Meera's first reaction would've been utter shock, but she had to confirm something vitally important. "When you say Silas and Cossus, surely you don't mean two tall, blond men with green eyes who are both archers?"

"Wow, you described them perfectly." He clapped, then leaned in. "Do you know them?"

Meera didn't shake from the earth-shattering revelation nor scream and shout. She stood perfectly still, staring off into the distance as if she were daydreaming while a storm raged inside her.

So many thoughts jumbled themselves together in her mind that she couldn't even keep them coherent.

No, he must've meant someone else.

I must've misheard.

Silas and Cossus…but Cossus is dead.

She was so lost in her mind that she didn't get out until Kalrina shook her. "Are you alright, dearie? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Meera ignored her and looked at the Saint, who was picking his nose with his dirty fingers. That sent a shiver down Meera's spine. Yuck!

"Excuse me, sir—uh, Eryx—"

"Just Eryx," he corrected.

"Yes, Eryx, but did you say Silas and Cossus?"

"Yes."

"But I saw Cossus die. I was even there when Silas lit his pyre."

"Really?" Eryx cried. "Then who was it that I saw?" His eyes bulged in shock. "Was it his ghost?" He shook his head and rubbed his chin. "Oh, now I remember. Cossus has the master voice. Actually, they both do. They just specialize in different things. All this to say he's come back from certain death many times. I think they even beheaded him one time, or was that Enedeth…" He tapped a finger on his lips. "No, she died from her beheading—poor girl. But at least she wasn't burned and beheaded by Arasir. Now, there was a fellow who liked to behead people. He got done in by his own fascination."

"But they can't be Cosmarians! Cossus died to a level 97 Ape, and they were both below level 100."

Eryx laughed so hard he fell on his back and rocked his legs as if he were a toddler having a blast. A few moments of reckless laughter later, he composed himself. "Check my level now."

[The Wimpy Force – Level 6]

Meera's jaw dropped. She shared a bewildered look with the witch, whose expression mirrored Meera's.

"H-How?" Kalrina managed.

"It's a skill called Misidentify. It lets me show you the level I want to show you. I taught it to the boys myself when they were two years old. It got them and me into heaps of trouble with their parents."

"Can you teach it to me?" Kalrina asked, a hungry look in her eye.

"Are you a Cosmarian?"

"If I said yes."

"Then I would call you a liar and throw you out, sorceress. You stink of that dragon corpse you sorceresses call home. My lovelies hate the smell of death." He caressed a rose gently.

Meera would've loved to learn this skill as well, but there were bigger concerns on her mind. Chief among them was that she was betrayed.

They knew…They knew who I was the moment I stepped out of that mirror. They were waiting for me. But how did they know I was coming?

She wanted to ask the senile Cosmarian, but knowing him, he would pick his nose again and say he didn't know. She didn't want to reveal to the witch again that she was from Earth or have a conversation that would lead to her revealing she was brought here by Midiea, the goddess Eryx did not like.

So instead, she asked. "Do Silas or Cossus have powers of divination?"

He scratched his beard. "No, I don't think so. They might've acquired them in the last eight thousand years."

That was an absurd amount of time. Back home, that was about the time of recorded history, and even most of that was not fully documented. She shook her head and asked her final question.

"Can you see where they are right now?" Meera asked.

Once again, Eryx sniffed the air in several directions. As much as she hated making the comparison, he looked like a sniffer dog looking for clues. After a minute of sniffing, his nose upturned to a random point in the sky.

He shivered, hugged his arms, and finally sneezed. "They are on Ealisto, heading to a freezing place."

"To the Warlocks of Winter's Embrace?" Meera asked.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

He shrugged. "Could be. Wait." He sniffed again. "Yes, to the Warlocks."

"Is Neel there, or was he there?"

He took a deep breath. "I can't tell where the Champion's been, remember." He gasped and leaned in towards Kalrina. "Did you know she's the Champion's sister? Who knew the Champion had a sister."

Kalrina shared a look with Meera that spoke volumes about what she thought about the credibility of this man, which Meera had begun to doubt as well.

"Are you done?" Kalrina asked Meera. "You know, I think you're done. My turn. Can you please bring my memory back, Eryx?" She asked in a sultry voice.

"No."

"Please." Kalrina pleaded with clasped hands, pushing her breasts together to show her cleavage.

"Still no. Want to know why?"

She nodded.

"I don't know how." He laughed. "That's outside my skills." He laughed again as if it were some great joke. Kalrina started asking more questions about how she could restore it and if there were other Cosmarians who could help her. Meera was not interested in all that. She had greater things to worry about.

