Alexander concentrated, letting the card take the lead. He imagined his destination, this time without trying to control the process. The mini-map came to life and different paths began to appear on it, as if it was searching for the best route. Alexander watched as the lines slowly connected, forming a path that ran through mysterious valleys, crossed rivers and skirted dangerous territories.

When Alexander took a closer look at the laid out route, strange scraps on the map began to catch his eye, which initially seemed like errors to him. However, upon closer examination, he realized that these fragments were actually portals and passages, which were indicated by spiral signs. They were shortcuts that could significantly reduce travel time, covering long distances in a matter of moments.

This discovery was a real revelation for Alexander. The map not only showed the way, but also provided information about the hidden portals of the Edge, which could become a key element in his travels.

Realizing the new opportunities that opened up for him thanks to the map, Alexander felt excitement and anticipation of adventure. He looked at the route laid out, noted the location of the portals and prepared for the further journey.

Realizing that his next goal was to meet the Titan Blacksmith, Alexander gathered his strength and set off. He followed the route that was marked on his mini-map, using portals to speed up his journey.

After parting with Charon in the valley, Alexander headed to the first portal, which, according to his mini-map, was located in an abandoned cave located several kilometers away. His path ran through a serpentine of winding paths leading through thickets and hills covered with moss and ferns. Birds sang and snakes hissed around, but no living creatures were visible, and a light aroma of wild flowers hung in the air.

Having reached the cave, Alexander noticed that the entrance to it was almost hidden by dense vegetation. He carefully made his way inside, where he discovered a strange symbol glowing on one of the walls. As he came closer, he realized that this was the portal. The young man expected to see the usual portal, but this was a different manifestation of it. He gathered his courage and touched the glowing symbol.

The moment of passing through the portal was immediate and disorienting. In an instant, Alexander found himself in a dense, foggy forest. A thick fog hovered around him, and every tree, covered with moss and lichens, seemed alive and full of danger. The smell of wet earth and old leaves hung in the air, creating a sense of pristine wilderness.

Alexander continued on his way, guided by the map and his intuition. He carefully walked on the soft forest floor, trying not to disturb the peaceful kingdom of nature around him. The rustle of leaves and sounds of the forest accompanied him, creating the impression that he was not alone in this mysterious place. And soon, he saw in the distance a portal around which the Dead were crowding. They did this often.

Alexander looked at the mini-map and noted that portals to the real world were not displayed on it. This was an amazing discovery. The young man could not understand why this happened. With these thoughts he passed them by.

Moving through the mysterious forest, Alexander soon discovered that he was not alone in this place. And in this case, it was not the Reposed or the Rejected. His attention was attracted by a movement in the treetops, and soon he saw a dozen monkeys, but these creatures were far from ordinary.

Grani monkeys had bright green fur that almost blended with the leaves of the trees. Their eyes glowed bright yellow, and their movements conveyed extraordinary agility and speed. The most amazing feature of these creatures was their long tails ending in razor-sharp spines. They used them to change the trajectory of their jump at great speed. And on their own, they moved with incredible speed, jumping from branch to branch, and it seemed that they were able to attack from any direction.

Alexander instinctively prepared for defense. Holding the dagger out in front of him and slowly closing the distance. But the peaceful outcome was not destined to come true. The monkeys began to attack, they jumped down, accurately striking with their spiked tails, like whips. Alexander dodged using his agility and speed, but knew he needed something more to counter this threat.

He grabbed a couple of rocks from the ground and began using them to fend off the monkeys' attacks, while simultaneously trying to retreat to a more open area where he could have better control of the situation. But as it turned out, the stones did not cause any damage at all, even taking into account accurate hits to the head and body of the animals.

Having escaped from the dense forest, Alexander found himself in a spacious clearing, shrouded in fog that lazily floated above the ground. He understood that a battle with the monkeys was inevitable. They followed him like a shadow, leaping out of the fog with amazing agility and aggression. But they lost their maneuverability and attacks from above, and this was already in Alexander’s hands.

The Grani monkeys were larger than they appeared in the forest. Their muscular bodies are covered with thick fur, shaded with red and black stripes. Their eyes sparkled with a predatory brilliance, and their hands gleamed with sharp, curved claws designed for deadly blows.

Alexander, standing in the middle of the clearing, armed only with his dagger and knowledge, was ready for battle. The first monkey attacked with incredible speed, but Alexander dodged it, taking a step to the side in time. He used the dagger to parry the tail's strike. The young man did not have time to saturate the weapon with the power of his soul, turning sharply to the side.

The next few monkeys attacked simultaneously, trying to surround him. Alexander, spinning, parried blow after blow, his breathing was even and calm, despite the tension of the battle. He took every opportunity to strike back, trying to weaken the enemy's numerical superiority.

