“It’s dawn. Wake up.”

Ionyr was stirred from his sleep by a light green glow, as well as his own voice echoing in his ear. While his body was struggling a little to wake, his mind was clear and focused. Rayza really put him through the ringer last night. Not that he wasn’t used to it - though this time in particular, she was rougher than usual. Like she was trying to drown her fear in passion.

She was sleeping with her head on his chest - with the room being so dark, Rayza’s soft breathing was the only thing calming his nerves. Try as he may to act strong for her, he also feared for their safety - mostly hers. With his arm already wrapped around her, he pulled her closer and tenderly rubbed her bare shoulder. She quietly moaned and slung her own arm over him. Ionyr couldn’t help but crack a smile.

Whatever did he do to deserve such a beautiful, loving wife? All he did was run around like a mad dog, chasing any faint scent of adventure. If it weren’t for Rayza, he would’ve given up a long, long time ago - perhaps even before they got married. Whenever his belief in his dream began to crumble, it was her that reignited that spark.

When they got wed, they promised to share everything, even their dreams. Ionyr’s was chasing a myth, hers was to have a child. That night was the first of many that he tried to make hers real - to no avail. One day while travelling, they met an apothecary who was knowledgeable on the subject. He examined them both and confirmed their worst fears. Ionyr had a rare disease which made his chances of reproducing slim to none. Emphasis on none.

He had been devastated. Knowing that he couldn’t fulfil her one and only dream destroyed him.

“I don’t mind if you leave me. Find a man who can make your dream come true.” He’d said back then. The sting of her slap that followed stuck with him until today.

“Being with you is my dream. Idiot.” She’d responded with teary eyes. “He said slim to none. I will believe in that slim chance. The same way you believe in the existence of the Creators.”

That night was particularly passionate. It’s been seven years since then…crazy how fast time passes. And yet, neither Rayza’s nor Ionyr’s dream were any closer to reality. Despite it all, she never gave up - on him, his dream and that tiny sliver of hope for her own.

“Truly, what have I done to deserve this woman?” Ionyr wondered as he slowly leaned in to give her a goodmorning kiss. “How could I possibly repay her? All I have is my dream, the hope she gave me, and the love I hold in my heart for her.”

“It’s dawn. Wake up.”

Ionyr sighed as his voice’s echo sounded again. Much as he’d like to enjoy her sweet embrace a little longer, adventure was calling. He stood up and cracked his back, wincing as the soreness of his hips caught up to him, reaching over to the nightstand to grab the small, glowing gadget - the echo’s origin.

“I’m awake.” He said to it, and the green light faded. Another one of Raev’s inventions - the Get-’em-up, he called it. It stored the voice of the one activating it, and sounded it at the specified time. Would be nice if Raev used it to get ‘imself to write. Ionyr sighed and lightly shook Rayza, who groaned and flipped over onto her side.

“Just a little longer.” She mumbled, making him chortle. He slid off the blanket covering her, and in her groggy half-sleep, she tried to resist. It was futile - he pulled off the blanket and threw it on the floor. She groaned and curled into a ball. Chuckling, he got up and headed for the window. Small shimmers of light filtered through the blinds. Ionyr swung them open, revealing the light of dawn, filtered through the milky white fog. It was still so thick he could see his reflection in the window.

His dark brown beard had grown out of hand - whereas he only had a short goatee on their last stop, his cheeks and neck were now completely covered in hair. He needed to shave when they got back home - while it did go well with his thick nose and square face, he disliked how itchy it got. Also, people tended to think him older than he actually was - to Rayza’s amusement and his chagrin.

“Time to get up.” Ionyr said as he turned around, grinning. “We got an adventure with our name on it.”

“Jerk.” Rayza sat up, yawning. He picked up her clothes which were strewn on the floor, and handed them to her, whilst letting his eyes trail along her exposed curves. “I can see you staring.”

“Can’t a man enjoy the perks of marriage?” Ionyr said cheekily. She rolled her eyes and threw his own clothes in his face before slipping on her shirt.

