In the opulent Starborn mansion, nestled amidst sprawling grounds, resides a grand fireplace that exudes both magnificence and warmth. Situated in the heart of a lavishly adorned living room, the fireplace stands as a centerpiece, commanding attention, and admiration from all who enter.

Crafted meticulously by skilled artisans, the fireplace boasts a commanding presence with its imposing stature. Constructed from richly veined marble, elegantly quarried from the finest quarries, its smooth surface shimmers in the flickering light. The marble, a testament to timeless beauty, is carefully selected to highlight its unique patterns, ranging from creamy whites to lustrous shades of gray. Nestled within the fireplace, a roaring fire dances and crackles, casting enchanting flickers of light and captivating shadows across the room. The fire dances in a cavernous hearth, lined with firebricks that retain and radiate warmth throughout the room, ensuring a cozy ambiance even on the coldest of nights. Sterling sat comfortably in a meticulously crafted leather chair that could recline with ease. Across from him, Finn also sat in an equally appeasing chair facing the raging flame.

"I want to go and see the world." Finn said.

"Remember when I told you boys the prophesy I was given in my dream?"

Finn thought for a minute then replied, "Yes."

"You were the only one who didn't want to go. What changed your mind?" Sterling looked at his youngest son.

Having no intentions of hiding anything Finn revealed, "I had a sign of my own. Wouldn't I be a fool if I didn't change my mind?"

"I suppose. Do you want to know why I was so hard on you compared to the rest of your siblings? You were the special one. The moment I looked into your eyes at birth I knew you would do things that I could only dream of even in my prime. Now look at you, the perfect spawn between me and your mother." Sterling wasn't wrong. Sun-kissed curls with ocean blue highlights, glowing platinum eyes, and a body sculpted to perfection. Finn had it all.

Gently grabbing the pendant on his neck before letting go, Finn asked, "Where should I go after I leave."

"It's up to you. But my advice is to travel to Oakhaven. Once there go find a wizard named Magnus Orion and tell him I'm your father. He'll help you get an admission to Celestia Institute of Aetherium, the best school for magic in Oakhaven." Nodding at his words, Finn began to get up.

"One last thing." Sterling said as he took back his gaze from the fire and looked at Finn. "If you see a Blackthorn, any Blackthorn, kill them immediately. Do it as a favor for your old man."

Though he didn't respond, Finn kept the name blackthorn in his heart. Walking out of the manor he went to the barn. Walking deep within where cobwebs and decay convene, Finn sees a hole in the wall. "Odd." He thought. Ever since that mysterious man visited him, he scoured the barn day and night. It was almost a second home to him. He was aware of the absence of any hole prior to this. Continuing to investigate. He walked towards a nearby stable and that's when he saw it.

A wounded luparis. Luparis are a highly intelligent and mystical species. Most referred to the ancestors of dire wolves, they hail deep within the Glacial Frostlands. They have sleek fur ranging in various shades of silver, gray, and white. The one Finn is staring at has luminating white fur, an alpha. Alpha Lupari stands out most from its pack. Stronger, faster, and overall more tenacious, they are a dangerous foe to combat. The average height for these creatures is typically four feet, alphas are eight feet in height. The Lupari have remained largely elusive and hidden from the Airtafae empire ever since the Coexistence Covenant. Legend speaks of rare encounters where Lupari forged deep bonds with certain individuals, serving as protectors.

Though it is wounded, Finn is still wary of this beast. The luparis stared at him, equally as wary. Minutes pass, the awkward atmosphere finally seemed to be broken when Finn took out a healing potion. Not daring to get close he simply popped the cork, dumped the contents in a nearby bucket, then slid it over to the luparis. Looking at the bucket, the luparis hesitated for a moment before drinking it.

The luparis' gashes began to heal. Patches of fur regrown; Aetherium materialized from the beast, marking its stunning recovery. Looking at the one who healed it, the beast slowly made its way over. Seeing no hostile intentions from the luparis, Finn gently combed through its fur. Soft, unnaturally so. If pillows were made of this material people would never want to wake up.

"How can something so fierce be so soft?" Switching from combing to patting Finn asks, "Do you have a name?" The luparis shakes its head. "Are you a boy?" It nods his head.

"Zephyr." The beast shakes his head.

"Asher?" Pausing for a moment, the beast shakes his head again.

Thinking for a minute or two, Finn suggested, "What about…Ragnar?"

Ragnar happily nods his head. Licking Finn's face with reckless abandon. Chuckling at this overgrown wolf antics he playfully fought back the involuntary "shower." Hearing a crack near the entrance of the barn, Finn snapped his head only to see the middle-aged man once again. Looking at Ragnar, the pieces started to click together. To his dismay, the man quickly vanished when he looked back. Still staring at emptiness, Finn begins to walk out. "Come, let's go Ragnar." Silently trailing behind Finn, Ragnar shadows his steps as they exit the barn, venturing into the tranquil hometown, where startled pedestrians pause and gaze in astonishment. They proceed towards the ferryman's offices, an unassuming structure reminiscent of a humble hut, nestled beside a sprawling heliport.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Instead of entering, Finn stops near the window beside the entrance where a man in a blue uniform sat. Silently drinking his steaming coffee, the ferryman gazed upon the boy and his "tamed" beast. "What can I do for you?" asked the ferryman.

"How much for the next ticket to Whitehaven?"

