My eyes opened, only to be assaulted by the brightness of the morning sunlight.

It blared through the window and lit Yna’s cabin completely.

I’d have asked that she got a curtain or something, but this wasn’t my house, so I kept my mouth shut.

I did, however, walk up to the door and create a hand that creepily floated towards the handle before slowly squeezing on it.

I then pulled the hand and the door slowly opened.

I made sure to quietly exit because when I looked back, I saw Yna sleeping peacefully and I didn’t want to disturb her.

Anyway, after closing the door, I made my way back to the cliff and I looked out into the dark expanse.

What an unfortunate place.

I carefully hopped down the cliffside with natural ease.

I then plopped down and began absorbing darkness with closed eyes.

Not gonna lie, this was cathartic.

From the very first moment I awoke in this world, I was either panicking or in pain, but for the first time, I was at peace-

A strange noise pried my eyes open and I saw four strange figures emerging from the black sand.

Their skin was white as ash and they were clad in dark leather armour.

Their eyes were also really dark. The sclera and irises were so dark, in fact, that I couldn't see exactly where they were looking.

“What’s this?” One of them asked as he stared at me with his pitch-black eyes.

I slowly stood up and backed away.

“Looks like dinner to me.” Another said, but in the next moment, something landed between me and strange figures.

The dust settled revealing an enraged Yna who pointed a large golden sword of familiar design at the stranger's neck.

“Did they harm you?” Yna asked, her voice laden with violent intent.

The strange figures couldn’t even move as they helplessly stared at her glowing presence.

It almost seemed as though she was on fire.

Her hair had become bright white and her sword burnt brightly with several outgoing flares, similar to those you’d find on the surface of the sun.

“I’m fine!” I yelped as the strangers continued to tremble.

Yna deeply sighed before her aura subsided.

“What are you doing here?” Yna asked, but the strangers were still petrified and so they didn’t respond.

“Speak!”

“Our elders sent us here to investigate the disappearance of the dark vortex.” The one I assumed was the leader said.

Yna scoffed before lowering her sword.

“What do you think, Katsíki? Should we let them investigate?”

“Why are you asking me?” I asked, but Yna lowered her head slightly.

“I’m no longer qualified to make decisions that affect lives other than mine,” Yna said softly.

I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything regarding the matter.

“Let’s let them sightsee, but after that, they should go home. Also, who are they exactly?” I asked with an awkward laugh.

“Introduce yourselves,” Yna ordered.

“My name is Anda and I’m the captain of the scouts of the Ia tribe.”

“Why are you telling her?” One of Anda’s subordinates asked.

“Do you think we have a choice?" Anda asked while frowning desperately at his companion.

“Mmm… these guys are Rendaro, right?” I asked.

“Yes,” Yna said.

“OK, lead the way Yna,” I said while pointing my hoof up the cliff.

Yna picked me up before jumping twenty meters into the air and landing on top of the cliff.

The Rendaro slowly climbed up after us and we eventually made our way to a certain waterfall.

We arrived to find nothing out of the ordinary and I pointed at the waterfall before telling the Rendaro that whatever they were looking for was there.

“How do you know this, little one?” Anda asked.

“Because I actually visited the place not too long ago.” I said.

The Rendaro all nodded in understanding before looking at each other.

"Well?" Anda asked.

"What?" One of his companions asked.

"Who's going to go?"

"You, dumbass!" His female companion yelled with crossed arms.

She then glanced at Yna with a rather unsavory look before leaning towards Anda, who was turning to jump into the spring.

"I swear your soul will know no peace if we die here." She said.

Anda nodded before jumped into the stream and swimming towards the waterfall.

My eyes turned to his companions who stood a good ten meters away from Yna and I.

I wanted to ask them many questions, but it was beyond obvious that they were scared of Yna and so i held my question.

I hoped that we'd one day be able to speak in a more positive atmosphere.

Yna’s grip on me tightened as she stood.

Not so much as to hurt me, but I could tell she was distressed.

I carefully shook myself free from her grasp and hopped into the cool river water.

Yna watched curiously as I swam in circles and for a moment, I saw a faint smile form on her face. Her reaction was opposite to the one Rendaro gave me. If anything, they looked confused and angry?

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I would have continued swimming, but a low growl from my stomach cancelled that thought and I promptly hopped out of the river.

I then began mindlessly munching on that oh so delicious grass.

I’m telling you! This stuff was awesome!

"Ugh! What's taking him so long?" A certain female Rendaro said.

