Epilogue

"Two of our men had died." Ralf was lying in front of Alaric as he spoke while seated on the dock. "And Ralf now." While staring at the icy corpse, he sobbed. " He pledged to assist me in getting back in touch with my daughter and I....." Hermes comforted him by massaging his back. "And I took him away from his family."

The journey to the region of the world that was not shown on the maps was not described as being simple. They were aware that the location was hazardous and life-threatening because no one had ever been there. The journey got off to a nice start as the ship followed the waves' beat. They were happy to have almost finished their journey and knew they had enough gasoline to return as well. There were no ports, so there was no way they could stop for a refill in between. They had no idea, though, that the actual journey had begun where the sea had grown darker. Alaric and his team could see the darker water ahead of them, just like it was shown on the map. The sky darkened and nearly took on the look of tar, giving the scene the feel of the children's tale "A gloomy world." No one would survive the enormous whirlpools that were waiting for them, thus it is understandable why this area was never investigated.

"Whirlpools." From his perch in the crow's nest, Ezra has shouted.

Everyone on board engaged in a flurry of activity to save both the ship and themselves as a result of the panic that had engulfed the vessel. Ben took the rigging change position, and others followed. To avoid being sucked into the whirlpools, which from a great distance looked like pearls, Ceaser turned the helm frequently. And that was their first bump in the road—the death that was staring them in the face. Instantaneously, Edgar became its first victim. The ship flipped sideways 70% as a result of the intense force of the waves striking it. The ship's railings were struck by the entire crew as they rolled on their left sides, but perhaps one of them fell because he couldn't grip the railing quickly enough. "Father." As his father's body fell beneath the surface of the ominous water, all he could do was scream. It became more difficult for passengers to stay balanced as the ship wavered from side to side.

The whirlpools abruptly ended, and the sea became quiet once more, showing how ethereal the sea can be. The light brightened in the sky as the drab clouds disappeared. Another wave of peril struck them as they were still grieving Edgar's passing. Their bones grew chilled as the breeze abruptly turned frigid and changed into a chilling north wind. They had the impression that nature was hostile and didn't want them to reach their target. It appeared as though they were being punished for past actions. They were moving inside as the wind turned the entire ship into a freezing dust of ice before they had chance to relax. "Where is Ben?" As he distributed blankets among the group, Hermes enquired. People exchanged glances. "He was just a little behind." Ezra grunted.

But perhaps it was too late, as a frozen corpse greeted them at the dock where they went to find him. Blood had coagulated on his skull, indicating he had been struck when they were entering. They held their feelings inside as they waited for this to end while gazing at the frozen corpse while the wind was still howling outside.

Ben's body had been disposed of when the weather unexpectedly changed. Everyone had food prepared by Ralf and Rufus. Where would they find meat? They needed something that would give them rapid energy. They were forced to make do with the basic food item "cooked potatoes". Although they had energy thanks to the carbohydrates, it wasn't enough to keep them warm. And perhaps the gods heard their prayers because everything returned to normal and the sun shone brighter than ever. "How is this possible?" Jonah yelled.

"Jonah, what's wrong?" Alaric questioned as he observed Jonah's state of panic.

"There were 62 crates of food when I last counted, but there are now only 38." Jonah threw his arms about wildly. "At this rate, we wouldn't even reach the island before the supply ran out." Everyone was in a panic, and there doesn't seem to be a way out.

"There is no other option; we are almost halfway there and we can't go back. returning would mean....."

"We wouldn't have enough to go back,"

And as a result, they continued to advance down their own path using what little they had. on the vain hope that they could stumble upon something on the island. But because they were in such a frenzy, they missed how much Jonathan was being affected by Edgar's passing. He was gradually losing himself and occasionally had hallucinations. "Father, you're back. How are you doing?" Alaric went over to the boy who was talking into the air after noticing him.

"Johnathan, are you all right?"

Johnathan shook his head and remarked that perhaps he was afraid people would think he was crazy and throw him into the water. "Yes, I'm all right," hurried back to the cottage where everyone was sleeping. Johnathan would ignore the question and hide whenever someone asked how he was doing. One day, he completely lost control and started flinging his arms around as if he were speaking to the heavens above. "Father, I know you are here." "Father, I'll be there."

"I'll speak with him." Ralf said and walked over to Jonathan.

Sitting on the ground with a large glass of water in his hand, he was facing the ocean. "Johnathan, what are you drinking?" Ralf questioned while showing signs of fear. To make room for Ralf, Jonathan slid to the side and patted the ground next to him.

"The magical water," Ralf gave him a startled glance. "My father said it's amazing and can heal everything. Look, it even reunited my family with my father." He made an air gesture. Ralf was terrified and confused as he turned to face the others.

"Can you tell me where you got this?"

"I am afraid I cannot tell you."

"Please tell me where you got this, Jonathan. I'll keep it a secret." And that was it; Ralf's eyes widened at the next thing Jonathan uttered.

"The sea." He muttered.

The same ominous sea, the same murky water that claimed two of his family members. Without even realizing it, Jonathan was going insane. And the mystic river he spoke of was nothing more than the plot of his own imagined fiction. Johnathan resisted Ralf's calm attempts to take it from him, tightening his grip on the glass. Longer pushes and pulls ensued, and Ralf warned everyone to stay away since it might make the person in front of him feel anxious. But what occurred next surprised him; the glass of water slipped from his grasp, and he erupted in rage. Without giving Ralf a chance to protect himself, Johnathan attacked him. Others hurriedly tried to separate them but were unsuccessful. In his rage, Jonathan suffocated the man beneath him until it was too late, the flesh being torn by his nails. Others were terrified but powerless to act. Jonathan knelt down and sobbed after realizing what he had done. Quickly, the healer instructed Ben and Ezra to bring him to the base so he could tie his hands.