Intermittently drinking between sentences, the ferryman calmly replied, "Kid you haven't heard the news yet? The glacial winds are going to last for a few months. The last zeppelin, which was due to depart, left just a few days ago. And if my memory serves me right, your brothers were on board. The next chance you can get is at best three months. And at worst? A full six months."

"Is there any other way to get to Whitehaven?" Resting his arms on the ledge of the glass pane, Finn was a bit annoyed.

"There is." Thinking for a bit the ferryman replied, "But you would have to go through the Devil's Trail. Once there, you would have to make it all the way past the territory of the harvestmen. Deviate from there and travel south to the town Snowshire. There you can ride a zeppelin and get to Whitehaven."

Finn internalized the information. From what he knew the Devil's Trail was not only treacherous, but also filled with monsters. Scanning past the ferryman he saw a detailed map of the Airtafae empire. "How much for a map?"

"Two silvers."

Handing over the coin he was handed the map. Examining it, Finn knew the journey would at most be three months if he only went on foot. Looking at Ragnar, he knew that timeframe could be cut in half. Thanking the ferryman, Finn usured Ragnar away, going back home for the final time for the foreseeable future. In the morning, he would order a big enough carriage for both him and Ragnar to travel to the entrance of the trail. Meanwhile, the remaining hours of the morning and afternoon were devoted to cherishing moments with his mother, fully aware of the impending ache of their separation.

In a wooden carriage that was moldy and lacked any heat insulation sat Finn. The biting cold froze Finn's hands a bit making him feel numb. The wooden carriage traveling south bound was soon stopped with great momentum. "Get out here." Said the coachman. Walking out, Finn lands on the snow on the ground. Moving to the back of the carriage he lifted the tapestry allowing Ragnar to jump out. The coachman whips the horse and quickly returns to the town. Shaking his head at such a rude display, Finn began to walk towards Devil's Trail.

The empire of Airtafae developed quite differently than most empires. From the capital city all the way to small villages, the Elm Forest entwined them all. Thousands of years ago when Finn's ancestors settled on the land they fought against the magical beasts. This made building infrastructure close to impossible. The status quo was upheld for a long time until a scientist named Calisto developed revolutionary avian technology. She called it the zeppelin. Using magic crystals as fuel, it propels a metal hull into the sky. This new technology ushered Airtafae into the golden age.

Instead of building roads they simply must fly from city to city. Instead of dealing with the magical Beasts, treaties were signed allowing for coexistence. This made the empire Impenetrable by ground due to the overwhelming number of beasts. And made the empire focus entirely on aerial combat. This all leads to today, where Airtafae has an iron grasp on the Northern continent.

Finally arriving at the trail, he stops. In front of him is a huge black slab that is carved with the words, "Beware! Trespass at your own risk!" Knowing he has no other choice he braces himself and continues to walk forward. Ten minutes pass as Finn continues to walk forward following the map. Passing by a tree the corner of his eyes catches a piercing red glow.

Finn abruptly stops and looks over. A dozen meters to the right of him is a creature shrouded in foliage, the only thing Finn could make out was its piercing red eyes. "You have got to be kidding." He mumbles to himself as he slowly walks past the creature and deviates from route a bit. Shadowing Finn, Ragnar looks deeply at the vegetation growling in warning. Regrettably, the warning fell on deaf ears as the hidden presence in the bush remained indifferent.

After twenty minutes elapse, Finn resumes his pursuit of the map. Glancing behind, he once more catches sight of the piercing gaze of those crimson eyes, seemingly tailing his every move. Increasing his pace little by little he tries to shake off the creature. Unfortunately, the creature notices this and jumps out of the foliage and begins to chase him. Moonlight shines down on the creature. Its fur was as white as the snow it was standing on. Its teeth were as sharp as knives. Its body towering over Finn as it begins to outpace him and catch up. Finn quickly directed his mana towards his eyes to see the aura of the creature.

It was dark red. "Not good!" Finn exclaimed in his mind as he began to sprint away as quickly as possible. Navigating through the thick forest was difficult, navigating it while running for your life was impossible. By the time Finn passed a couple trees the dire wolf was already on his tail.

Knowing the wolf might attack at any moment Finn jumps and rolls down a slope by the side of a tree. The wolf follows suit and rolls with him. When they both get to the very bottom both man and beast realize that they are directly across from another. "Ragnar now!" Taking the initiative, Finn quickly pulls out a short sword from his storage ring and leaps at the wolf stabbing it in the eye. Using the sword as a nail and his other hand as a hammer he wedges it deep into the eye touching the brain.

The wolf, under the pressure of life and death howls and swipes his claws at Finn. Right before the blow connects, Ragnar appears and sunk his teeth into the limb. This caused the momentum to slow considerably but even so, the blow connects, flinging Finn away slamming him against a sturdy tree. Knocking Finn out instantly.

The wolf, already at death's door due to the sword touching its brain, regrets setting its sights on the boy. Ragnar, enraged at the sight of an unconscious Finn, rushed at the dying wolf, and began to tear its throat apart. Dragging the disemboweled remains of the wolf he covered Finn in it. Shielding him from the cold.

It wasn't until hours later that the boy woke up. Gazing up at the boundless expanse of the starry sky, devoid of any clouds. It all seemed to connect. As he surveyed his surroundings, a profound realization washed over him: once again, he had transformed into a cosmic wanderer.