“Calm down, Jodeus. Breathe.”

Jodeus didn't rest, not when the thought of the Carnelians burning another town to the ground, terrorizing another kingdom, and killing more people lingered in his mind.

And not only that, but the thought of Brytos as the Phoenix also plagued him.

Sunrise came and Ektes woke up, barely even getting a wink of sleep. The ship headed to Azurite would sail in a few hours so they needed to move.

Still weakened by his injury, Jodeus leaned on Ektes as he limped, his small bag slung onto his shoulder. They both wore less eye-catching clothing that Ektes had found abandoned in the town's market. Their hair and faces were covered by cloth cut from their previous clothes.

They made their way to the pier, traversing the alleyways, wanting to avoid the panicking Uvites. And finally, they had reached the docks, Jodeus gasping to breathe as the stitches in his stomach threatened to rip open. They swiftly and very easily snuck into the boat as there was very little security.

When the ship was about to sail, an explosion erupted from a distance, smoke rising from a nearby city. Then the ship started to sail.

Jodeus wanted nothing more than to return to Uvite and help them defeat Carnelian cavalry, But he knew that he was no longer welcome there, both he and Ektes were wanted for treason. They knew that if they were to be spotted and recognized, they would be sent to be executed or killed on the spot.

He didn't want to rest, he hasn't even slept or eaten since the ship had sailed for the voyage to the Azurite Kingdom.

Ektes knew that Jodeus, for some reason, felt somewhat responsible for the attack that had happened. His eyes were trained on the man that kept bouncing his leg in restlessness.

Jodeus wanted to help the Uvites, to heal their injuries, and to give them food. But every time he would stand up to approach someone, he would be stopped by the pain of his injury and by Ektes, who would remind him that they should just lay low.

When he made another move to stand and approach an injured man, Ektes cut him off, grabbing his shoulder to stop him. Brows furrowed, Jodeus looked up at the man who nodded to the side. He turned to look at what Ektes gestured toward and he saw that finally, after hours of traveling, they have finally arrived at an Azurite dock.

From where he was, Jodeus could see silhouettes of the floating islands, tears filled his eyes as memories flooded in. He looked down at the ring, holding it close to his lips and planting a soft kiss on the flickering gem.

'We will live on an island in the sky and watch as the sun sets together soon, my Love.'

It was sundown when the ship finally berthed, Jodeus and Ektes quickly sneaked off the boat. And after walking around town, they found the cheapest inn in their area and decided to share a room together to save some money. Jodeus paid for the room, using the money he had saved from working in the clinic.

Jodeus slowly sat down on the stiff mattress with a sigh, his hand hovering over his injury.

"I'll head out to buy the necessities we lack. I shall be back shortly. You should rest so your injury will heal faster." Jodeus nodded, fidgeting with the ring on his finger.

…

When Ektes returned from his errand; nearing midnight, Jodeus was far from resting. He sat near the dining table, holding his dagger and effortlessly changing it into a saber.

A sigh of disappointment announced Ektes' arrival to Jodeus. The man walked to the table and sat across Jodeus, who sheathed and put away his dagger, instead resting his chin on his palm, staring at his other hand as small flurries of snow appears from the tips of his fingers.

"Tomorrow, sunrise," Jodeus started, creating the smallest snowman with his snow, "I will be leaving to search for the writer Archius. You don't need to burden yourself by helping me anymore." Ektes raised an eyebrow at him.

"And let you wander a foreign place by yourself, injured? And I have no chance of returning to Uvite anymore, I've gone this far to help you already."

" I survived in Uvite even before you or Meradeath came to help and train me. I can handle myself, Ektes." Ektes opened his mouth to reply but stopped midway, realizing that it was futile to argue with Jodeus, nodding in surrender instead.

Not long after, they both decided to head to their separate beds and sleep.

…

It was still dark when Jodeus woke up, the Sun had barely started rising. He sat up and quietly grabbed his bag, double-checking if he had enough things and money.

