Aria woke up groggily to the sound of footsteps echoing through the building, followed by a startled cry. "Is he alive or dead?"

She had spent the night slumped over the table, sleeping fitfully. As she blinked her eyes open, she witnessed the pale-faced bartender patting Neven's cheek, eliciting a muffled groan from him. With a sigh of relief, the bartender turned to Aria, gesturing towards the swelling on Neven's forehead. "Were you two fighting last night? And he didn't lay a hand on a girl, did he?"

"It wasn't a fight, just a misunderstanding," Aria replied, wincing at the soreness in her back.

Approaching them, she peered down at Neven lying on the floor, still in disbelief that Lucius had tasked her with finding this notorious drunkard. "How did he end up like this? Are you sure he's Neven?"

"I know everyone in town," the bartender affirmed. "He's the one, no doubt. Ever since he arrived in Longhorn, he's been like this all the time."

"You're saying he's not from Longhorn?" Aria grew more perplexed.

"He came to Longhorn three years ago, taken in by the blacksmith," the bartender explained. "He seemed to have been attacked by wild animals in the woods back then, covered in wounds. Everyone thought he wouldn't survive."

"But he did," Aria muttered.

"I've told you everything I know. You need to get him out of here; many patrons don't like seeing him around."

"But he's unconscious."

The bartender grabbed a cup of alcohol and splashed it onto Neven's face. Almost instantly, Neven, who had been unconscious moments ago, sprang up from the ground, wiping the alcohol from his face in anger. Suddenly, with a fierce glare, he grabbed Aria's collar, as if she were a fragile little rabbit. His breath reeked of alcohol, his face flushed with rage.

"Neven, calm down," the bartender intervened. "She settled all your tabs; you should thank the lady."

"You crazy woman..." he muttered, pushing Aria away, wiping his face, and heading out into the freezing cold.

Aria grabbed her cloak and bag, hastily following him. "Wait for me. I'm really sorry about last night. I thought you were..."

"What?" he snapped.

"That's not the point," Aria chuckled nervously. "Someone sent me to Longhorn to find Neven Everhart, which is you..."

He turned around, almost colliding with Aria. "Neven Everhart is dead, and there's no one called Neven anymore," he declared before striding away.

"The bartender said you are," Aria insisted, catching up. "He knows everyone in Longhorn, and he knows you..."

"He lied to you, for money," Neven retorted sarcastically.

Ahead on the path, a group of young men were making a racket, tossing horseshoes into a barrel of water. It looked like they had been at it for a while, with iron horseshoes scattered around. As they passed, one of them deliberately threw a horseshoe at Neven, mocking him. "Neven, are you blind? You're blocking my way."

Neven continued forward, unfazed, as if nothing had happened. Aria hurried through the crowd, followed by even louder jeers from behind.

"Don't you want to say something?" Aria caught up and asked.

He headed for the back door of the blacksmith's shop, ignoring Aria, and pulled open the small door, disappearing inside. Aria hastily squeezed through the door behind him.

It was a tiny warehouse cluttered with odds and ends. Piles of empty bottles filled one corner, while a gray, old blanket lay on the ground, serving as the simplest of beds.

"Do you know Lucius Argent? He's a demigod at the Celestial Sanctum," Aria inquired.

Picking up a more worn-out piece of clothing, he glanced at Aria. "Can you stop following me? This isn't where you're supposed to be. I can't pay you back..."

"I can't leave. I just can't. You don't have to pay me back; it's from Lucius anyway," Aria insisted, firmly closing the cold wooden door.

He peeled off his stiff, wet clothes, revealing his muscular upper body covered in scars. Compared to his smooth face, the scars on his body resembled a map. Aria felt her face flush with embarrassment, awkwardly turning away, regretting following a man home.

"I don't know any Lucius Argent, any demigod. You've got the wrong person," he said, rummaging through things, causing a clatter. Soon, the room fell silent, replaced by a pungent smell of alcohol. Aria turned around in frustration, confirming her suspicions. Neven, now changed into dry clothes, was drinking again, leaning against a barrel with his eyes closed, as if Aria didn't exist.

"You're drinking again? You nearly froze to death outside last night," Aria exclaimed incredulously. "And now it's morning. Can't you do something productive?" She rolled her eyes at the ceiling, utterly exasperated by the man.

"If you dislike it so much, the door is behind you..." he lazily pointed towards the door.

Aria wanted to slam the door and leave, but she couldn't. She reminded herself to stay calm, then lowered her voice and said, "Lucius sent me to find you. He wants me to take you back to Sovereign Bastion, I mean... the Land of the Dead..."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Why don't you understand? I don't know any Lucius, and I don't want to leave Longhorn Town. I'm fine here," Neven replied.

"If Lucius doesn't know you, why would he send me to find you?" Aria said irritably.

"You should ask him that. How would I know?" Neven retorted impatiently. There was a pounding sound coming from the other side of the wall, sounding like ironwork. Aria couldn't figure out what Neven was thinking. He seemed completely disinterested in Lucius's request. But Aria wanted to go back to Sovereign Bastion, and the border was within reach. Right now, this man was the biggest obstacle to her journey home.

Someone pushed open the small door and tossed in a few iron horseshoes. Aria didn't even see who it was before the door closed again. Neven reluctantly set down the jug of wine and rummaged through a pile of junk to find a hammer. As if Aria didn't exist, he picked up the horseshoes and hammer and went out.

"You're afraid to go to the Land of the Dead, aren't you?" Aria followed him out, continuing to provoke him. "I can tell. You're a coward, no wonder nobody likes you, because you're a mess."