“Hurry up before I deck you.” He laughed and started getting dressed. She was so cute when she got angry. Seeing her usually sharp features with that pouty expression and puffed cheeks was hilarious to him.

“Yes, ma’am.” He just couldn’t help himself.

“Piss off.” She was so easy to tease. Even easier in the morning hours.

Living their nomadic lifestyle had gotten them used to irregular sleep schedules, so despite having such little time to rest, they were ready to go within minutes.

“Packed everything?” Rayza asked, yawning as she tied her hair into her signature ponytail.

“Yeah.” Ionyr said, dropping the Get-’em-up into his satchel. “You got the maps, right?”

“Everything you took out.” She patted her satchel. “I doubt we’d see anything again if we left it here. Anything else we’re missing?”

“Raev’s gadgets are where they belong. Our notes too. I suppose that’s everything.” Ionyr stood up and threw his knapsack with said gadgets and notes on his back.

“Right then, let’s go.” Rayza said, having lazily tied her boots as he opened the door.

The innkeeper had laid out a small meal for them on the counter – basic bread and vegetable stew. Ionyr didn’t expect much from it, but was somehow still disappointed. The bread was stale and chewy, and the stew was watery and bland. So bland in fact, that the staleness of the bread actually provided a richer taste.

Going off of Rayza’s expression, she shared his opinion - she had to wash it down more than once. They quickly finished their meal and handed the owner their dishes, as well as three silver coins. Two for their room, and one for the meal. Yet, the woman refused - just like the night before.

"Keep your money." She said grimly. "It has no value to me." Confused, Ionyr pocketed the coins as she gently took the lantern hanging above the counter. She made a few steps back, disappearing into the shadowy backroom. Only her face, illuminated by the dull red glow of the lantern, remained visible. "Now begone with ye. And please don’t come back.”

Her tone left no room for argument. As they turned to leave, Ionyr couldn't help but wonder whether that lantern was powered by a gem, like Raev’s. How else would it create that red glow? But how did the innkeeper get a hold of one? Only Raev and the two of them knew of their uses, no? He felt a tug at his arm, pushing those thoughts aside.

"I might be wrong on this, but..." Rayza said, pensively twirling a strand of her blonde hair between her fingers. "I think she was trying to warn us."

"Warn us? What makes you say that?"

"Her voice...she sounded guilty….almost regretful." She thought aloud. "Whatever it was, it makes this whole thing seem even fishier."

“I know what you’re trying to say.” Ionyr met her worried gaze, and squeezed her hand to reassure her. “But without taking risks, we won’t get anywhere.”

Rayza pursed her lips, glancing back at the dark, empty counter. It was dead silent in the inn.

“Just promise me that if it gets too dangerous…”

“We run. Obviously.” He said, opening the door. The thick fog began spilling into the inn, covering the air in a thin white veil.

“What a lovely day.” Rayza said sarcastically. He chuckled and led the way to the stable beside the inn. Their horses were incredibly happy to see them, loudly neighing and struggling against their bindings. It took the two of them a while to calm them down. “See, even they know something’s off.”

“I just think they missed us. Ain’t that right, Archie?” He stroked his steed’s snout, who snorted approvingly and stomped his hoof. “See? He’s fine.” Ionyr didn’t have to look to know that Rayza was rolling her eyes. After fastening their bags to the saddles, they hopped on and began trotting toward the tavern.

Despite, or maybe precisely because of yesterday’s storm, there was no wind this morning, causing the mist to have grown even thicker. As they followed the road leading to the tavern, they noticed a distant purple light weakly piercing through the haze. Ionyr wasn’t sure, but with the light as a reference point, it appeared as though the fog was constantly shifting - despite the air being completely still.

When they came into throwing distance of the light, it turned out to be the purple glow of a lantern on the end of a stick. The man holding it was sitting in a rocking chair, smoking a pipe - their guide, he presumed.