Cautious about the creaky floor beneath him, he carefully walked to the door, opening it as small as he could fit. Sparing one last glance at the room before he left the sleeping Ektes.

He started his search for a library, hoping to find more books written by Archius, ending up with one old book. He quickly turned to the book's first pages where the publishing house is usually written. 'Malachite Publishing'.

He then borrowed the book, asking the librarian where the publishing house was. And after a few minutes of the librarian scanning a thick book, he was told that it was at least fifteen miles East.

When he arrived, his legs were weak and felt like they were about to give up from walking that far. The wound in his stomach felt as if its stitches were going to tear as he slowly walked through the door.

"Hello there. Welcome to Malachite Publishing. Do you have a scheduled meeting or presentation with us?" The man looked at him weirdly, especially with him panting, covered in sweat and dirt.

"No, but may I please ask about the author Archius? I have traveled so far to find him." The man looked more confused than ever.

"I'm sorry, but the author Archius has been dormant for about five years. No one had ever heard from him, so most assumed that he had died." Jodeus' brows furrowed at his words. He would fight that Archius was alive but he didn't want to be perceived as weirder than he already was.

"Oh… well. May I ask for his address at least? I really came a long way."

"That's actually impossible too. He had never given us an address of any type. He would just bring the books he wanted to be published here and he would pick up any mail and payments himself too." Jodeus sighed, muttering a small "Okay, thank you." to the nice man before exiting the building.

…

Defeated, he glanced at his ring while on his way back to the town. The gem's flickers felt desperate, he knew he had no time to spare but it seemed like there was nothing left to do with Archius dead… Or, 'presumed' dead.

Turning back around with newfound hope, he resumed his search by going to another town, asking people he passed what they knew about the presumably dead writer. Most of the people he asked would look at him in confusion and judgment before walking away or replying.

By noon, he had gathered that there were rumors of Archius living deep in the woods, some rumors said that he was in the abandoned tower, at the highest island in the sky. A rumor also said that he lived and died in the deepest part of a cave where people who came near it became cursed and experienced days of misfortune.

Based on these rumors—that were his only means of information—he started planning where he would go and in what order he would go to these places. Sitting down, he spread the Azurite map he bought from a generous wandering merchant.

He pulled out a pencil and started marking the places where Archius has been rumored to live. Jodeus would go and search the woods first, which were three towns away. Then he would head north to where the cursed cave was, and if Archius was still nowhere to be found only then will he attempt to reach the highest island in search of the tower.

Too invested in his task, he failed to notice the man sneaking from behind him, lunging at him with a rusty dagger.

Fortunately, he turned around in time for him to hit the man's hand, making him release the dagger. The assailant quickly recovered and threw a punch that Jodeus easily caught, ducking to hit the man's stomach in retaliation.

He took a few steps back, holding his stomach where Jodeus had hit it. Before he even knew it, Jodeus' foot was flying toward his face, instantly knocking him out.

A groan escaped Jodeus, pain from his wound shooting throughout his body because of his movements. He turned his back on the now unconscious man, immediately being greeted by a punch to his face.

Jodeus backed away from his attacker, wiping the blood away from his broken nose. There were three men in front of him, one of them holding his map.

"Give that back. Now." His dagger was now unsheathed in his hand, his knuckles white from the strength of his grip.

"And who're you to tell us what to do? You're outnumbered, boy." Jodeus huffed in annoyance, swiftly turning his dagger into a blunt saber when two of the men lunged at him.

The first man went in with a slightly less rusty dagger in his hand, aiming to stab at Jodeus' stomach. He stopped the attack by swinging his saber's blunt blade and the man's wrist, making him let go of the weapon.

When the second man jumped him, trying to choke him from behind. Jodeus bend down with a wince before throwing the man over his head, kicking him in the face to knock him out.

He quickly turned around, just in time to avoid the punch thrown his way by the first guy. When he threw another punch, Jodeus gripped the man's wrist and dislocated his elbow before sweep-kicking his feet off the ground, knocking him out.

