"Ana..."
She walked without direction, her thoughts a ss as she pondered Ulysses’ current state.
Was he fine?... Had he arrived at his destination or was he lost in the madness of the Abyss?... What would happen to him now?
"Ana."
What if he ended up losing himself and becoming a monster?... The Abyss Wheel was no respecter of persons and it made sure that none of its denizens remained normal once they embarked on it.
Just the thought that Ulysses might not return left her listless.
Who would be her travel partner if that happens?
"Ana!"
A hand grabbed her shoulder, jolting her from her thoughts and forcing her to instinctively react as she exerted her Will on the aether and froze the person in ti only to realize belatedly that the offending party was Nadia.
"Oh my goodness." Ana gasped as she swiftly undid her Ability, allowing Nadia to once again move in tandem with the rest of the world.
"You... attacked ." Nadia breathed out evenly with a judgental look in her eyes, prompting Ana to apologize.
"I’m sorry, I thought..."
"Thought what?"
"... I’m sorry. My mistake."
Letting out a sigh, Nadia decided not to pursue the matter as she asked. "What’s wrong?... You are clearly bothered."
"Aren’t you?" Ana asked back. "Ulysses is in danger."
"I’m aware, but Alex is right; he knew the risks when he took on the Trial. It’s the sa for all of us."
Ana hesitated, her expression serving as a telltale to the complicated emotions running rife within her.
"It’s best to trust that Ulysses will handle the situation. Heading over to the Abyss as we are... it won’t make any difference."
"... I know," Ana muttered with a slight grimace.
But even as she knew that, she still wasn’t okay with just that.
It was strange, given that very few individuals had managed to cause her to worry so much for their safety.
Taking a deep breath, she intoned. "You are right, I’m sorry. We should focus on finding the Beast."
"Sure?"
Ana nodded with Nadia seemingly relieved as she remarked.
"Great, so where are we headed?"
"To the west," Ana replied just as Arwen caught up to them.
"Then let’s be on our way."
As she said that, Ana couldn’t help but recall the amulet she had handed over to Ulysses before his departure.
Now more than ever, she hoped it would be of so use to him.
***
With the Goddess Ninmah forced into a retreat due to Cybele’s expertly tid bomb, the Azure Seas finally cald down and the darkened skies above cleared, once again allowing the rays of the Lightbringer to touch the land below.
The protectors of the other continents were allowed to breathe a sigh of relief while wondering with a hint of wariness what had caused Ninmah to suddenly flee when she was so close to her goal.
anwhile, Sayda, still within the belly of the whale, was tempted to return to the surface in a bid to continue her quest, as she noticed, with increasing annoyance that the map on Douglas’ back continued to slowly erase, with almost sixty percent of the map already gone.
The whale surfaced close to a natural harbor in Henos and opened its mouth, allowing Sayda to step out with Douglas in tow.
Taking a deep breath, she didn’t dare to take a step onto land as she detected the divinity of the Jester which had long since spread to the ends of the continent.
Displeased as she was, Sayda didn’t dare to enter Henos with the Jester’s divinity currently dominating the aether.
She appreciated her intelligence and did not wish to lose it while trying to fulfill the dreams of her ancestors, which she couldn’t care less about.
And so, she turned and made her way back into the whale, with a chagrined look on her face.
Perhaps it was ti to start considering other ways to survive should she fail to retrieve the Midnight Pearl.
***
Dressed in a purple silk himation with light makeup and little jewelry, Thalia traversed the beautifully adorned halls of the royal palace of Astoria, with a straight face while her mind conjured up tales and her heart pounded with varying emotions.
She could still rember her first ti moving through these halls.
Back then, she had used them while trying to escape the arranged marriage she was forced into by virtue of her parents’ agreent with the royal family.
As a free-spirited woman who believed in everyone having the right to make decisions for themselves, it was naturally devastating that one of the single most important things that determined the rest of her life would not be hers to decide.
And so, she decided to flee.
A lancholic smile adorned her lips as she recalled her attempt to escape over the fence of the palace only to be discovered by a dashing young man.
That young man, whom she considered a manservant, turned out to be her groom, Prince Drakon of Astoria, who was now King Drakon.
An odd eting that was, one that would end up causing her to rethink her decision to run away.
If only life remained as it was back then, perhaps she would not be on her way to murder her husband.
But what could she do?... She had no other choice, if she wished to preserve what little respect remained of the royal bloodline.
"Your majesty, please slow down." Her personal eunuch cried out from behind as he tried to keep pace with her.
He was a young boy, no older than eighteen, who tended to her basic needs.
Thalia ignored him as she soon arrived at her destination.
A large door forged with stone stood before her and was guarded by a contingent of ard soldiers.
These n were the personal guards of his Highness, King Drakon of Astoria, following him everywhere he went without question.
They were also part of the very few who were intimate with the true ntal state of their King.
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