“Rudd.” Rayza said, moving her horse a little closer to Ionyr’s.

The man took a long inhale of his pipe, exhaling smoke that appeared pitch black against the white fog. Chuckling, he stood up and limped over with a lean on his stick. As he stood before their horses, the old man gave him a look over, then turned to Rayza.

"So, this is him, eh? Your husband?" She nodded.

“We discussed your offer.” She paused. “And we accept.” His lips curved upward, revealing his full set of perfectly white teeth.

"Heh. What did I say again? ‘We ride at dawn.’, I believe." He laughed, his belly shaking and lantern rattling with every movement.

“It’s not exactly dawn yet.” She rebuked with a rather harsh tone.

“Ah, not a morning person, I see. Spoilsport.” Rudd composed himself, though still in good spirits, and whistled sharply. An old, grey horse slowly trotted around the side of the tavern. Despite looking ancient and withered, its movements were fluid and full of energy.

Their two horses instinctively took a step back as it stopped before them - as though they sensed that there was something wrong about that horse. The old man patted its side, as if shaking off the dust from an old toy, and hopped on.

"Let's get this out the way first.'' He said, trotting up beside Ionyr. "As you probably know, the name’s Rudd."

"Mine's Ionyr. It's a pleasure." Ionyr held out his hand for a shake, and Rudd briefly stared at it. The lantern's light intensified, briefly flickering with a stronger blue hue. As he took Ionyr's hand, it went back to its usual - or rather, unusual purple glow. Fascinating, Ionyr thought. He’d have to find out more about that flame later.

"A pleasure." He let go and took another long inhale from his pipe. "A word of caution before we set off. The fog in these parts is known to play tricks on the mind. It will show you echoes of the past to lead you astray. Do not trust all you see and hear." Rudd puffed out another cloud of smoke, which melted and vanished into the fog - far quicker than it should. Turning his horse around, he raised his lantern up high. "But it can't produce light. Follow the glow of my lantern, lest you lose yourself." He spurred his horse into a slow trot. Ionyr and Rayza exchanged a brief glance.

"Now I know why you were so suspicious." He whispered, making sure the old man couldn't hear him.

"Creepy, isn't he?" She shuddered, with an almost disgusted expression.

"Yeah, something’s off about him. You said he made a pass at you, right?" She nodded.

"Yeah."

"He probably didn't know you were married."

"He did - and I never even showed him my ring." Her hand drifted onto the comforting hilt of her dagger.

"That…is odd. Did he ever explain how he knew?" Rayza gave him an annoyed glance."Right. If he did, you wouldn’t be so suspicious of him."

"I’ll trust him for now - if it means getting through the fog. But I won’t be letting go of my dagger."

"Good." He whispered back. "I’ll be watching your back in turn."

“Already falling behind? We won’t make it far at this rate, lovebirds.” Rudd had stopped just a stone’s throw ahead.

“Shut it, geezer. We’re coming” Rayza yelled back before trotting after the storyteller. But she was a little more at ease now, Ionyr noticed. Seeing that her grip on the dagger had loosened slightly, Ionyr spurred his horse into the same slow trot with a smile.

“...yr…” That voice! He whipped his head around. But no one was there. Strange, he could’ve sworn he heard…no, it can’t be. Shaking his head and putting those thoughts aside, he turned to follow the others.

----------------------------------------

Their trek was silent – eerily silent. Besides the rattling of the lantern and the thumping of the hooves on dirt, there was no sound at all. It was as though the fog was swallowing not just their sight, but their voice and hearing too. Ionyr pat his horse's neck, who was becoming increasingly nervous. Just how long had they been following Rudd? There was no sun or birdsong to indicate the time.

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He shot a glance at Rayza, who was doing her best to keep her horse calm too. Her expression was stoic, but he could see right through it - she was herself growing nervous. Leading his horse closer to her, he held out his right hand. She quickly seized the opportunity, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly.

"It will be alright." He mouthed, giving her a comforting smile.

