A faint frown formed on Luno’s forehead.

“So… thou would doom us all on this quest for revenge?” He asked.

Katsíki?

[Thanks.]

I took a deep breath before loudly sighing.

“Luno… may I call you that?” I asked with a weak smile even though my eyes clearly burnt with rage.

“Of course. Ah- it is only natural since we are both of the same soil.” Luno chuckled prompting me to chuckle as well.

“Yes, natural. Can I tell you what’s also natural? Grief! HATRED AND A DESIRE FOR JUSTICE!” I spat with trembling eyes.

Luno didn’t react, even as my saliva sprayed onto his face.

“I will not be content with letting bye gones go the by! You… YOUR SON HAS DONE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE WORLD AND ITS INHABITANTS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY-“

I choked on my own anger.

“He took Yna away from me.” I whimpered before suddenly seeing all of it.

My time in Edenton.

Every second appeared as clear as day.

From the moment we met to the moment she and her unborn child died.

My head fell.

“So please… kill me. Because I will not leave nor will I stop until the blood of your son evenly coats my hands.” I whimpered.

Luno sighed before leaving with his entourage in tow.

A cloud of smoke then appeared in front of me.

The two guards raised their lances but I ignored them as the cloud took a rather familiar form.

I looked into Kenos’s dark eyes and weakly gasped as he wrapped his arms around me.

I…

I was tired.

Kenos was tired and so I closed our eyes and slept all while thinking back to sweet moments past.

.

..

Hours passed as I hung in my cell.

I could have sunk into the dark realm but I figured that the magical binds that covered me would probably kill me if I tried and so I stayed put.

I raised a brow as Luno suddenly appeared.

“Leave.” He said and like that, the two guards watching over me disappeared.

“No.” I sighed as the dwarf king paced pack and forth while stroking his silver beard.

“I…” He tried saying but he stopped as our eyes met.

“Is there truly nothing else I could do?” He asked with a pained expression.

“Nope. Oh- I’m curious. I recall someone saying something about the Dragon Prince. How did that go? Is he free now?”

“No. No, I erected another, far stronger barrier before we left.” Luno said before sitting on the rather dusty floor.

“What would thee do if… hypothetically speaking, I offered my son to thee?”

“I would kill him.. slowly.” I yawned.

“Mmm… what about mine head-“

“Ugh, please just stop. We could talk about this all day but nothing would change. These binds look sturdy. I suggest you go back to your throne and do your job as king. I saw from within the dark realm that the Expanse is doing quite well. Live as you would. Although even I worry about what could happen if I managed to free myself.”

A moment passed as Luno and I stared at each other.

He then weakly nodded before suddenly disappearing.

[Haha!]

“Haha.”

[He seems far more reasonable than his son.]

“True, although I wonder what happened between him and the Haneem.” I hummed.

[Wow… even as we hang in the heart of our enemy’s territory, you still find energy to think about such useless things. Although… he’s likely just as warmongering as his son.]

“True. In another reality, he and I are pals. Sitting down and discussing history over tea.”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

[Yeah…]

I sighed.

Caligo’s face then flashed in my face and I laughed weakly as my hatred bubbled over again.

“Thank you.”

[Mmm?]

“Thank you for saving me. All that time ago.”

[Hehe, why bring that up now?]

“Because I want to. I was honestly content with my death, but upon awakening in this world, I decided to try. Inaction, procrastination and neglect. Those are my biggest sins… my biggest regrets. You.. you gave me a second chance.”

[A second chance, huh? I can say the same for you. We don’t really have to bring up my past, but I swear that I am beyond grateful that it was you who stumbled into my throne room.]

“Yeah… Oh- that place was actually a Haneem temple once.”

[Yeah. I don’t care though.]

“Hehe, of course.” I sweetly laughed.

I then raised my brows as a certain woman appeared in front of me.

She wore a pure white gown that was embellished with golden trimmings and sitting at its centre was the crest of the sun.

She wore a strange headpiece that resembled a veil. It wasn’t as long and sitting above it was a thin golden crown.

I looked into the woman’s brown eyes and sighed.

“No-“

“I’m not going to try to convince you to change your path.” The woman said… in English?

“Wait! You’re… you can speak English.” I asked and although I was genuinely surprised, I didn’t wanna hear anything she said.

“Yes. We are both from earth, after all.” She said with a gentle smile.

“Oh? And where exactly on earth are your from?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

“Unity.”

“Hoh?” I exclaimed.

“Province?”

“Cynosure.” The woman said.

“Cool. I’m from Acan. What’s your name again?”

“Zuri.”

“Ah, nice to formally meet you. I’m assuming your time in this world was also… challenging.” I said with a weak smile.

“It was… at first. Now my son has a high roof to sleep and under and plenty of food to eat.”

“Your son? Did you have him here or…?” I asked.

“I had him back on earth. His name is Adia and he’s my everything-“

“Wait a minute! How did you get here?” I asked with a frown.

“Umm… I actually don’t know. The collision happened and the next thing I knew, Adia and I were in Northern Medelona.”

“So… how did I get here?” I muttered.

