While the water still boiled wildly around Arthur, he remained seated in the stone basin, unable to decide whether he had truly heard Jedd correctly. The words seemed simple enough, yet they refused to settle properly in his mind. He could not tell whether what tightened inside his chest was anger or sorrow. Perhaps it was merely the crushing realization that events had taken a turn far beyond anything he had prepared himself for. "So you mean Ysolde is gone?" Arthur asked quietly as his lips trembled. Jedd lowered his head immediately. "I'm sorry, Master. People dragged into the grounds are not meant to return to the living anymore. The Veyrath is clearly a beast from the abyss." Arthur stared at him. For several moments he said nothing. This feeling was strangely familiar. It reminded him of another night, another loss, another moment when the world had abruptly become smaller. The night Gad died. The comparison came unwillingly, yet it remained. Arthur could not explain

At least, opening one's eyes was a promise that there was still a chance to live. Arthur was about to be grateful for that simple truth as he slowly stared around the place where he had awakened. The long descent had not been the passage into hell, nor had it been the plunge into some endless abyss where forgotten souls wandered beneath the earth.There had been many holes throughout their journey, enormous wounds carved into the land itself, and Arthur had often wondered if those strange depths drilled into the ground were passages leading somewhere forbidden. Maybe it's a realm no human was meant to discover, or a place where the earth swallowed everything unfortunate enough to fall within its grasp. He had never felt comfortable near them, and now that he had fallen into one, that discomfort seemed like a foolish understatement. But where was he now?Arthur lifted his head and examined his surroundings once more. There was nothing remarkable around him. No strange creatures. No b

Stepping out of the haberdasher's shop, Arthur pulled the blue woollen scarf higher until it covered the lower portion of his face, leaving only his eyes visible beneath the fabric. The brown bag rested against his side, carrying the Re-animation Eye and the burnt spellbook, and for the first time in a while, he looked less like someone who had wandered out of a forgotten forest and more like an ordinary traveler moving through a kingdom. That alone brought him some relief.Yet Arthur was wise enough to understand that changing his appearance did not erase danger. A different covering, a different path, and a different expression would not guarantee safety if he allowed himself to become careless. He needed to remain unnoticed. He needed to move like another face among thousands.However, that became strangely difficult when people began looking at him. Especially the women.As Arthur walked through the crowded streets of Sysia, he noticed several young ladies turning their attentio

Opening his eyes, Arthur could not have been less grateful that he had actually made it. The fact that he was still alive after such a reckless leap almost felt like a miracle that he did not deserve. He had crashed into a tight corner of the enormous ship where a metal bucket, thick ropes, and several rusted hooks were scattered across the wooden floor. There were also old mops leaning against the wall, their fibres already carrying signs of decay from years of neglect. Arthur truly might have possessed a strange sensitivity toward certain spiritual presences, but, this place he had landed in was more repulsive than an abandoned cemetery left untouched for decades. The smell alone was enough to make his stomach tighten, a mixture of damp wood, rotten materials, and whatever forgotten waste had gathered within the corner. He slowly pushed himself away from the unpleasant pile and managed to stand on his feet. It was already a blessing that he had landed on what could

"You are the little kid that helped me back at the border." The sailor leader laughed in a rather monotone voice.Arthur remained silent. There was something strange about the way the old sailor laughed. It was not the loud laughter of someone amused by a situation. It was calmer, almost like a man who had already figured out something and was simply enjoying watching it unfold."Wow. I'm of great pleasure that you know my friend already, King Deff." Edaiah stepped forward.Deff turned his complete attention toward the old man. "What do you mean? Have you known him before?" he asked.Edaiah glanced back at Arthur and gave him a small wink. Then he cracked his ragged mouth into a confident smile."That's absolutely right, King Deff. He's a little child from my hometown, Juniper Kingdom in Egasus. I'm just surprised he came all the way to Sysia looking for a job. He came here to apply."Arthur almost shook his head in disbelief. Edaiah was a terrible liar. Did he really just create an