"I hope so." She replied in kind. Suddenly, her grip on his hand tightened. Ionyr immediately got closer, concerned.

“What’s wrong?” He froze. Her eyes were wide, her lips trembling. Something was wrong, terribly so - last time he saw her in this state was…

“Rayza, what’s wrong?” He repeated.

“No…not this…” She muttered, shutting her eyes and dropping her head. “I can hear it…not again…”

“Hear what? Rayza, answer me!” Once Ionyr realised that he wasn’t getting an answer, he turned forward. “Rudd! Something’s wrong!” But Rudd didn’t respond. He simply kept trotting onward, his lantern’s light guiding the way. “Rudd! Wait, damn it!”

“Ionyr…” He stopped shouting. That voice - echoing and cloudy though it may be, it was still all too familiar. He turned to look to his left. There she was. Sitting in that bed. Even in this fog, her image was clear as could be - that was his mother’s face. It was really her.

“Mom…?” He muttered. She looked exactly like he remembered, on that day - the day after his wedding. “No. This can’t be. You’re…”

“Ionyr…and Ielus…who is that?” He soberly shook his head.

“Mom…” Sombre, he gazed at her tired eyes. Just like all those times she told him bedtime stories. But just like that day, they were empty, devoid of the person that once lived in that body. “You’re dead. Did you forget?”

Her form dissipated into mist, melding and shifting inside the fog.

“Brother…she’s gone.” Another familiar voice. To this day, Ionyr didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Yeah. She’s gone, Ielus.” He faced the hazy, sombre figure of his brother floating before him. The spitting image of him on that very same day, sitting in that chair opposite him - his slim frame, brown hair, protruding cheekbones and a light stubble beneath his nose were unmistakable.

“She didn’t even remember us.” He mumbled.

“Yeah.” Ionyr said quietly.

“Are we that forgettable? That our own mother wasn’t able to remember us?” Ionyr shook his head violently.

“Never say that. Mom never wanted to forget us. The sickness made her forget!” Those words felt like they came from the man he was that day. Had he grown so little? That he would repeat the exact same words and actions from a time so far in the past?

“So you say…but is it not our fate to be forgotten someday, brother? One day, the last person remembering us will fade from this world…and our memory…our legacy with it.” Ionyr never forgot those words. The fate of men is to be forgotten.

“Mom keeps living through us, Ielus. If we impart her story to the next generation, then…”A weak rebuttal, and he knew it.

“That is not enough. Her story will be diluted through all those retellings - the original meaning, and her spirit that it carries, it will all be lost. I wish to create a legacy everlasting. An imprint onto history so deep that it cannot be forgotten, no matter how strong history wishes to bury it.”

Even to this day, Ielus’ dream inspired him. It was a grand ambition - one that even surpassed Ionyr’s in scale. He had always admired that about his brother, that he’d never let go of that childish spark of wonder, always believing himself to be this generation’s storied hero.

“I am leaving, brother. I shall pave my own way, with the Order. Give Rayza…your wife my regards. Farewell.” Ionyr heard the creaking sound of an opening door.

“See you soon, Ielus.” He said as the door shut. The figure of Ielus dissipated, and he was left alone in the mist.

…alone? Drat! When did he let go of Rayza’s hand? He was so caught up in his memories that he lost his focus. Where was the light, he thought, desperately looking around for its purple glow. He needed to find it - and more importantly, find Rayza. Where? Where was it? Once his eyes caught the tiniest hint of purple, he’d immediately go for it. But he didn’t. Instead…

“NO!” He heard a cry - Rayza’s voice. It didn’t sound like the fog’s illusions - it was really her. He instantly turned toward it and galloped toward it. If he was seeing these memories…then she must be…he shook his head. Not the time. On his way, he passed multiple other mirages - they were becoming harder and harder to tell from reality. Some of them looked like real people. Their mutterings muddled his already chaotic mind, almost drowning out the sounds of her cries.