Namely, she felt betrayed by the people who thought she could trust. After all, one of them died for her, or so she thought. Not to mention that they mentored her, and she wouldn't be alive today without the basics they drilled into her. Cossus was one thing, but this betrayal from Silas hurt deeply. She was waiting to meet up with him again and show him all her progress. Now, it felt like her reunion with them would be considerably less cordial.

Although it hadn't been stated, Meera was sure they were the ones who had taken Kalrina's memory. They must've used the master voice on her to make her forget their interaction. They must've done the same to Narikas and Hilnoa when they beat them to within an inch of their lives.

There was one question that remained unanswered—why? Why were they going after Neel, aside from the obvious? If they wanted to bring Neel to them, the easier route would be to kidnap Meera and then broadcast through the worlds where they held his sister. Neel would come running.

No, they weren't after Neel when they came to meet me. Something changed after Silas left Belacre. But what? Did their plans change, or did they just give me some training to make sure I stay alive long enough for their plans to come to fruition? Whatever they may be.

She couldn't figure out the answers to these questions by standing here. Only they knew what they were doing, but one thing was certain—the stakes had just risen once again. Aside from the Saint, all the Cosmarians she had seen were evil and had their own agendas.

Meera gasped. "What if they're working for Rothedon?"

"Doubtful," Eryx commented. The haze from his eyes had cleared, and he looked surer of himself. "If they were, the gods would've descended from their pretty palaces up on Mirithia, chained them up, and tossed them with their former master."

"Hey, you had your turn," Kalrina pouted. "I almost have him convinced."

"And I told you, you stinking sorceress, I can't help you, no matter how many times you try to sleep with me," Eryx commented before turning from her.

Meera did a double-take and decided she didn't care about what the witch did. After all, she was the lowest of the low, so she shouldn't put it beneath her.

She had to take her mind off this and decided to take this time to check her notifications before the Saint tossed them out of this safe haven. Aksha and her daughters most probably had them surrounded by now, just waiting to emerge. An extra skill or two could work in her favor.

I would really like to have the ability to multiply, and then maybe I could survive the great prophecy. She paused and shook her head. Screw the prophecy. My plan stays the same. I find Neel and leave this place as soon as I have my hands on him.

She pulled her mind away from her far-off death and focused on her notifications.

*ding!*

[Your party has killed 2 Sorceress of Rebirth – Level 482. You have gained partial experience. For killing an opponent a hundred levels higher than your own, you have gained bonus experience.]

*ding!*

[Congratulation. The Shadow Image has gained 9 levels and reached Level 366. You have been awarded 27 stat points]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror Affinity has gained 4 levels and reached Level 253. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 257% boost.]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Spectral Dominion has gained 8 levels and reached Level 41]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Petrifying Surge has reached Level 53]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Smoke Eclipse has gained 5 levels and reached Level 9]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Shadow Affinity has gained 4 levels and reached Level 113. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 116% boost.]

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Mirror Shard Barrage has gained 3 levels and reached Level 102.]

*ding!*

[Skill Evolution. Mirror Shard Barrage evolves to Mirror Shard Fury. Mirror Shard Fury – Type: Active. You can shoot a beam of sharp mirror shards and light that pierce through multiple enemies, damaging all targets in their path.]

Meera instinctively grinned. Now, that's more like it.

Not only did it become stronger, but it also brought down multiple enemies if she could line it up right. This would come in handy if she got surrounded or had many enemies with weak defenses, like the Daughters of Aksha.

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Alpha Aura has gained 8 levels and reached Level 30]

Meera snorted. This was a skill that hardly ever leveled as she spent so much of her time fighting alone. It raised the stats of those who fought beside her. But still, it was good to know that it boosted some of the witch's nerves, or she would've run the first sign of trouble.

*ding!*

[Congratulations. Soul Bond – Onyx the Stallion has gained 8 levels and reached Level 26]

A shadow fell on Meera. "Ready to move out, love?" Kalrina asked, crossing her arms with a smile on her lips.

Meera ignored as she was about to get to the fun part of checking her notifications—the skills she had gotten from the sorceress and her daughters. She figured she should've gotten quite a few.

Kalrina coughed, interrupting Meera's thoughts again. Meera ignored her, hoping she would go away.

"Knock, knock." Kalrina knocked on Meera's head. "Anyone in there?"

"Go away!" Meera snapped. "Our journey together ended the moment we sprung his trap."

"Trap!" Eryx exclaimed. "What trap? There are traps around here?"

The witch and Meera both ignored the senile old man.

"Aren't you headed to the Sorceresses of Akhessai?" Kalrina asked.

"Let me guess, so are you."

Kalrina smiled. "That's right. Since he cannot bring back my memory, I'm forced to turn to my dear friend, Hemera."

"And she conveniently resides at the dragon keep?"

"Just so. Looks like our journey together is not yet over."

Meera sighed. "This has got to be a fucking joke."