Alaric was crying over the loss of his crew members as he sat on the dock's floor. He mentally despised himself for including them in his scheme. Hermes put his hand on the monarch's shoulder since he understood how the king must be feeling. "Captain, you're not to blame,"

"Never blame yourself; we were aware of what we were into." From behind, Rufus uttered. There were no more tears to shed for his brother's passing. "Witch wants us to suffer, thus she is doing this." He yelled while gazing up at the sky. "Are you listening, we're not afraid of you." Rufus began to curse the witch or warlock who he believed to be responsible for all of this.

With each passing day, the hope they still had was dwindling. Although the island was now in view, there were sharp mountains in the way. It was difficult for them to traverse the steep path they had to go. More of Alaric's crew were taken by the sea one by one, leaving Alaric alone with Hermes and Ceaser. "We were unable to save him." Alaric murmured, mentioning Ezra, the young kid he had pledged to look out for. And as if things couldn't get any worse, the already damaged ship slammed into a sharp, rocky peak. Their destination is just in front of them, the land clearly visible, but they must first protect themselves from the collision. Alaric opened his eyes after the crash, thinking that perhaps the Gods had compassion on them. His feet became caught beneath a frayed section of the mast. "Captain." He was being held by Hermes as he ran alongside him. He had the least damage of any of them.

"Ceaser?" Hermes shook his head and hung his head low as Alaric muttered, but he was silent. They were now all alone on the island because everyone had died.

Who was keeping track of the passing days? For who knows how long Alaric and Hermes were strolling through the woodland. Hermes, who had recovered some valuable items from the sinking ship, used a cloth to bandage Alaric's wound. Alaric still struggled with normal gait, therefore he walked with a stick. While foraging for natural fruits and berries, they were moving through a new kind of mist as a spooky sound filled their ears. They appeared to be moving in circles, but Hermes and Alaric remained steadfast. Alaric thought he heard a civilization when he heard several mumbling sounds, but it was merely the magic playing its tricks. Their head was hurting so much and they were beginning to see things that weren't there.

Alaric suddenly began to sob, but Hermes was unable to console him this time either, and the two of them were forced to sit on the ground in the mist. "I lost everything.....everything." Alaric grunted. "My friends, my family, and my determination to live." He sobbed uncontrollably, letting all of his feelings out, and this time Hermes also broke down in tears. "Are you listening? I'm calling you,"

"The one who has no home, no name, and whom people fear, I'm calling. Please answer me." His whispering sobbing evolved into shouting sobs.

And perhaps someone noticed his resolve because they put their hands on his shoulders. The face was hidden by a hooded robe, and he motioned for him to follow him. Alaric's sobs ceased, and he started to follow the individual like a young child would his mother. When he turned to look, he noticed Hermes dozing off on the ground; he appeared to be under the effects of some sort of magic. Alaric made an attempt to approach him, but was prevented. The person was followed by Alaric till they arrived to a little cabin.

"Are you the warlock everyone is talking about?" As soon as the wearer of the cloak appeared, Alaric began to speak.

"Yes." The woman answered and grinned. "But I'm not a witch or a warlock, as they generally depict me, Alaric."

"How do you know me?"

"The air speaks to me and tells me everything."

"Then you must be wondering why I'm here."

"As I already stated, the atmosphere is my guide, yet you are unaware of your purpose for being here." Alaric found her statements to be a mystery, but nothing on the journey had been any easier. The warlock proceeded as he gaped in disbelief at her reaction. "You are here to finish the soul's written destiny," she said.

"I don't get it," The warlock laughed when she heard that.

"I see you are familiar with the elementals, though perhaps not all of them." Alaric kept focusing on her. "The soul, without which nothing is alive, was overlooked in the book that humans think the elementals wrote. The soul that lives inside of you is the only reason you are here.

"So there were five elementals, then." Warlock nodding

"And a curse was the beginning of it all."

"Curse?"

"Yes, Aella didn't take Hali's killing of Ignacio well, and as a result, she recognized that she was one of them. In her fury, she killed Hali by suffocating him with air." Warlock gave Alaric a glance. "We were sent to control our magic, but it had the opposite effect. We elementals are not allowed to interact with other elementals. She thereby received a soul-curse. She was given the curse that she would never pass away and that she would live on in the land forever. Neither she was alive nor dead."

Alaric gave the warlock a startled glance.

"And since then, I've been surrounded by another cursed element."

"Water." Alaric grunted. "So you're never going to be able to escape this place."

"I can, and you'll make it happen. Soul has already been born." A gray ring was pulled out of the warlock's pocket. "You are here because something was given to me so that I might deliver it to the soul and set myself free." When Alaric didn't answer, she kept talking. "This ring must be given to her because the curse that brought you here was intended to occur so that the soul may be born. But it's tough." Alaric gave her a puzzled look. He was told that he would do whatever, along with his daughter, to set things right.

"Hermes, get up! " Hearing a recognizable voice caused Hermes to awaken from his nap.

"Alaric, Alaric." He searched the area but came up empty.

"Hermes, listen to me."

"But where are you?"

"I'm everywhere."

And that's how Hermes ended up asking for aid in the midst of town, collapsing on his steps and colliding with someone. "Oh my gosh, Hermes." Levin was there. As he gave Levin the envelope, Hermes gave him a quick glance. "Hand it over to Aura." Those were his final words before he passed out and fell to the ground. Levin took a glance at the package and read the writing on the outside.

"The soul"