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The mysteries, the Gates, the way back, answers to so many questions may lie written down, hidden between these old dusty pages!

I peek through the journal, despite Rai'Ze's growing weariness. I'm way too excited to let the opportunity pass, her date with that strange desert monster can wait just a bit more.

The old man spent a lifetime in this world and documented everything! Gates, Paths, Temples, Obelisks, Pillars... what is this? A celestial map? Lines on the sky? Constellations?? I've never been too good at these things. I barely know how to find the North Star, my old man taught me once, Polaris, yes, that one. And the big constellation, Orion, with its belt... wait... Alnitak, was it?

Yeah... I've completely forgotten the other ones.

I tried to find them in the night sky. I looked for any of them since I set foot in here, staring at the stars while everyone else was long asleep. I couldn't identify a single one. Nothing seems familiar to me, not even the Moon is the same! Or should I say, "the moons"! Three of them, each one more different and stranger than the other.

They cross the sky together. The smallest one rises first, even before the sun sets. A tiny, bright-green moon, or is it maybe a planet? The big one's a bit lazy, slowly rising after the sunset. Reddish, somewhat brighter, and far bigger than our Moon. I can't say it doesn't look impressive. It floods the sands in a purple-red tint.

Not for long, though, as the last one appears soon after, bright yellow, almost like a star. And yet it moves fast, faster than the other two. It's the first one to go down even before daybreak. It completes the colors, washing the reds away and turning the sands back to a natural orange tint.

Early in the morning, the red giant still lingers up above the horizon, but only sometimes, for some reason, I couldn't be bothered to understand, painting the entire sunrise red. They call it the BloodRise, Yun'ah'er, and everyone fears it, they dread its powers, it seems, the brutish tribal slavers more than the rest.

For all that stargazing, I couldn't find a single constellation to match. There's no Orion, no Ursae, Big or Little, both Bears are completely missing, and so is the North Star. I can't say I found any other to replace it. The sky rotates each night, that's a given, but I'm either too stupid or too ignorant to keep track of all the lights above my head.

And yet, the old man seems to have had it all figured out.

His hand-drawn sky maps are scattered throughout the journal, some more detailed than others, with markings on the side, strange computations, and plenty of numbers to match. I feel stupid just looking at these beautifully drafted diagrams, wondering whether any of them are linked with the gates. Why else did he waste so much effort and time to make them? He even calculated the world's seasons, sunsets, and sunrise circles, down to each of the days.

I stop reading not long after.

A strange new language slowly crept in, filling page after page, completely confusing me. It marks only some of the diagrams for a while, but then entire pages are written like that. Hieroglyphs? No, they're still letters, and yet I can't make sense of them. And that's not even the worst part. The last section gets even worse. Small markings, perfectly aligned, almost like a binary code, if not for their unusual shape and size. All these weird lines come together to form another writing, apparently even more complicated than the previous one.

I feel humbled by the amount of information contained within the journal's old pages. No wonder Rai'Ze wanted me to take a look over these things. These "secrets" that she couldn't even understand, all stashed carefully aside, waiting for someone much wiser than her to make use of them somehow. I close the precious leatherbound notebook, fastening down its straps and slowly stashing it inside one of the large outside pockets of the sturdy backpack.

I take a look around. All kinds of amazing artifacts, incredible creations, wondrous relics, broken, incomplete, a few of them probably still working. They're all alien to me, except for these. These are from my world. These "secrets" are all mine to keep!

The journal also comes with me!

Old Jake didn't waste his entire life for nothing!

I'll find that damn Gate, old man! I'll find a way back home, it's a promise!

I carefully stash the journal inside my backpack, taking a last look ahead. There's nothing else worth taking. An entire human life, everything he had at the end, all his work, all his life... resumed to just two small piles. And one of them is worth nothing anymore...

"I'll keep these," I inform Rai'Ze.

I hurry to pack up. I don't know what else to say. I'm no good with these things, have never been, and I doubt that will change anytime soon. I hope he got the burial he wished for. Rai'Ze said she made sure of it. I trust she did everything she could to give him a proper rest. I quickly stash everything inside the large army backpack, except for the gun and its holster that goes right onto my belt.

The inventory is complete. Eight magazines, three full, four empty, and another stuck inside. I even got the burned one, you never know when I'll find a use for it. The lewd magazine goes next, opened, its pin-up page making the perfect cradle for the grenades. Carefully, one, two... four. I won't carry the rusted one. It looks completely wasted, and there are plenty of rocks around, so I don't need to carry another one on my back.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The leather wallet goes into the right pocket, a perfect fit, next to the compass. The poisonous flask goes outside on the other side, strapped tightly inside, I don't want that thing to spill all over me. The journal gets its own pocket, the biggest of them all. All that's left is the broken wristwatch. I take a quick look at it, there's no movement, the winding mechanism seems dead too. Still, I feel guilty about throwing it away. I'm not going to leave it behind, either. Maybe, one day, I'll fix it?

Everything's ready, stashed neatly inside my brand new, hundred-year-old backpack! I even had room for the stinky leather pouch with its straps and all. I had to rip more pages from the magazine to wrap the damn thing and keep its foul smells from getting out. Note to myself, find some water and give this thing a thorough wash.