With three of his men knocked out, the last guy looked furious. Furious enough to rip Jodeus' map to pieces.

"No!" Jodeus jumped at the man, ignoring the burning sensation in his stomach as he swung his now sharp saber at him. Every swing of Jodeus' blade was blocked by the man's own cutlass.

Realizing that swinging his saber repeatedly wasn't working, Jodeus stepped back to regain himself, taking a deep breath to control his anger.

While trying to calm himself, he almost failed to notice the cutlass' blade inches away from his face. He fell back, the blade leaving a cut on his cheek.

Sat on the ground, still reeling from the attack, he tried and succeeded to kick the man's knees, making them buckle and give out. With a thud, the guy fell on his back and Jodeus knocked him unconscious.

Looking at the three unconscious men, Jodeus wiped the blood from his nose and from the cut on his cheek. He only noticed that his first attacker was now conscious when he hears something behind him.

When he turned around, he saw that the man was about to stab him with his dagger, his hand was raised, stopped midway by the sand wrapping around his wrist. The sand on his wrist dragged him backward, more sand wrapping around his legs and constricting him.

Jodeus winced as the man screamed in pain when his bones break under the pressure, the sound of the bones almost making him cringe. When the man finally fell unconscious from the pain, Jodeus turned around to see Ektes.

"Ektes, why are you here?" Jodeus walked towards him. Ektes almost rolled his eyes at Jodeus' tone.

"Is that what I get for saving your life?"

"I had it under control, Ektes."

"Indeed you did. A dagger almost pierced your chest."

Jodeus rolled his eyes but said nothing else.

Ektes reached into his pocket, pulling out an Azurite map.

"If you want me to leave, then I reckon you don't need this either." He stood there with the map in his hands as Jodeus argued with himself about letting Ektes stay.

Glancing at his torn map, he sighed before speaking.

"Fine. Stay if you want. I just didn't want to burden you with anything else."

Ektes handed him the map, eyes slightly widening when his eyes dropped to Jodeus' bloodied shirt. As if on cue, the adrenaline that rushed in Jodeus' veins also disappeared, the shooting pain from his now open wound spreading throughout his body.

Jodeus almost lost his consciousness from the pain, stumbling as he was dizzy from blood loss. Ektes sat him down and took out the medical supplies he had in his bag.

After Ektes had stitched him up, Jodeus being too dazed to do so himself, they decided to set camp and rest for a while.

"...Thank you." Jodeus, said as he changed into a cleaner top. Ektes nodded in reply, cleaning up the supplies he had used.

…

They woke up and started walking to the forest at sunrise. They reached the end of the third town nearing sundown, slowed by Jodeus' injury.

The both of them agreed on staying the night in town, not wanting to wander the foreign woods in the dark. They rented another room with two beds in an inn since it was cheaper than two separate rooms.

…

Sunrise, Jodeus woke up, seeing Ektes in the corner of the room sharpening his weapons. He mumbled a 'good morning', Ektes sending him a nod before keeping to themselves while readying for their hike in the woods.

After ten minutes or so, they were finally ready.

Jodeus was giddy with agitation, fidgeting with the ring on his finger as they entered the woods. A sign was the first thing that greeted them, it read: 'Beware: people that enter might not exit', the words on the sign making the two men look at each other.

Their hands hovered over their weapons, ready for something to attack them the moment they stepped in.

…

The ambiance seemed to change the moment they stepped into the forest. It felt peaceful and serene, the both of them almost immediately letting their guards down.

They kept walking, the deeper they went into the forest, the calmer they got.

It was odd, all they could hear were birds singing and water constantly flowing from somewhere. There was no indication of any other creatures.

The forest looked very beautiful too, almost magical. All the flowers were in bloom, and it almost looked as if they were glowing. The light shining through the leaves was perfectly illuminating the clearing they were walking through.

Jodeus took a deep breath, the pleasant smell of flowers making his mind relax further. He turned to look at Ektes. Their eyes locked, their pupils were dilated and their eyes were hooded.