At one point, one of the monkeys was able to hook his dagger with its claws, snatching it from Alexander’s hands. He stepped back, quickly assessing the situation, and remembered the self-defense lessons he learned in the army. Concentrating, he used his legs and fists to fend off the attacks, turning every move into a deadly blow.

But to his sadness, they turned out to be simply impenetrable to normal attacks. The Shroud of the Lost worked sharply, twisting his body, allowing the deadly blow to pass above him. The monkey hit his comrades, which gave the young man a couple of seconds of head start.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Alexander focused on his internal energy, forming a glowing blade from the power of his soul directly in his palm. The weapon emitted a cold light, its shape fluctuating like a flame but hard enough to cause harm.

With this new weapon, he attacked a particularly eager monkey that was jumping at him with its claws outstretched. With a quick and precise movement, he ripped open the monkey's stomach, causing it to retreat with a piercing cry of pain. The animal swayed and collapsed, bringing some energy.

The fight continued. Alexander, using his skills and speed, attacked, constantly closing the distance to the place where his dagger fell. In the world of the Edge, losing a dagger meant losing part of your essence, connection with the world and strength. He couldn't afford to lose the weapon.

Each clash with the monkeys was cruel and dangerous, but Alexander continued the fight, realizing that he could not retreat. He dodged the sharp claws and tails while using his soul power blade to defend and attack. He managed to wound another one, cutting off his tail.

Finally, breaking through the ring of his enemies, he reached for his dagger. Having grabbed it, Alexander felt a surge of strength and confidence. Armed again, he became even more deadly, fending off the monkeys' attacks and striking back. His blade, as if responding to his determination, increased in size, reaching one and a half meters in length. Glowing, sharp and light, it became a powerful weapon in the hands of Alexander.

Now that he was fully armed, the real battle began. Alexander, with the dexterity and skill of a fighter, rushed across the clearing, rushing straight into the heart of the enemy crowd. His every movement was full of determination and precision. He repelled the attacks of the monkeys, their sharp claws and insidious blows with their spiked tails, responding with powerful swings of his elongated blade.

Each blow from Alexander was deadly. The glowing blade passed through the bodies of the monkeys, leaving behind traces of light and blood. Enemy creatures that had recently seemed invincible now fell one after another. The monkeys' fur was wet with blood, and the air was filled with the sounds of their agony.

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Alexander moved across the clearing like a dancer, his every step and blow part of a deadly ritual. He didn't stop, completely immersed in the fight. With each enemy he killed, his movements became more confident and accurate.

Despite fatigue and injuries, Alexander continued the battle. His breathing was heavy, and his hands began to tremble from tension, but he did not yield. Eventually, the last of the monkeys fell to the ground, unable to fight any longer.

Silence descended on the clearing, broken only by Alexander's heavy breathing. He stood among the fallen enemies, his face and clothes stained with blood and dirt.

After an exhaustive battle with the apes, Alexander realized that the quality of souls he received from the slain animals was negligible. The energy that came to him was not enough to recoup the cost of creating and maintaining the light blade. He pondered the oddities of the Edge, which seemed to favor battles between the Departed and the Forsaken rather than simply fighting wild animals.

At that moment, he remembered the Skinless Man - a being who could manipulate a thousand souls. Alexander opened his map and mentally wished to see where these creatures were. To his surprise, dozens of marks appeared on the map, pointing to the Skinless People who roamed the vast territory of the world of the Edge.

Realizing that killing one Skinless Man could bring him thousands of souls, Alexander made a mental note for the future to find him and kill one such man to obtain a significant number of souls. Nodding to himself, Alexander continued on his way.

Having reached the next portal, which was located deep in the forest, Alexander paused for a moment, enjoying the peace and tranquility of this place. However, his goal was closer than ever, and he could not afford to relax.

He stepped through the portal and found himself on top of a windy cliff. The wind wrapped around his figure, as if welcoming him into this wild and unbridled world. Alexander's gaze fell on the endless valleys and rivers below him, which shimmered in the sun's rays. It was a magnificent sight - the world of the Edge in all its pristine beauty.

But Alexander knew that he could not afford to admire the landscapes for a long time. His goal - a meeting with the Titan Blacksmith - was already very close. He looked around his surroundings, trying to determine in which direction he should move next.

According to the map, the Titan Blacksmith was located in a deep mountain cave located near a cliff. Alexander gathered his will into a fist and headed to the indicated place. The path ahead was difficult and dangerous, but he was ready for anything to achieve his goal.

He descended the cliff, negotiating rocky slopes and winding paths. The wind picked him up as if supporting him on this journey. With every step, Alexander felt himself approaching the place where his fate was to be decided.