"Maybe he's hurt."

"Nah, he's probably just lost."

They whispered among themselves.

"Mmm... should we go look for him?"

"Maybe, but what are we going to do about her?"

"Is there even anything we can do? I say we go fetch Anda and get outa here. Sound good?"

"Yeah."

The female Rendaro from before cautiously walked towards Yna and I before lowering her head slightly.

"May we enter the cave as well?" She asked.

"Go ahead."

The Rendaro all grouped up before jumping into the stream and thet eventually disappeared behind the waterfall leaving Yna and I in a rather tense silence.

I then heard something behind me and so I turned around to find Yna undressing.

I continued munching on grass as she removed her old leather jacket and old silk shirt, revealing that almost her entire body was covered in intricate golden markings and fading scars.

Yna finished undressing before slowly stepping into the river.

She then beckoned that I get closer and so I did, albeit while taking bites of grass here and there.

“What do you plan to do in this world?” She suddenly asked.

“Mmm… I’m not sure. As you know, I wasn’t much of anything back on earth, so I don’t even have a starting point. I want to help the Rendaro in whatever way I can, but their situation is a complicated one, so I need to think carefully first.”

Yna’s face then became rather stiff.

“Would it bother you if I followed you on the path you choose to follow?” She asked softly.

“Mmm… not really. I don’t see what you’d get out of it though.” I said.

Yna’s eyes wandered for a moment.

“Haven’t I already told you? I’ve grown rather bored out here… and I’d also like a reason to live again.” Yna said, but she whispered the last part so softly that if I wasn’t paying attention, her voice would have been lost in the splashes of the river.

“Mmm… Ok. But just to be clear, we’ll be partners in this. You know far more about this world than I do and so I’ll expect you to pitch in now and then, ok?” I asked and Yna nodded as she reached out to me.

I wondered if she wanted to hug me, but that thought died as Yna grabbed my forelegs and threw me into the river.

I would’ve complained, but I let myself sink into the river and my body awkwardly floated down steam, my head submerged.

I sighed internally before popping my head out of the water.

Yna and I played around a bit more before exiting the river and just as Yna’s body finished drying over, the Rendaro returned.

They hopped out of the river and for some reason, they all had disappointed looks on their faces.

“Well? Did you find what you sought?” Yna asked with crossed arms.

“Uh… no, not exactly. We found a great throne room, but it was empty. The entire underground structure was empty.” Anda said.

“What were you expecting?” I asked and the desire to tell everyone about Kenos welled up within me, but I resisted spilling any beans.

“Our elders speak of a fallen prince, one who retreated into the darkness after being defeated by the sun. We believe that this place is the prince’s gravesite and we have avoided this place out of fear, but that fear suddenly disappeared a few days ago. Might you know anything about this?” Anda asked as his subordinates shook off the water from their armour.

“No,” Yna said bluntly as I thought about our next move.

“How far is your settlement from here?” I asked, but Anda groaned in response.

“Do not even think about telling them.” A certain female Rendaro said.

“I can’t tell you where it’s located, but I can point you in the right direction,” Anda said with an awkward smile.

“The elders will punish you for this!” The Rendaro said.

“I know, but I’m you’re going to have to trust me on this, ok?” He asked with a rather sincere expression.

The subordinate slowly lowered their head before backing away.

“Ok. If you want to find the Ia settlement, just head south from here until you reach a peculiar messa. The rest should be pretty clear once you get there.” Anda said as he walked southward.

“Thanks,” I said.

“No. Thank you.” Anda said before disappearing into the forest deep along with his companions.

I turned to face Yna, who looked a bit conflicted about something.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh… it’s just that, whatever we’re about to do may incur the wrath of the Golden Prince. It’s excitingly terrifying.” Yna said as we made our way back to her cabin.

Once there, we prepared for our coming trip.

I ate as much grass as goatly possible while Yna packed a few things in a small leather bag.

She held in her right hand a great golden sword.

“That sword must have been expensive, yeah?” I asked as Yna and I made our way south.

“Oh, you can’t buy a sword like this. These are reserved for golden knights only.”

“Are you a golden knight?” I asked.

“Nope. Not me. I just happened to find it somewhere sometime.” Yna said with an awkward smile.

I nodded in understanding before continuing onward.

We quickly found ourselves in the dark expanse and as we walked, I slowly absorbed the darkness from the soil, purifying a path that led back home, should something happen.

It didn't matter if winds blew more tarnished sand over my path, I’d still be able to see it.

.