Neven turned around aggressively, locking eyes with her, the tension thick in the air. "Do you think you're clever trying to provoke me? You're wrong. If you want to go there and die, don't take me with you. I won't accompany you to that damned place," he pointed with the hammer and yelled, "No one can enter that boundary!"

Aria fumbled to take out a golden pendant, about to explain. Neven came over coldly, his black hair flying in the wind, his deep brown eyes emitting a cold light, and threatened, "Don't ignore my words. Killing someone here is easy, and no one will care." His face was close to Aria's, reminiscent of the demon who once slaughtered Sovereign Bastion. Aria trembled, unable to meet his terrifying gaze.

After several deep breaths, Aria tremblingly took out the golden pendant, tinkering with it for a while before it made a clinking sound. The golden wings unfolded, revealing a black candle. "I can take you in, we have it, we can definitely pass through the boundary..."

Neven let out a heavy sigh, asking helplessly, "A candle?"

"It's..." Aria began, but before she could finish, Neven had already walked away with the iron horseshoes.

"It's a demon-expelling candle, confirmed by The Oracle, a true demon-expelling candle..." Aria shouted after his retreating figure, how she wished Neven could understand her inner turmoil.

"She listened to the clinking of the iron hooves, feeling utterly disheartened. Watching Neven's indifferent expression, Aria reluctantly stowed away the candle. She had failed to persuade Neven to return to Sovereign Bastion, disappointing Lucius, who had risked his life to save her.

On her way back, Aria was intercepted by the group who had thrown the iron horseshoes, several towering men surrounding her. "Hold on, don't walk away. We heard you've got some demi-god's coins, why don't you show us?"

"Don't touch me," Aria pushed away the dirty hands.

"Leave the coins and we'll let you go."

Someone behind shoved her, and Aria stumbled forward. The purse was yanked harshly, but she clutched onto the small leather pouch filled with coins tightly. She could hardly believe these people were openly robbing her.

In the sparsely populated Longhorn Town, there was little chance of anyone stopping these ruffians.

Aria glanced past the crowd towards the nearby blacksmith's shop, hoping for assistance. But Neven continued to clatter the horseshoes as if he hadn't noticed a thing. In the end, Aria reluctantly let go of the pouch, allowing the thieves to take her coins. As they jeered and pushed her out of the crowd, Aria stumbled away. Despite encountering many dangers along the way, she had never felt as scared as she did just now.

As she came to a stop, her legs trembling, she found herself standing beside the woods outside the town.

Beyond the towering, ominous trees lay the stormy, northernmost region.

She stood there for a long time until the crunching of footsteps behind her jolted her back to reality. Wiping her face, Aria turned around to see the approaching figure, filled with even more anger. "I know you don't want to go, and I know I'm annoying. I can't help but make you hate me because I promised Lucius I'd take you back to Sovereign Bastion. In three days, I'm leaving Longhorn Town. With or without you, I'm going in."

Neven didn't respond, and Aria's frustration grew as she looked at his face. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. With a huff, she pushed past him and headed straight back to the Inn.

In the days that followed, Aria's room was cloaked in a heavy silence, as if time had come to a standstill within its walls. Whenever she recalled her past experiences, the pain resurfaced as if it had happened just yesterday, compelling her to close her eyes in an attempt to escape the agonizing memories. Her fingers lightly brushed against the scales on her hands, the sensation of pain still vivid, as if it had occurred only moments ago.

As time passed, Aria's inner turmoil intensified day by day. She was certain she couldn't remain trapped in this perilous and painful place any longer. Even without Neven's help, she was determined to return to Sovereign Bastion, back to her former home.

The appointed time arrived soon enough.

On this particular morning, as Aria packed her belongings, the absence of any sign from Neven plunged her mood to its lowest depths. Since their last argument, Neven had disappeared without a trace. He was as indifferent and unforgiving as the weather in Longhorn Town. She sat by the window, feeling a twinge of regret. She had broken her promise, failing to fulfill the task Lucius entrusted to her.

Aria turned her gaze towards the mist-shrouded end of the cold path, every figure's appearance causing her heart to skip a beat. This path had become a place where anticipation and disappointment intertwined, each hope akin to grasping at a thin thread that always slipped through her fingers. Her gaze pierced through the fog, scrutinizing the silhouette of each figure, longing to catch sight of that familiar form.

Neven. His name echoed silently in her mind, as she awaited his arrival. He had been the most perplexing person to Aria, yet also her sole hope for assistance. Yet, everything involving Neven had led to disappointment. She began to doubt her decisions, wondering if she had chosen the wrong person to seek help from.

"Are you Neven?" the bartender's voice interrupted her reverie from downstairs.

Aria glanced out the window.

As the figure cloaked in black approached the inn, Aria's heart quickened. Pressing her face against the glass, she peered down through the mist and frost. The man below slowly removed his hood, then impatiently waved to Aria.Today, Neven seemed like a different person. His hair neatly trimmed, a hint of arrogance gleamed in his deep brown eyes. He carried a multitude of weapons,a shining sword at his waist, a bow on his back and a bundle of arrows in his hand. He seemed ready to face a daunting battle.

Aria's feet slipped, nearly causing her to fall from the windowsill. She bit her lip tightly, trying to control her emotions. Neven's presence both excited and unnerved her; her palms were already damp with sweat, unsure if she could face him, given that all her previous experiences had been terrible.

Aria dashed down the stairs, leaving the stunned patrons of the tavern in her wake. She simply wanted to meet Neven Everhart and ascertain whether he had truly had a change of heart.

Upon reaching the doorway, she heaved a long sigh of relief before calmly pushing open the door. "Have you changed your mind?" she asked, striving to maintain a steady voice.

"I've come to find you, haven't I? Of course, I'm prepared to go with you," Neven replied. "Hurry and gather your things; we must cross the boundary while it's still light."