this 'Jul' character was exceedingly dangerous, and that its instincts were screaming at it not to try anything funny.