Dust curled around Samuel's shoes, and the rocky ground crunched beneath every step he took. The sky had begun to turn red and orange, the last light of the day stretching, long shadows over the wasteland they had arrived in.
Samuel strolled in front, eyes fixed on the girl in front of him. The Celestial Navigator, petite, dressed in ceremonial robes and shining ornaments, now looked pale, shaken, and worn out. She was rubbing her wrist, still sore from when he grabbed her back at the altar.
He took a step closer.
"What's your name?" Samuel uttered.
She was hesitant, eyeing him carefully. "Lira."
"Lira," he responded, to himself. "Tell me what I need to reach the Divine Realm."
She blinked in confusion. "What?"
"You heard me," he replied.
She exhaled deeply. "Why… why are you trying to go there?"
Samuel didn't move. Stayed calm, with a cold glare.
"I'm going to kill the gods," he declared.
Lira glanced at him. "You're insane," she muttered. "I thought you were joking when you first said. You don't even understand the gravity of what you're doing."
"They took something from me," he muttered quietly.
"What exactly happened with you and the gods?" she asked, with a softer tone.
Samuel glared at her intensely, "My friends. My little sister. I watched them sacrificed to the gods, one by one. I saw their bodies on that altar. I saw your gods feed on them."
A moment of silence.
Lira gasped faintly. "you're an outworlder."
"I'm the only one left," Samuel replied. "And I won't let what happened to them be for nothing."
She looked away for a moment, the wind lifting strands of her hair. When she turned back, her voice was hesitant. "Fine. I'll help you."
Samuel raised an eyebrow.
"But I'm warning you now, I've already lost a lot of my life essence. Into The last divine portal I opened? It drained me. That kind of magic isn't something I can keep doing. And besides, It was only thirty minutes ago."
"How long will it take to recover your essence?" Samuel questioned.
"If I was still near an altar… a few weeks," Lira responded lowering her eyes. "But now that we're this far away, it could take months."
"I don't have months," Samuel exclaimed flatly.
"There's another way," Lira added. "If I eat from the Tree of Longevity, I could recover almost instantly."
"what's that?"
Lira yelled in a demeaning tone. "You really don't know anything, do you?
"It's a sacred tree," she explained. "One bite from its fruit can restore a mortal essence fully. But it's hidden deep in the Eldoria Forest."
Samuel declared. "then we shall head there."
She stared at him, questioning his sanity. "No. You don't understand. Eldoria is home to the giants. True-blooded giants. They're strong enough to crack the earth with their bare hands. Some are as strong as demigods."
"I don't care, why should that be a bother."
"it should be," she snapped. "Even if, somehow, you got past the giants, the Tree of Longevity is behind the Lagoon of Agony."
"The lagoon?" he repeated.
It's a cursed body of water. It drains your essence, life, and memory. It's said that even the giants don't cross it."
Samuel ignored her. "How far are we from the forest?"
Lira threw her hands in the air. "Are you not listening to anything I'm saying? You may have taken down the main palace path-knights, but you're nothing compared to what's out there."
"I've come too far to turn back now," Samuel uttered.
"You're going to get us both killed," she said bitterly.
"We leave at sunrise," Samuel replied, ignoring her protest.
Lira glared at him but said nothing.
The wind howled again. In the distance, the night sky deepened to black. The stars began to appear, dim at first, then brighter They became with every minute.
"We need shelter," Lira said after a long silence. "We can't stay exposed out here."
"And besides it's cold."
Samuel scanned the area and pointed toward a shallow cave nestled between two rock spires.
"follow me."
They walked without speaking, feet crunching against the rocky grounds. Once inside the cave, Samuel sat near the opening while Lira curled up farther back, pulling her robe tighter around her.
He stared at the stars for a long time. His fingers clenched without him realizing it. In his mind, he could still see the blood on the altar, his sister's face staring at him
It was now a nightmare Hunting him.
He closed his eyes, even though he can no longer fall asleep.
"I'll make them pay," he whispered.
"I promise."
Tears run down his cheeks.
Behind him, Lira had pretended to have already fallen asleep, her breaths Intentionally slow.
He sensed her, cleaning the tears from his cheeks, he muttered.
"Lira go to sleep."
She uttered quietly, "how did you know I am not asleep?"
"Your heartbeat, I can hear them." He implied.
"I am not trying to start a conversation with you, get some rest, you will need it."
Okay, she uttered.
Lira turned back toward him again but with a softer tone this time.
"You said you watched your sister die."
Samuel didn't respond.
"I did," he exclaimed with pain in his tone.
Lira hesitated. "Did she know… what fully happened?"
His hand clenched his blade for a moment before setting it aside.
"She trusted them," he replied. "We all did. They told us we were chosen. Heroes. Guests of honor, chosen by the gods to help free the land."
"And then… they tied her down. She screamed for me. I couldn't reach her, I couldn't help."
Lira looked downwards.
"I. I didn't want this," she whispered. "The gods, the rituals, the lies. I was trained since I was a child to obey. To be their navigator. I knew that god can be harsh sometimes, but I don't think they would do something like this."
"You don't have to believe in me," Samuel agreed. "Just get me to the Divine Realm. That's all I need."
He explained.
"Get some sleep, Lira," he said again. "Tomorrow, we live at sunrise."