“You are to be executed for treason against the Ashen Order.” It was that memory after all. “Know that nothing can spare you from this fate.”

“Don’t touch him…don’t touch him…!” Ionyr just barely caught her broken whispers. The fog was so thick he almost galloped right past her. Rayza was hunched over in her saddle, holding her ears shut, trying to block out the sounds of that dreadful event. He immediately turned around and rode up to her side, pulling her into his arms.

“It’s okay…I’m here.” He whispered, but she didn’t budge an inch.

“Why…why does it still hurt so bad…I thought I got over it…” It was like she returned to being that scared child once again, whimpering and sobbing.

“Boy, look after my daughter. And Rayza…farewell. I’m sorry for being such a lousy father.” Ionyr remembered those words - he never, ever forgot them. The old man’s figure was smiling at them, before closing his eyes and accepting his fate. Rayza knew what was coming, and so did Ionyr. She suddenly shot up and tried to reach for her father’s hazy silhouette.

“Let my Daddy go!” Rayza shouted, but the sounds of crossbows firing completely eclipsed her desperate cries. The bolts whizzed through the air and hit soft flesh. The old man cried out in pain. She tried to wrestle out of Ionyr’s arms. But he refused to let her go - lest she run after mirages and be lost forever. She screamed and yelled as the ghostly figures reloaded and fired again. The old man gasped as his flesh was pierced again.

“Please…stop it…” She whispered, but they reloaded once more before firing again. Rayza, reduced to a sobbing mess, let herself fall into Ionyr’s arms, clinging tightly to him whilst quietly pleading for her nightmare to end.

This, too, was exactly how it had transpired all those years ago - were they bound to being the same person all their life? Was it impossible to grow past these events? He grit his teeth. Even today, all he could do was stroke her head in a pathetic attempt to console her. All the while hating the fact that there was nothing else he could do. If only he could take her pain away and carry it himself.

He’d sworn to look after her, both to the old drunkard and at their wedding - but he couldn’t suppress a feeling of guilt for dragging her into this adventure and putting her through so much distress. As the memory faded and the echoes of the crossbows with it, her sobs began to subside and she pulled out of his embrace.

“Thanks.” Rayza said, wiping away her tears. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

“Don’t be. Seriously, don’t.” Ionyr said sternly. “We seem to have bigger problems, anyway.” He looked around, and sure enough, the light of the lantern was nowhere to be found. “Rudd wasn’t kidding. This fog is dangerous.” Grabbing the reins of their horses, he tied them together. “This way, we won’t be separated.”

“Yeah.” She mumbled quietly, reaching for his hand. He took it and gently stroked it. “What now?”

“It’ll be alright. I won’t leave your side again.” He said with a smile. “Let’s try to find a way out. Definitely beats sitting here twiddling our thumbs.”

“Okay.” She nodded and gripped his hand tightly. They spurred their horses onward into a slow trot. How long had they even been in this place? One hour? Two? Half a day? It was impossible to tell. No landmarks to go by, no birdsong to tell, much less a sun to go off of.

Ionyr had never seen anything like this - an immovable wall of fog that lasted for this long. On top of that, old memories were being dug up and shown to them so vividly…there was something almost magical about this place. It was straight out of a fairytale. And yet, the situation only served to strengthen Ionyr’s resolve.

He was certain now - there was something special about this adventure. Rudd’s story about the Stars…it had to be true, partially at the very least. There was no way an area like this had no ties to the Creators at all. They were on the trail of something big. He could smell it.

"’Not alive enough’, huh...? I will show you ‘alive’!" Another of the fog’s illusions. Rayza immediately rode closer to him. The shape of a man appeared at her side, coloured a bright crimson red. He was desperately hammering away at what looked like an unfinished sculpture, but disappeared as quickly as he showed up.

Before Ionyr could process what happened, he heard another voice muttering. A different figure, this time a deep green with tinges of blue appeared beside him. Another man, wearing the clothes of an apothecary, his head buried in his hands.