Having reached a crevice leading into the mountain range, Alexander felt a sudden uneasiness. His mini-map stopped functioning, leaving him alone in the pitch darkness of the deep caves. He was on the threshold of the unknown, and a test awaited him ahead, on which his entire future fate depended.

Decisively entering the cave, Alexander activated his light blade, which immediately illuminated the darkness with its soft, ghostly light. The blade, sparkling and flickering, became for Alexander not only a weapon, but also a source of light that illuminated his path.

Moving forward, he carefully explored the dark tunnels of the mountain range. The walls of the cave were covered with a layer of damp moss, and the air was cool and humid. Alexander heard drops of water flowing down the stalactites and a distant roar that seemed to come from the very heart of the mountain.

Sometimes he came across branching tunnels, where each new path seemed even darker and more mysterious. Without a map, he relied on his intuition, choosing the directions that seemed most likely to him to achieve his goal. The young man felt like he changed three dozen branches and spent a couple of hours on research.

As he moved deeper into the cave, the air became heavier, and Alexander began to smell a slight smell of sulfur and metal - the familiar aromas of blacksmithing. He realized that he was approaching the place where the Titan Blacksmith was located. The fever also increased and Alexander felt that his body was sweating.

Finally, after a long journey through an intricate network of underground tunnels, Alexander saw before him the huge, heavy gates of the forge. They were made of solid black metal, decorated with complex patterns and symbols. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to face the Titan Blacksmith.

Alexander slowly pushed open the massive gate of the Titan Blacksmith's forge. The creaking of iron echoed in the silence of the cave, creating the feeling of entering another world. Inside, a vast cave awaited him, illuminated by the light from the blazing fire in a giant forge. The air was hot and filled with the smell of hot metal.

Blacksmithing tools were scattered throughout the room, and armor and weapons of various sizes and shapes hung on the walls, testifying to the Titan's skill and strength. In the center of the cave stood the Titan Blacksmith himself - a huge figure whose skin resembled red-hot metal. His eyes glowed like embers, and in his hands he held a massive hammer that seemed capable of forming mountains and valleys.

Alexander gathered his courage and turned to Titan:

- I came to you for help. I have heard of your power and skill, and I need your strength to restore my connection to the real world. Restore my body.

The Titan Blacksmith slowly turned to Alexander. His voice was deep and loud, like thunder during a storm:

- Go away, bug! I have nothing to talk to you about, bearer of the Mark of Hades.

Alexander, excited and puzzled, replied:

- What? More? Hades' mark? What does it mean? Hey! Why do you refuse to talk to me?

Alexander took a step and at that moment the Titan hit the workpiece with his hammer, and the force of the blow created a powerful blast wave that slammed Alexander into the cave wall. Stunned, Alexander tried to come to his senses, feeling pain throughout his body.

With great difficulty, he stood up and, staggering, again approached the Titan, who was twice his height. He created a soul shield in case of new attacks.

- I saw your Mirror of Shadows and I know that you are the best blacksmith in the entire Edge. - he said, trying to keep the determination in his voice. - My real body was destroyed, but I want to restore it. I was told that you can do it! Yes, in fact, only you can do it!

The Titan Blacksmith stopped working for a moment and slowly turned his head towards Alexander. His gaze was full of thoughts, but he did not say a word. Then he plunged back into work as if nothing had happened, leaving Alexander bewildered and disappointed.

Alexander, feeling that he needed something more to attract the Titan's attention, gathered his courage and said:

- Maila ordered me to destroy the Mirror of Shadows, but I kept it and can return it to you if you want. This is your brainchild and it cannot simply be destroyed.

These words made the Titan Blacksmith turn his attention back to Alexander. He slowly lowered the hammer and looked closely at Alexander. Something like interest appeared in his eyes.

-Have you saved the Mirror of Shadows? - his voice sounded more attentive and less menacing. - This is an interesting move, Rejected. Why do you think this would interest me?

Alexander, having strengthened his soul shield and recovered from the blast wave, answered decisively:

- You are already interested. Otherwise they wouldn't be talking to me. Well, in general, the Mirror of Shadows is a powerful artifact. I heard that you are a creator of unique things and a doer of great things. Returning the Mirror to you may be the key to my return to the real world. I am ready to exchange it for your help in restoring my body.

The Titan Blacksmith froze for a moment, then slowly put his hammer aside and turned to Alexander. His gaze was penetrating and appraising.

- You are offering a deal, but the Mirror of Shadows is not just an item. It is endowed with power, amazing strength... Are you sure you are ready to part with such an artifact?

Alexander nodded.

- Yes, I'm ready. All I need is to return to the real world and rebuild my life.

The Titan began to think, his gaze now filled with interest and calculation.

- Okay, Rejected. I'll accept your deal. Bring me the Mirror, and I will help you strengthen your soul by reforging it, which will give you the opportunity to restore your real body.