"Kylnar," Cyrus spoke after several seconds of silence in the restaurant. "Most mortals can't handle the sight of blood, and nor do they, uh, like it when people stab themselves in the chest."

"Right," Kylnar said. "I'm used to Rynovar, who once went through a phase where he'd rip off my head just to watch it regrow."

"It's Rynovar," Cyrus told him. "He's not exact the standard for mortals, or even for gods."

"It can be hard to adjust to mortals," Kylnar shrugged. "Sure, there are a few of them up on the island, but not many, and they all adjust rather fast to Rynovar's eccentricities. Kind of have to if they want to stay sane."

"You-you stabbed yourself in the chest," Sabbie finally spoke. "And there was blood. Actual blood, not an illusion, not water faked into blood. Actual blood. And you just continued on as if nothing was wrong or weird about it."

"Well," Cyrus said. "He is a god. Our healing magics natural mend us from various injuries the moment we receive them. The more powerful our healing magic is, the faster it happens, not even needing to trigger the fail-safe eventually."

"Fail-safe?" She asked. "Are you-are you really a god?"

"Yes," Cyrus answered. "As I stated multiple times, I am a god. I'm not on the level of Kylnar, Selar, or Rynovar, though. I'm simply a god who lives among mortals, doing my best to imitate mortal life in the best way I can, being a god."

"You are welcome on the island, you know," Kylnar told him.

"I'll move onto the island after I beat the daylights out of my father," Cyrus said. "Then the nightlights, too."

"I don't even want to know," Kylnar muttered, then smiled at Sabbie. "Yes, Sabrina, I am the Kylnar, right-hand god of Rynovar, godking of Earth."

"And… you're… in… this… restaurant," Sabbie's breathing became short and quick, her skin beginning to pale.

"No," Cyrus snapped, ending the hyperventilation before it could progress too far. "Even Kylnar goes to mortal things from time to time."

"A phoenix, four lesser gods, and Lord Kylnar himself," Lyda said in a mixture of awe and disbelief, more patrons staring than before. "If this isn't a dream or some elaborate prank, I don't-I don't know what I'd do."

"Pass out, probably," Cyrus told her, then turned his attention to the woman approaching from the right. "Hello, Madam Mara."

"Hello, Cyrus," she smiled. "I do believe I saw three young men who looked remarkably like you a few minutes ago."

"My brothers," Cyrus told her.

"I pity the poor woman who went with them," she told him, then settled her gaze on Kylnar. "You look remarkably like the images I've seen of Lord Kylnar, but I know you can't be him, considering the nature of this place."

"Even a god has needs," Kylnar smiled. "And mine was to visit a friend while escaping the presence of a phoenix who went to harass us."

"Harass?" Cyrus asked him. "He said he was visiting an old friend."

"Sure, he says that," Kylnar rolled his eyes. "But you can bet your all that he's just annoying Rynovar to amuse himself. When Selar and I met him the time before we came here to Earth, he decided to raid our supplies for any chocolate we had, burn up all of the bread we had, and then just play around with our fire until we finally shooed him away."

"He sounds fun," Cyrus said, then looked at Madam Mara. "Yes."

"I didn't even ask," she said.

"The question was clear in your mind," he told her. "She's at her apartment right now, taking a shower while her clothes are washing. She's also doing something I think she's only doing because she knows I'm keeping attention on her."

While he said he thought that, he knew she was doing it because she knew he was keeping an eye on her while she was gone. He wasn't sure why she would, though, but chalked it up to mortal desires and habits he would likely never understand.

"I see," Madam Mara said, then gave Kylnar a slight bow. "Thank you for gracing my establishment, Lord Kylnar. It is not something I would have ever expected to occur."

"As I said," Kylnar smiled. "I'm just escaping an irritant, and Cyrus is a good friend of mine. And he's not a lesser god, Sabrina."

Kylnar looked at her.

"Cyrus is," Kylnar said. "The second-most powerful god in the universe right now. Period. There have been more powerful before him, and there might be more powerful to come, but right now, he's the second-most powerful god in the universe. Only Rynovar stands above him in power. If Cyrus so wished, he could erase all life from Earth just by flexing his powers."

"I'm a minor god," Cyrus muttered. "Just a minor god who lives among the mortals, dealing with his brothers while doing his best to keep them in line and clean up any messes they do make. That's all, and nothing more. At all. Ever. Period. I'm just a lesser god, and put your shirt back on."

"I like being shirtless," Kylnar said.

"The restaurant has a policy not to serve people without shirts or shoes," Cyrus said. "Since you're in the restaurant portion, you should follow that, not use your status as a god to ignore it."

"There's a policy like that?" Kylnar asked.

"There's a sign on the door."

"Oh," Kylnar grabbed his shirt and pulled it on. "Whoops."

"It is fine, Lord Kylnar," Madam Mara smiled at him. "You are quite attractive, and as one of our gods, we will have no issue serving you down here even if you chose to come here naked."

"No," Kylnar smiled. "It is best to follow such rules, even if they don't apply to us gods. After all, it is a way of showing that we do respect humans who have done nothing to earn our ire."

"Well," Madam Mara said. "If there is anything we can get for you, Lord Kylnar, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Onion rings," Kylnar answered. "I would kill for some onion rings right now. I'm in one of those phases where I crave them every few days, so I have to keep coming down here to get them. Rynovar banned them on his island about two hundred centuries ago."

"Why?" Cyrus asked.

"Because I kept putting them on-

"Forget I asked," Cyrus muttered, causing Kylnar to laugh.

"-his head, saying they were his crown."

