Aiden pulled the rolled map from his side and spread it across a flat stone, with his fingers tracing the continent's edges while Laela and Arianna leaned in to look.

The map showed the nine kingdoms in decent detail with mountains and rivers marked clearly enough.

However, beyond the coastal borders there was nothing except blank space and decorative sea serpents drawn by whatever cartographer had bothered to fill the void.

"Unfortunately," Aiden said, tapping the eastern edge, "no map they sell in the market has anything that shows more than the continent's range."

Arianna frowned and studied the empty sections. "So we don't know where Dellheim actually is?"

"Not precisely," Aiden admitted and rolled the map back up. "Since there's nothing on here indicating where it sits, I can't use transport magic to simply go there. I need to have been somewhere before or at least know its exact location to make the jump work."

Laela crossed her arms and her expression turned thoughtful. "Then how do we get there?"

"According to the man who sold me this map, the closest way to reach the Forsaken Continent is by going through the Amazonian Kingdom of Yul'thera," Aiden explained and gestured vaguely southward. "Dellheim is on the other side of their territory, past their borders."

"We've been to the borders of Yul'thera before," Arianna said, remembering the journey they'd made when heading toward the S-rank dungeon months ago. "That shouldn't be too difficult."

"Exactly," Aiden agreed and reached out to take both their hands.

In that instant, Aiden's magic wrapped around the three of them, and in the span of a single breath they vanished from where they stood.

—————

Earlier, in the City of Gods, Rhyos stood before his gateway with his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the human world below.

He was watching Aiden and his women as they had began their journey.

He heard footsteps echo into his temple and Rhyos glanced briefly toward the entrance as the doors swung open.

Herxes stepped inside with his winged sandals, and Rhyos turned back to continue watching through his gateway.

"I think it's finally time we made contact with Thyrak's new vessel," Rhyos said without looking away from the view.

"I couldn't agree more," a female voice replied from behind Herxes, and Rhyos felt his entire body tense.

He turned fully this time and found Herxes standing with his face downcast and his gaze fixed somewhere to the side as if he couldn't bear to meet Rhyos's eyes.

Lucina, the Goddess of Fire and Light, stepped forward from behind the messenger god with a sly smile curving her lips.

She had this blonde hair and was on her golden divine outfit. There was a golden crown resting on her head, and behind her is a large circular halo made of shining light.

The glow of her presence filled the temple with warmth that felt more oppressive than comforting.

Rhyos's expression immediately darkened into a frown. "Lucina."

She walked toward him slowly. "Rhyos," she said pleasantly, as if they were old friends meeting for tea. "It's been quite some time."

Rhyos shot a glare at Herxes, who still refused to look at him.

The betrayal was obvious and the messenger god had clearly told Lucina about Aiden's existence despite their agreement to keep it quiet.

Herxes had always been weak when it came to her, his affection for the high goddess clouding his judgment and making him easily manipulated, subject to her whims.

"What are you doing here?" Rhyos asked coldly, turning his attention back to Lucina.

She stopped a few paces away and tilted her head with that infuriating smile still in place. "Is that any way to greet a fellow god? I'm simply curious about what has you so occupied these days."

Her eyes drifted toward the gateway. "Who were you referring to just now?"

"It's none of your business," Rhyos said flatly.

Lucina's smile widened but her eyes grew sharper. "You'd best remember your place when speaking to me in that tone, Rhyos. I am a high goddess and you are a lower god, so tread carefully."

She leaned in slightly and her voice dropped. "Besides, I could always go to Him with this little secret of yours, and all your aspirations would be brought to naught."

Rhyos felt the weight of the threat settle over him. He clenched his fists briefly before forcing himself to relax, and with a grunt of frustration he turned back toward the gateway and pointed.

The view shifted and focused until it zoomed in dramatically on a figure walking along a forest path, with two women to his side.

Aiden's form became highlighted and distinct against the background, with his features clear enough that anyone watching could see his face.

"There," Rhyos said bitterly. "Satisfied?"