"We go?" the beast asks as I tightly strap the gun's holster to my belt.

The backpack fits perfectly on my back. It's a bit smaller than I thought and feels lighter too. I'm not complaining, though. I don't even dare to. In this world, my backpack is the best backpack! And of that, I am sure.

"I'm done," I reply to her, taking one last look behind at the discarded pile. No. There's nothing else worth taking, no doubt about it.

I grab my axe and look at the beast, ready to go. She seems slightly annoyed, restless even. I wonder why.

"Let's go." She turns away, rushing out.

We leave the small room, pass through the armory and start going through the corridors. Inside the cave, things calmed down. Apparently, everything's returning to the usual normality, except for the warriors posted on each larger intersection, some smiling, some just bowing their heads. The chieftains reacted, and the chaos got under control, at least for now.

The beast ignores them, and so do I, barely keeping up with her.

I quickly understand her annoyance as the desert heat starts burning inside the lower levels. It's not noon yet, but it already feels hot, and soon enough, it will get much hotter. Fuck, maybe I should have hurried up a bit more?

The ground floor is almost deserted, and rightfully so. The hunters have finished their morning ride, and no one is stupid enough to linger out here in the heat. No one except the poor souls that have to tend to the riding beasts, and even they seem confused by the sight of their mighty Queen rushing out from the cave.

"Ukn'ar, move!" She quickly informs them of her disposition.

Her harsh words spread like wildfire, and the scared minions spring into action. Soon enough, her mighty riding beast appears, dragged out from its own separate pen. Everyone hurries, frantically tying its many harnesses, adjusting and tightening every rein, trying their best not to make the beast wait too long for her ride to be ready.

I could feel a bit more pity for them if not for the sweat pouring down my face and back, wishing for the slightest cool breeze, thinking that once we're on the move, the wind will surely help us chill down. No wonder she wanted me to hurry up and pack. It's so damn hot outside.

Finally, the heavy saddle is strapped tightly, and the beast jumps in it effortlessly, already checking on the massive reins. I look up at the riding beast, trying to figure out the best way to climb on it with the axe in one hand.

"Ma... m... mas...," the stuttering sound of a young woman's voice stops me in my tracks.

Damn! I completely forgot about Eln'een!

I should be more careful, I think, I can't risk leaving her alone with all those fuckers roaming for new slaves back in there. I wonder where did she vanish after I got inside the armory? A nearby servant's quarters, probably, there's a lot of the cave I haven't explored yet.

Never mind that, she's here now, and it takes me just a moment to understand her desire. She wants to come with me, but she can't say it, neither her voice nor her will allow it. No problem, I'll speak for her, or so I thought.

"Marcus! There's no time!" The beast's voice cuts down any possible negotiation.

Eln'een's head bows down, and her pretty eyes darken.

I'm sorry, little one, for now, you'll have to survive on your own, just until I'm back, I wish to tell her. I can't seem to do it, though. But there is something I can do to help her stay safe while I'm out there with the beast. I may step over some unspoken boundaries, but it's worth a try nonetheless.

"Go to Lhina'an, ask her to keep you around until I'm back, she's going to do it for me," I whisper to her, slowly caressing her back.

The girl looks back at me with a humble smile on her face. Yes, that will do, at least for now, she will be safe, we both know that the healer woman can be trusted, as, for some reason, she seems quite fond of me, although I can't figure out why yet.

"Y...es... m...mas..." she tries her best to acknowledge my advice before I silence her with a nod. I don't have all day to wait, and the beast seems increasingly annoyed by the delay.

I slowly climb on top of the riding beast, thankfully still half buried in sand, but not for long, as once I manage to squeeze myself behind Rai'Ze, the savage Queen yanks all the stirrups with all her strength, forcing the animal to rise on its sturdy feet, half confused, and just as sleepy. Amazingly, the giant beast just decided to take a nap while it was saddled down, completely ignoring the suffocating heat, or maybe because of it. No matter the reason, its sleep is over, and with its mighty rider well saddled on its back, it slowly starts its long march toward the burning desert ahead.

We're moving!

I breathe at ease as the wind starts picking up, chilling the sweat on my body. I push myself deeper into the massive saddle, adjusting myself, finally finding a way to tie down the axe on top of the backpack, freeing both my hands to grab onto Rai'Ze's strong body as she pushes the beast to go faster and faster through the sands.

I sigh as I look back at the slowly fading cave mouth, worried again about what lies ahead.

A new test, a new challenge, I wonder, feeling a bit more confided now that I have my magic axe with me, not to mention the trusty old pistol strapped to my waist. And yet, the more we sink into the sands, the more my old fears return.

This world has been testing me since the day I set foot inside it.

The more I think about it, the worse I feel.

Dreadful memories rush in, flooding through every corner of my mind, projecting themselves ahead into the future. Endless possibilities of horrifying and brutal demise. Fear sips in, too, my constant primal companion.

It bothers me not knowing what awaits me out there. I'm afraid I'll find out sooner rather than later. For now, I'll chase all the thoughts away, simply enjoying this ride, completely ignorant of the dangers ahead, holding tight onto my savage Queen.

Her massive body moves, reacting to my embrace, leaning into my arms without turning her head, a welcoming feeling indeed.

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