..

Yna and I travelled for about three or so hours and just like Anda said, there was a weird messa in the distance.

It was normal as far as messa’s went. Flat on top and not too high off the ground, but what made it stand out was the fact that it was made entirely out of ordinary-looking stone and sand.

Yna and I carefully approached it.

The ground before us shook and we watched as several armed figures rose from the dirt.

They all bowed as soon as they emerged from the ground in a neat line and along that line, the ground separated, revealing a set of stone stairs.

“Welcome, lord Kenos!” All ten dusty figures said as several other figures climbed up the stairs.

One of them was familiar.

It was Anda and he walked behind an old-looking man who wore dark grey robes.

Also with them was another old man, but he wore simpler clothes.

The three approached Yna and me before bowing. Their knees dug into the sand and their heads were mere centimetres from the ground.

“We humbly welcome thee, lord Kenos.” The old man said.

Yna crossed her arms before looking at me with accusing eyes.

“Err… you must be mistaken. I am Katsíki.” I said, but the three kept their heads low.

“We fully understand that you must maintain your current guise, but please, follow us and we’ll provide you a secret and comfortable place to rest.” The old man said.

I sighed deeply.

“Fine, but there’s something you’re gonna have to understand. I am a goat. A simple, grass-eating, unfortunate goat.”

“Indeed. Unfortunately, nothing can disguise your incredible absorption of darkness.” The old man said as he looked into my eyes.

I looked around, but I couldn’t see any visible absorption taking place.

Yna crouched to face me before tapping the top of my head.

She then pointed up and I looked to see a gigantic vortex of darkness that twisted inwards in the clouds above us.

It was almost as though I was absorbing darkness from the very air itself.

My little goat legs trembled and I cursed Kenos internally.

I was a walking beacon of sorts.

Ugh!

I’d need to learn how to stop Kenos’s passive absorption or at least find a way to conceal the process.

“Ah… I see you noticed, hehe. Quite observant of you.” I said with an awkward laugh.

“We are unworthy of your praise. Now, please follow us.” The old man said.

I noticed that the other old man was giving Yna a rather nasty look, but I ignored it for the time being.

The old man then guided Yna and me into what seemed like an underground tunnel.

This tunnel was quite well built.

Thick stone Slabs made the walls, roof and floor and strange orbs lit the path ahead.

The old man and Anda led us to a rather large door guarded by two Rendaro.

They wore rather heavy sets of leather armour, but regardless, they bowed slightly as I approached.

The large wooden doors opened, seemingly by themselves and I bore witness to something quite special.

Deep beneath the ground, was a huge city of intricate buildings that house hundreds, if not thousands of Rendaro.

The underground city went on for as far as I could see.

“Welcome to Eimval, your lordship.” The old man said.

We stood atop a platform that overlooked the rest of the city and from what I could tell, the entrance we had taken wasn’t available to the general public.

The old man led us across the platform and into a house that was built perfectly into the stone.

We eventually arrived at what I assumed was an office and the old man stood next to a simple, but sturdy-looking desk.

He bowed, suggesting that I take the seat and so I did.

Yna stood behind me, her arms still crossed.

“I have to say, I’m impressed with what you’ve got going on around here,” I said as I looked around in a carefree manner.

“Tis the best we could do, circumstances considered.” The old man said as Anda and the other old man knelt in front of me.

I mean, there were like four chairs in the room.

Sit down, for Pete’s sake!

“Ok, let’s start with introductions. I don’t believe you told me your name.” I said.

“My name is Karish and I am the leader of Ia. The one’s before you are Olen, an elder and Anda, a scout.” Karish said.

“I see. Well, I’ve come to help out as best as I can. Let’s start with the biggest issue. The darkness that taints the land. I want to clear it. Most of it, anyway.” I said and almost instantly, Karish’s eyes widened.

“Your presence alone will be enough to bring joy to many Rendaro. For you to work so hard for our sake-“

“It’s not hard and I can literally do it in my sleep,” I said, cutting Karish off.

I wasn’t showing off, it’s just that I could tell he was going to make a big deal out of it.

“Err… well, if it is your will, then so it shall be. However, I do beg that you rest first. This is my office, although it isn’t much, I hope it will prove a comfortable place of rest. I’d also like to request that you participate in a public announcement we’re planning on having tomorrow.” Karish said.

“Oh? And what are you announcing?”

“Your return, of course,” Karish said as he deepened his bow.

Ugh!

Kenos, get out here and clear up this misunderstanding already!