After a few minutes of staring at each other, Jodeus chuckled, his chuckles turning into fits of giggles, and his giggles turning into full-blown laughter. All the while, Ektes watched him, chuckling to himself.

They both fell on the bright grass, still laughing at each other. Jodeus plopped down, laying on the grass in the middle of the forest.

Suddenly feeling hungry, Jodeus grabbed his bag, eating his bread like he had enough to last him months. He threw one to Ektes who easily caught it, also taking a large bite.

They began going through their food, completely forgetting about rationing it to last them days. Once they had eaten the last of Jodeus' packed food, they sat in silence, spacing out.

A small, pink flower caught Jodeus' attention and he begins to crawl to it, beckoning Ektes to follow.

He inspected it very closely, smiling at the beauty of such a small flower, glowing pollen emitted from its stigma. When Ektes arrived at his side, he stared at the flower in curiosity, confused recognition dawning on his face.

A few beats passed while they stare at the flower and Ektes sluggishly pulled Jodeus back, away from the flower. He looked at Ektes in annoyance.

He opened his mouth to ask why the man yanked him away harshly, only to be stopped midway by a yawn, followed by an explosion of the flower's pollen.

Ektes frantically covered his nose and mouth, scuffling away while dragging Jodeus away from the flower. When Ektes finally deemed them to be out of the flower's reach, they both dropped on the floor, oddly feeling exhausted. They were both panting, their heads spun as their vision became blurry.

"What the hell was that?" Jodeus managed to say in between gasps of air. Ektes tried to catch his breath before answering.

"Its-" his words get cut off by another deep inhale, "Its the αναισθησία flower. It expels glowing pollen that has drug-like effects on humans." Jodeus' eyes widened at his words.

Ektes, finally managing to catch his breath, sat up and opened his luggage, taking out a spare shirt and ripping it. He tied it over his nose and mouth.

Standing up and dusting himself, he moved closer to Jodeus, standing behind him and tying the other piece of the shirt over his nose and mouth.

"There, this will help us with most of the things like the αναισθησία's pollen." Jodeus nodded, taking one last deep breath before getting up.

…

They've been walking for hours now, and in all honesty, they barely remembered to be on the lookout for where the healer might be. Especially with all that happened the moment they stepped into the forest. Thankfully, Jodeus wrote it on the map.

…

It felt like the ambiance had changed again when they reached the deeper parts of the forest. Less light shone through the thick leaves.

The bright and pastel-colored flowers were replaced by dark-colored ones. Even the grass became taller. Large trees surrounded them, as well as dead plants and wilted flowers.

A distant howl made them tense, the both of them unsheathing their weapons.

Their eyes flitted to every tree, unable to stay put. The hands that held their weapon were tight enough to make their knuckles whiten. Their shoulders were stiff, their hearts pounding in their ears. They steadily trek the woods, their guards coming back up as quickly as they went down.

Something shuffling in the tree leaves made Jodeus' head snap upwards, trying to see what had made the noise. Ektes had to call Jodeus' name to get him to move again.

Another howl sounded, but it seemed like it was closer now.

They start to move faster, hoping to exit this part of the forest at least. They didn't want to face whatever beast they were hearing.

Unfortunately, it seemed like things weren't going their way. Another howl was their last warning before a dire wolf, taller than Jodeus' height, jumped out and blocked their way.

Jodeus almost jumped in surprise. They both stepped back, away from the giant wolf.

It had ice-blue fur, dirtied from living in the woods. The wolf was growling at them, baring its teeth and it looked like it was ready to lunge at the both of them if they weren't careful.

Jodeus' feet were stuck to the ground, he was unable to move under the wolf's gaze. Ektes placing a hand on his shoulder made him jump.

"What should we do?" Jodeus whispered, his voice shaking.

"Relax but don't let your guard down. Wolves don't usually attack humans. We should leave this area slowly, we are most definitely in their territory. Don't turn your back and don't run." Jodeus nodded at Ektes' words, trying to relax.