Lucina stepped closer, with her eyes gleamed with interest as she studied the young man.

"So this is Thyrak's vessel," she murmured and her smile grew more genuine. "How fascinating."

But even as she spoke, Aiden's form flickered and vanished from the gateway's view.

The image shifted wildly and showed only empty forest where he and the others been standing moments before. This had been the moment Aiden had used transport magic to warp away.

Rhyos cursed under his breath. "Now I have to search through the whole world to find where he went this time."

Lucina raised an eyebrow. "Can you not simply sort him out?"

"I can't do just do that, to search out his specific location, No." Rhyos explained with some irritation in his voice.

"As a goddess you should know that doing so would risk angering Thyrak if he's watching, so instead I search the whole world until I find this vessel and then I peek at him by watching his general surroundings."

He paused and his frown deepened. "But soon even that won't be done easily. Already for the last few weeks, each time I've looked at him he's gotten that feeling of being watched. It's only a matter of time before he notices something more concrete."

Lucina considered this and tapped one finger against her chin. "Then you'll need to move quickly." She turned to face him fully. "What was your strategy for getting a boon from him when you finally make contact? From what I can tell, he isn't fully grown yet. Who knows if he can even grant boons at this stage?"

Rhyos hesitated and the reluctance was clear on his face. "That was exactly our strategy," he admitted after a moment. "We intended to make allies of him as friends, to be of some use to him, and when he sees our importance he might grant us the boon we seek."

Lucina stared at him for a long moment before bursting into laughter. The sound rang through the temple, and when she finally composed herself she shook her head amusingly. "You amateurs," she said, condescendingly.

"Do you honestly think you can just get a dragon to do something as significant as giving a boon simply because you're friends?"

She stepped closer and her voice turned sharp. "Don't you remember that it's practically a solemn oath among dragons not to grant boons, most especially to gods?"

Rhyos met her gaze without flinching. "I was going to bank on his inexperience," he said evenly. "On the assumption that he doesn't know that part yet."

Lucina studied him for a moment longer before sighing and waving one hand dismissively. "Well, you'd better get to looking for him then. Time is wasting."

Rhyos's eyes began to glow with golden light as he turned back toward the gateway.

The view shifted rapidly and showed seas churning with waves, continents spreading across vast distances, magical creatures flying through skies and prowling through forests, cities with life and deserts stretching endlessly under the sun.

The images flickered faster and faster until suddenly the screen stopped on a specific location.

The view showed dense jungle giving way to cleared land and a series of wooden posts marking a border crossing.

Three figures walked into the frame and Rhyos felt a surge of satisfaction as Aiden's face came into focus along with the two women beside him.

"Where is that?" Lucina asked, leaning forward with interest.

"The borders leading to the Kingdom of Amazons," Rhyos said quietly.

Lucina's smile returned. "How perfect."

—————

Aiden stopped walking and turned to look up at the sky. He felt that that same nagging feeling that had plagued him at different intervals for the last few weeks.

It was subtle and almost imperceptible, like the sensation of eyes on the back of his neck.

Arianna noticed he'd stopped and glanced over at him with concern. "What are you looking at?"

"It's nothing," Aiden said after a moment and forced himself to look away from the sky. He shook his head and returned his focus to the path ahead where the border markers of Yul'thera stood

They kept walking and pushed deeper into the territory.

Not long after they crossed the visible border, the sound of hoofbeats reached Aiden's ears and he raised one hand to signal the others to stop.

Women in armor emerged from the jungle on all sides, sitting on the backs of horses as they formed a circle around the three travelers.

The soldiers wore leather and metal plates that left their arms bare and showed the toned muscle beneath, and each carried a spear or sword.

Their faces were hard and their eyes sharp as they studied the intruders who'd entered their land without permission.

One of them, a woman with a scar running down her left cheek and her dark hair pulled back in a tight braid, urged her horse forward and leveled her spear at Aiden.

"State your business," she said, with a voice carrying authority. "You've crossed into Yul'thera's territory."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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