We rode in the buggy, its crystal engine purring softly beneath us, the only sound in a landscape that felt… wrong. The path stretched out like a silver ribbon through pale grass and ghostly trees, toward the place where the portal flickered—a threshold to the Between Realms.
Heim sat in the passenger seat beside , arms folded, brows furrowed like he was trying to intimidate the horizon. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novelFirｅ
"This place gives the creeps," he muttered, eyes scanning the empty plains. "Where exactly are we going? And why does it feel like the world's holding its breath?"
I glanced sideways at him. "Aren't you from the Shadow Realm? Shouldn't you be used to eerie silence?"
He snorted. "Don't lump this place in with my ho. The Shadow Realm isn't creepy, it's—" he paused, eyes narrowing like he was about to launch into a lecture. "—ethereal. Calm. Harmonious. There's… music, actually. Resonance in the dark. Peaceful."
I tilted my head. "So… calm, serene, and kinda ethereal? Sounds familiar."
He shot a look like I'd just insulted his entire bloodline. "That's not the sa thing. This place feels dead. The Shadow Realm feels alive."
Before I could throw another jab, we reached the edge of a lake so still it looked like glass poured from a divine cup. Beyond it, tucked into a clearing that seed to pulse with quiet magic, was our destination.
"That tree," I said, pointing. "That weird, ugly bald one in the middle of all the pretty ones? I need you to destroy it."
Heim squinted at the skeletal thing like it personally offended him. "You brought all the way here to kill a tree?"
"It's not just a tree," I replied, hands on my hips. "It's enchanted. Blocking access to the Ziggurat. Just smash it."
He crossed his arms. "Why should I do that? I'm the god."
"You're technically a god under my temporary jurisdiction," I countered with a shrug. "Besides, we had a deal rember? What happened to that noble spirit of yours? Your majestic sense of justice? Your endless thirst for Agnos' approval?"
His eyes narrowed. "You're manipulating ."
I smirked. "And yet here we are."
He grumbled sothing under his breath—probably a curse involving my untily death—then stepped out. With a dramatic flourish, he summoned his weapon. A warhamr. No, a warhamr. Capital W. The thing pulsed with a smoky aura that whispered "I bench-press realms for fun."
Without warning, Heim hurled it like a boorang on steroids. The hamr spun through the air, shrieking like a banshee before it slamd into the tree with bone-rattling force. The poor trunk exploded into magical dust and splinters, and the hamr spun back into Heim's grip like a loyal dog.
I blinked. "Damn."
He stood there, bathed in the soft twilight of the broken enchantnt, looking smug. Annoyingly smug. Like he knew he looked majestic. And honestly? He kinda did. For a fleeting second, I could've sworn there was a halo behind him. I shook my head violently to clear the thought. Nope. Not today, intrusive thoughts.
The mont the tree disintegrated, the landscape shifted. The tranquil illusion cracked like a mirror, revealing a barren wasteland underneath—ashen soil, charred trees, and a cold wind that howled like a haunted choir.
"I don't like this," Heim muttered, kicking a pebble. "It's so… desolate."
"It's been five minutes," I said, amused. "You already miss the tree?"
"I miss Agnos," he muttered. "If I were walking with him, this'd be different."
I squinted at him. "Okay, ti out—what is it with you and this brother-worship thing? Are you trying to win so 'Best Brother Complex' award or sothing?"
He didn't answer right away. For once, Heim—the bratty, overpowered, marshmallow-chomping Wolf God—looked quiet. Thoughtful. "Agnos is family," he finally said, voice softer than I expected.
"Lucky you," I said without thinking. "At least you have family."
He glanced sideways at , hesitating. "I heard what happened. From Jiuge. That you're adopted."
I groaned. "Of course she told you. That fox goddess's mouth should co with a volu control."
"I'm not judging," he said quickly. "I an… at least you t your parents. Even if they weren't your real ones."
I turned to him, brow raised. "What do you an?"
He stared ahead, not eting my eyes. "Mine never t . Not once. Just… left . Agnos is the only one who ever ca to find . Told we're half-brothers. That was it."
His voice didn't crack. There was no bitterness, no angry edge. Just… resignation. Like soone who had stopped hoping for an explanation a long ti ago.
I felt sothing twist inside . Not sympathy, not exactly. But… sothing.
"Maybe they're dead," I offered quietly.
He shook his head. "They're alive. I checked. They just don't want to see ."
There was no hatred in his tone. Just fact. Cold and hollow.
What kind of divine parents abandon their own kid? Even gods could be heartless, apparently. For once, I didn't see the bratty, cocky Heim. I saw the lonely kid behind the warhamr. And suddenly, using him to smash my way into the Ziggurat felt a little bit... rotten.
"…Sorry," I muttered.
He looked at , confused. "For what?"
"For calling you a glorified puppy earlier."
He blinked. "You didn't call that."
"Well, I thought it really hard."
He snorted. And maybe, just maybe, we both walked a little lighter after that.
Guided by my token, we finally reached the Ziggurat.
It stood like a stone sentinel in the middle of the dusty nowhere—ancient, enormous, and about as welcoming as a tax office at midnight.
The wind kicked up a few dry gusts around us, and the sll of scorched clay stung my nostrils. Even from this distance, the towering slabs of obsidian bricks shimred with residual magic, humming faintly beneath the sandblasted silence.
Above the colossal entrance, carved in massive cuneiform letters, was the phrase: Ziggurat Information Mall.
I only understood it because the first ti I ca here, the Essence Token decided to unlock the language by slamming ancient knowledge straight into my brain—through what I can only describe as a magical panic attack wrapped in existential pain. It was like cramming for finals, except the textbook scread back and possibly rewired part of my soul.
Heim, standing beside with his arms crossed and his jaw tense, squinted up at the structure like it owed him money.
"This is it?" he asked flatly. "A temple?"
"It's not a temple," I said, brushing sand off my vest and shaking my boots out. "It's… an Information Mall."
He blinked at . "An information mall? What does that even an? Like a bookstore?"
I grinned. His reaction was almost identical to mine the first ti soone told about it. "Yeah. Kind of. But imagine if a library and a conspiracy theorist's attic had a magical baby and raised it inside a dinsional rift." I pointed up at the Ziggurat. "That's this place."
"Huh?" Heim still looked doubtful—until I dropped the bait.
"It's also one of Agnos's favorite places," I said casually, like I wasn't absolutely dangling that info like a carrot on a fishing line. "He hangs out here sotis. Research. Reading. Brooding in knowledge corners, probably."
Not exactly a lie. Agnos did say he loved this place the last ti we were here—so technically, it counts as the truth… for now. I'm just strategically leaning on the part that benefits most. Call it selective honesty. Survival skill, really.
I didn't even finish before Heim's whole expression lit up like soone had gifted him a sword forged from complints.
"He cos here?" Heim's voice cracked a little with the weight of sudden hope. "Like—on purpose?"
"Yep," I said, smugly. "Even brought tea. Just sat down and read for hours like a total nerd god. So, congrats. You're about to walk in Agnos's footsteps."
He didn't hesitate after that. Just straightened his shoulders and strode toward the entrance like it might earn him a badge in 'Brotherly Approval 101.'
I trailed behind, smirking a little, but part of softened. Heim, the broody warhamr-wielding Wolf God, had the emotional vulnerability of a teenager trying to impress his older brother at a science fair. It was… strangely endearing.
And also a reminder.
Everyone's chasing sothing. Even gods.
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