As they enter the forest, the mist swirling between the bare tree trunks like it has a mind of its own, Albrecht places the brick in his hand on the ground, as if it were a marker to show that once crossed, he has left behind a world that was familiar and entered one that was not. The brick itself had come loose in his hand as he had left the wizard's home; the mortar was loose, and he had taken it with him out of habit.