“Mmm?” Zuri sounded.

“Oh, it's nothing. Mmm… before we continue our lovely chat, I must ask… why are you here?” I asked with a stiff expression.

Zuri took a deep breath before looking into my eyes.

“I heard about everything that transpired and… I know none of us will be able to get you to abandon your vengeful path. I asked Luno if I could speak with you, not to change your mind, just to hear your story and… maybe…” Zuri didn’t manage to finish her sentence.

I nodded before creating a chair for her to sit on.

She gave me a curt nod before sitting.

“I’m sure you know about half of my story so I’ll only tell you the parts you probably don’t know. Then, when I’m done, you can tell me yours.”

Zuri nodded.

We then spent what felt like hours telling each other about ourselves.

.

..

Silence filled the cell as Zuri and I reflected on everything we’d said and everything we’d done.

“I-“

Zuri and I stopped after seeing that we both wanted to speak.

“Hehe, go ahead.” I said.

“I do not regret it. Coming here, even if we had no choice in it, I cannot imagine a life where I did not get to experience the wonders of this world.” Zuri said.

My eyes fell to the floor.

“This world gave me the chance to live a life I could never have imagined. Anyway, it really was a pleasure speaking with you.” Zuri said as she stood up.

I nodded while destroying the chair.

She turned to leave but just as she did, the world trembled.

I frowned intensely while looking up.

“What is happening?” Zuri asked but before I could open my mouth to speak, everything darkened.

I then felt myself fall onto something hard yet strangely familiar.

I rapidly blinked as my blurry vision cleared.

“Katsíki?” Zuri called before joining me in gasping upon seeing that we were both in an alleyway and hanging above us, high in the sky, was Edenton.

“No, no, no, no, no, no.” I muttered while trying to stand but it was here that I realized that I hadn’t been able to feel my legs ever since being imprisoned.

I looked down and saw that they were still goat like, but I couldn’t move them at all.

I turned to Zuri, who was freaking out just as much as I was.

“What-?” She uttered with trembling eyes.

I looked up again and my heart fell upon seeing that Edenton was gone.

I groaned in dread and disbelief before noticing several people frantically running past the alleyway Zuri and I were in.

I wanted to call out to them but… this was it for me.

I couldn’t take it anymore and so I simply sighed before dropping my arms and sitting limply next to Zuri who looked to me for answers but I didn’t have any.

“Katsíki?” She called.

“What should we do?”

“I don’t know.” I whimpered.

“But we have to find a way back!” She cried.

“I know.”

Zuri let out a frustrated groan as she crawled onto her feet and to my surprise, her white dress was barely stained.

“Where do you think we are?” She asked while dusting herself off.

“I don’t know.”

“Ugh!” Zuri groaned before cautiously walking out of the alleyway.

She then nervously looked around at all the people who ran past the alley in the afternoon and although a few people gave her second glances, everyone else just ran by.

It seemed as though they were spooked by the collision, but everyone remained rather orderly.

Kinda like the way people react in evacuation drills.

She eventually returned to where I was and she began frantically pacing back and fourth while biting her thumb.

“We are in an English speaking country but I cannot say for certain if it is Unity.” She said.

I sighed before raising my hand.

I gasped upon seeing wisps of darkness gathering in my palm.

“Can you use life magic?” I asked. My voice laden with desperation.

“N-no! I cannot use magic at all.” Zuri said.

“Oh- OK. Well, our first priority should be hiding the fact that we’ve been on Edenton.” I said while raising my right hand.

I then created a wheelchair which Zuri helped me onto.

“Why?” she asked.

“This is earth we’re talking about. Do you think we’d be able to continue peacefully if people knew?” I asked.

Zuri’s face twisted.

“So… do you have a plan?” She asked but I shook my head with a sigh.

“Not at all. I’m going to find a hole to die in. But… I'll do that after we find a place to bunker down and after we find our just how earth was affected by the collision that took us.”

“That sounds like a solid enough plan.” Zuri said with a determined expression.

I groaned before looking her over.

If someone saw her, they’d think she was cosplaying or something, so her dress and golden lines wouldn’t be a problem.

What would be a problem was money.

“Walk around for a bit and try to figure out which country or even which continent we’re on. Camera’s exist so I’ll keep magic use to a minimum.”

Zuri nodded before cautiously leaving the alley.

I sighed before testing out my wheelchair.

I could make it move using darkness but my legs were a dead giveaway.

I’d need some sort of blanket and so I moved deeper into the dank alley which was between two large buildings and created a sheet of darkness which was made from countless thin strands of darkness.

I then wrapped myself with it covering my legs as well.

I wheeled myself back to my original spot and looked up wistfully into the earth’s bright blue sky.

[Meh, it’s not that different from Edenton’s.]

Kenos said, startling me.

You’re here? I cried internally.

[Err… of course. Where else would I be?]

Kenos asked although I could tell he was just as surprised by everything.

Zuri eventually returned her and the expression on her face was mixed.

“We’re in Unity.” She said.

“Yey?” I said.

“But we are in Kukulkan. Wotoch, to be specific.”