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Arcane pushed down on the stick she'd borrowed from a nearby woodcutter. Her forehead was furrowed in frustration, and each step seemed to take more effort than the last. "Zeus! Zeus! Where are you?" she cried out into the dense forest, following his tracks slowly. "Gosh, I'm in so much pain. If only I were well, I'd search for him more quickly." She sighed and muttered his name under her breath, then sat on a rock to catch her breath. For a moment, she gazed down the path ahead and thought, until her eyebrows lifted in

realization. "I have something that can help me! How could I forget?" She remembered the pendant she owned and rummaged through her bag for the small sachet that held it. She pulled out a palm-sized, brown, dusty sachet, still gasping for air, and loosened its strings to reveal a gleaming red pendant. She smiled and took it out, along with a ring—a stunning ring with a carved blue rose.