Ektes lowered his head, eyes still on the predator. His shoulders are still tense as they slowly move around the wolf, not taking their eyes off it.

In truth, either of them could take the wolf down easily. But their minds were still too jumbled from the αναισθησία pollen.

Jodeus gulped when the wolf took a step forward, fighting the urge to turn tail and run. His heart pounded so hard that he was afraid that the wolf may be hearing it.

"Calm down, Jodeus. Breathe." He listened to Ektes' advice, taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, even just a bit.

When he exhaled, he felt less nervous than he was. Now breathing a lot less heavily, he and Ektes slowly made their way far enough from the area that the wolf didn't follow them anymore.

After a few more minutes of walking through the dark part of the forest and they arrive in a tamer area. Birds, crickets, and a lot more creatures could be heard.

The ambiance was much closer to a normal forest, unlike the two other earlier parts. There seemed to be no odd plants or flowers, everything just seemed so… normal.

Despite the normality of the forest, Ektes pointed out that it was nearing sundown, which would make it hard for them to continue their trek. So they moved quicker, hoping that the edge of the forest was near.

While passing a more crowded part, Jodeus tripped and fell flat on his face. Thankfully, he hadn't hit any rocks or sharp surfaces so he stood up uninjured from his stupid fall, glancing at Ektes who just looked at him disappointedly.

After a few more minutes of rushing north, silently hoping that the writer wasn't living amongst the trees since they were too preoccupied to keep on the lookout, they finally see a path. The path, according to a wooden sign, was headed toward a town.

When they arrived at the town, it was already dark so they booked another room in an inn, dropping their items and plopping down their own beds before they quickly drifted to sleep.

…

When Jodeus woke up, Ektes was nowhere to be found. It wasn't odd at all for him to wake up earlier than him but he would usually just stay on his bed, checking his things and sharpening his weapon.

Jodeus immediately stood up and went to the washroom, cleaning all of the dirt and grime off him from his adventure the past day.

While bathing, he started to plan what he would do for the day. He would go to the town's market, needing to buy more food. And even though he wouldn't admit it, he wanted to browse Azurite's local products, he had always been curious about this particular kingdom.

Ever since he had learned about the kingdom's floating islands, Jodeus has always wanted to visit and see them, especially with Brytos telling him how magical the kingdom looked.

He looked down at his ring again, the sound of him sniffling echoing in the closed-off room while the water pouring down on him washed over his tears.

"I miss you so much." He brought his hand near his lips, kissing the cracked red gemstone of the ring, feeling its fluctuating warmth touch his lips.

When he heard the room's door open, he quickly wiped his tears away, despite no one seeing them.

Not wanting to waste more time, he finished up and got dressed, smacking himself on the forehead when he realized that he had left his shirt on his bed.

While drying his hair, he came out of the washroom, heading straight to his bed to grab his shirt and putting it on. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he continued to dry his hair.

When his hair was finally dry after a few minutes, he turned to look at Ektes who seemed like he was just done sharpening his weapon, again, as his whetstone was rested beside it on the edge if his bed.

"I'm going to look around in the town's market and replenish all of the food we ate in one sitting in the forest." He grabbed his pouch of Uvite coins.

"I've already bought food, but if you need anything else the market is due East." Jodeus nodded at Ektes, putting the food in his bag before heading straight to the market.

As he was browsing, he saw very few unique items. Nothing too notable other than the clear, light blue gemstone that seemed to have the colors of the rainbow, that seemed to be glowing, inside of it. It probably wasn't as magical as he thought it was but it was beautiful.

Although, he was unable to buy it. Fearing that he might spend all his money on a shopping spree.

He also didn't forget to ask the townspeople about the cave, most of them warned him to not go near it but still told him where it was located.

When he arrived at the room, he double-checked his luggage before telling Ektes that they were now heading out to seek the 'cursed cave' that the Azurites were talking about. They gave the key back to the innkeeper and left.

They continued north, hoping to find Archius in the cave, alive.