I have the feeling, if you put the introduction of the Pines right after the magic-intro & before the introduction of the sorcerer, the atmospheric flow would work better. especially if you sprinkle one short description of the world in, which feels dangerous or unsettling (in the "you can see the pines from everywhere, whether from A, whether from B, whether from the villages where life was completely replaced by unimaginable horrors, whether from D" part.)
But that's just my personal taste. maybe try it out & see if you like it or not :)