"No, no, no. We can't lose another. Too many lie dead already. A miracle - we need a miracle." He vanished into the mist, quick as he came. These weren’t their memories. In fact, the voices of those figures belonged to entirely different people. Whose memories were they?

"You can't do this to me!" That yell came from above. He turned up his head to find a new figure, coloured a vivid red, tinged blue, floating high above the ground. An unseen group of men began wickedly laughing and chanting, accompanied by the sounds of creaking wood and splashing waves. Ionyr could make out a single intelligible sentence through all the noise.

"Make that bastard walk the plank!" It didn't take long before someone followed through on that idea and shoved the figure overboard. Screaming as he fell, the man landed in front of them with a loud splash. As though submerged in water, he slipped right through the ground before coming back up, gasping for air.

"Curse ye traitors! May the sea swallow ye whole!" The mirage yelled after an unseen ship. As the laughter became more distant so too did the figure's voice lower into a raspy, vengeful growl before dispersing back into the fog. "They shall rue this day. The day they crossed…"

"Ionyr!" Rayza shouted, overshadowing the mirage’s echoey voice. She was pointing to her right. "The light!" He could see it too. There it was, the familiar purple glow of the lantern. Ionyr quickly turned their horses and rode after it - lest it disappear into the mist once again.

“Rudd!” He yelled as he drew closer, but there was no response. The lantern remained still, as did Rudd’s silhouette beneath. They had to be in earshot. He called out again, but again, neither a response, nor a reaction. Once they were close enough, they slowed their horses into a slow trot, until Ionyr was right beside the old storyteller. “Rudd.” He repeated.

“Hrm?” Rudd turned to face him, his face contorted into an angry grimace. It instantly relaxed when he laid eyes on the two of them, like he’d awoken from a long nightmare. “Oh, it’s you two. I apologise, how long have I kept you waiting?”

“No need to apologise, old chap.” Ionyr pat him on the back, smiling weakly. This had already been an exhausting day. “We got lost in this mist as well. It’s a stroke of luck that our paths happened to cross again. Thank the Spirits for that lantern of yours.”

“The lantern, huh?” Rudd shot a sombre glance at it. “Yes, I suppose we should thank the Spirits for it.” He paused, before grinning, albeit not as widely as he usually did. “Anyway, let us continue. It is not much farther from here.”

He spurred his horse into a slow trot, and they followed close behind. Many questions ran through Ionyr’s mind. What was it that Rudd saw? Why was he in such a dark mood all of a sudden? His curiosity was piqued. He wanted to know more about this old man. Especially that lantern.

“Say, lad. What possessed you to search for the Creators?” Rudd asked out of the blue, as though he’d known that Ionyr wanted to speak with him.

“Good question.” He crossed his arms. “I suppose because of the story my mother told me as a child. It piqued my curiosity. I needed answers. I needed to know if they really exist - and I guess in a bigger picture, whether all those legends she told me were true in general.” Rudd laughed.

“A real dreamer, I see. Good, we need more of those.” He paused again. “Besides the story of the Creators, which others would you like to be true?”

“The Tall Tale of the Sea Monkeys.” Ionyr said without hesitation. “It’s my favourite.”

“Your favourite, huh…” Rudd seemed a little taken aback. “I’m surprised it survived in the outside world. Never thought that story to be a particularly memorable one. It’s not one of the greats like King Firemane or the Spirits of Nature.”

“I loved the idea of a bunch of rambunctious monkeys terrorising the coast of the Isles. Their carefree nature inspired me to enjoy the little things in life. Good food. Fun games. Brotherhood. It defined my childhood, really.” Ionyr couldn’t stop himself from rambling. He went on and on and on. The others barely had any time to interject before he finished his long rant. Rudd sat silent for a moment, processing everything he just had thrown at him.

“You’re an interesting man, Ionyr.” He laughed. “I suppose there is some value to that silly tale after all.” He turned around and grinned. “By the way, I’ve got some good news. The fog’s finally clearing up.”

As he spoke those words, there was a sudden flash of light. Ionyr heard Rayza yelping in surprise, so he quickly grabbed her hand. She squeezed it tightly. When he tried opening his eyes, he instinctively shut them again. It was just too bright for him to see. It took a good while and lots of blinking, but his eyes did eventually adjust. He could finally take in the scenery.

Glancing behind him, Ionyr could see the massive wall of fog stretching up to the sky - like a massive dome placed on the plains. They were riding dangerously close to a steep drop. If they were just a little further to the right, they would be tumbling down the valley. It was almost entirely covered in grass - grey grass. On the other side of the valley, a great ravine extended into the distance. At the bottom, Ionyr could make out a small dark stain, with a few black protrusions thrusting skyward. Rudd stopped his horse, seemingly unfazed by the bright sunlight, and motioned over to the right.

"Welcome to Star's Landing." Rudd said, having another inhale of his pipe. "This is the place where the Star of the East fell - or so the legend goes."

"What’s that? It looks…ominous." Rayza asked, pointing at the dark pool at the centre of the crater.

"That, friends, is a swamp. Those pointy things are dead trees. There used to be a great bay here, as I told you. But as you see…" He gestured towards the swamp. "This is all that is left of that."

"I've never seen a swamp with dead trees before." Ionyr said, making a mental note to investigate this once they returned home. "You said there used to be a bay here?"

"Yeah. I still have an old map in my home, where this entire crater is filled with water." Rudd pointed at the ravine in the distance. "That used to be a river for ships to pass through. Apparently."

That explains why Rudd had confused it yesterday. He got off his horse.

"Let's set up camp. The cave is not far from here." Ionyr nodded, his mind filling with ever growing curiosity. Rudd was like a treasure trove of legends and history - he’d like to pick his brain a little further. As he tied their horses to the trees nearby, he heard Rayza strike up a conversation with the old man.

"You really enjoy smoking that pipe, huh?" She had gotten over the traumatic vision, it seemed. Rudd nodded.

"Yes. It reminds me of the good old days." He said, holding it up as if trying to bathe it in the sunlight. "But those times are long past." He finished somberly, and put the pipe in his breast pocket.

"I...see." Rayza said slowly. Before the air could get awkward, she quickly switched topics. "So, about this cave…what should we expect? What kind of dangers lurk in there?" Thank you, Ionyr thought, you beautiful, beautiful woman. As always, his wife knew exactly what answers he craved. Unfortunately, Rudd shook his head and sat down, leaning against a tree.

"Don’t know. Never set foot in there. Not in this lifetime at the very least, and I know none who have." His ever unsatisfying answers only bolstered Ionyr’s rabid curiosity. He needed answers, and he needed them now.

"So how do we even know if the Star is in there?" Rudd shrugged.

"Listen, I don't have all the answers you seek. I don’t know what I don’t know. These are things you must find out for yourself." Another unsatisfying answer. So frustrating! Ionyr could swear that beneath that hood, the old man was constantly concealing a cheeky smirk - was he having fun with these mind games? Rudd gestured past the trees, away from the crater.

"Cave’s that way, over yonder - it’s the only place you'll find your answers." Ionyr immediately grabbed his satchel.

"I’ll go and check it out! Rayza, follow me when you’re ready." His wife tried to protest, but he was already darting off in the direction Rudd had pointed. The old man, laughed loudly at their antics.

“I'll take care of our camp and the horses! Try to be back before the sun sets!" Rudd shouted after him. Ionyr turned around, running backwards toward the cave.

"Thank you!" Ionyr shouted back. He could see Rayza giving her own thanks with a bow before hurrying after him, yelling at him to wait up. Rudd, meanwhile, simply lit his pipe, the smoke appearing pitch black against the clear blue sky, with the sun at its peak. Ionyr turned back around, dashing towards the cave - towards destiny.

----------------------------------------

“Please. Don’t let the forgotten history repeat itself - not again.”