"And you wonder why he likes to prank you," Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"He started it!" Kylnar protested. "Trust me! He deserved that!"

"And you deserve needing to come down here to satisfy your cravings," Cyrus told him as he pulled out his tablet. "I'm going to back to work."

Cyrus returned to using his tablet as several of the employees and patrons of the restaurant hesitantly approached the god beside him. Some just wished to meet Kylnar, while others wanted to ask him questions. The majority of the questions revolved around what it was like on the island, if he really was as old as the tales said, and what the best part of being a god was.

Eventually, the god rose, saying it was time to return to the island, placed a few notes on the counter for Sabbie, then left the shop. A few minutes later, Lyda returned, and Cyrus gave her an amused look as she handed him her pack.

"I know it's coincidence," he told her as he sent her pack back into his warehouse. "But this is the third time you've missed Kylnar. He left here as soon as the phoenix left Earth, which was just a few minutes ago. He probably didn't even think about the fact that twice before, you missed him. Well, you'll meet him on the island for sure. All three of them greet people who complete the quest."

"I thought no one has?" She asked as she sat on his right.

"None have," Cyrus confirmed with a nod. "But that's part of the custom he wants to set. So you'll meet Kylnar after arriving there, as he and Selar will be present as well."

"Okay," she said. "What was he doing here?"

Cyrus explained about the phoenix, then returned to using his tablet as Lyda socialized with her coworkers and boss. They ate dinner there, then stayed for some time later, leaving when Cyrus began to grow aggravated at people approaching him in an attempt at inviting him upstairs.

It was part of the restaurant's nature, so Cyrus understood why it was happening, but it still annoyed him. He and Lyda made their way to the hotel he booked for them. While they could have stayed in her apartment, Cyrus preferred sleeping in either his own bed or in a hotel.

At the hotel, Cyrus took a shower, then dried off and entered the bedroom, where Lyda was laying on the bed, looking over a booklet regarding Forest Ruin preparation.

"Those things are useless," Cyrus said. "There's no set formula for how to complete a Forest Ruin, nor how to prepare. Each one has at least one thing unique to it, too."

"How do you prepare for it, if these are useless?" She asked. "What are Forest Ruins like? You mentioned traps and puzzles."

"And mazes," he nodded. "Learn about the specific one you want to explore. Most famous ones have been mapped out well, making it easy. This one isn't well-known, though I know the full thing. However, if you want, I'll let you do your own thing, and protect you when necessary."

"Being able to prepare in advance would be helpful if I were to lead the way," she told him.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "The best thing you can do is be prepared for any unexpected surprises. A seemingly harmless hall might have a floor that triggers a trap upon you stepping on it. Maybe the path becomes longer, or you find yourself in another area. Space is bent in the Ruins, too, packing in much more space than should realistically fit into them. Don't think you know the layout of the place because you've been in a few rooms, as there might be more rooms wedged between them, impossibly so. There aren't many monsters, but the ones that are there act as gatekeepers. Have plenty of food and water, but travel light. That's if you go without someone like me, who can summon stuff from a warehouse."

"I see," she said. "So keep an open mind and be alert at all times."

"Yes," he answered. "If you put it simply, keep an open mind of what could happen and be alert at all times. Also know your mind and be aware of your surroundings. Notice the differences or oddities."

"Be aware of my own mind?"

"Keep track of your thoughts," he told her. "Some Forest Ruins will lead you in circles simply by having you choose to walk through the same entrances. It's easiest to notice such things by being aware of your own mind, knowing if you've made the decision before, and if you'd normally make that sort of decision. If it's not a decision you'd normally make, the Forest Ruin is playing with your mind."

"That's good to know," she said. "What's the unique thing in this one?"

Cyrus climbed onto the bed and lay down, staring at the ceiling as he thought over the Forest Ruin. He had a hard time keeping them separate in his mind from time to time, as he had entered all of the ones Rynovar and Kylnar had created, just for the experience.

As time progressed faster in the ruins, at a rate of ten days for every one which passed outside, it was easy to explore them all even in just his twenty years of life and still be able to keep track of his brothers and clean up their messes. The time distortion was one of the most famous features of the ruins, which was why he didn't mention it to Lyda – she already knew about it.

After a few minutes, Cyrus remembered the unique feature about the local Forest Ruins and grimaced.

"What's that face for?" Lyda asked.

"Now I remember why I visit this one to nap in it," he told her. "It has a subtle sleepiness spell. It makes you always tired while inside, and unless you force yourself to power through, you'll be tempted to lie down for a nap all the time. When you do sleep, it will be for longer than normal. So if you normally sleep nine hours, you might slept for eleven or twelve."

"Um," Lyda said. "Doesn't that mean you might slept for something like a day and a half to two days, since you normally sleep a day or so?"

"Not always," he said. "I sleep normally, too. You've seen that. As long as I sleep regularly and don't use my powers heavily, I'll sleep for seven to nine hours, the healthy amount for someone our age."

"Okay," she said. "That's good to know, then. So you use it for longer naps, then?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I also sometimes go to it when I know I need more sleep than I'll get. I'll show you a few of my napping spots. For now, though, I think we should get some sleep, since we'll be setting off in the morning."

"Okay," she kissed him on the cheek, then snuggled against him. "Good night, Cyrus."

"Good night," he told her.

The two of them fell asleep resting peacefully through the night. After they woke, they dressed and checked out of the hotel, then took a car outside of town, to a campground in the forest five hours away.

"The ruins are in the campgrounds?" Lyda asked as they exited the car.

"No," Cyrus answered as he began walking down the main path of the campgrounds. "It's past here. Rynovar put the campgrounds here because of the journey. It's a place to store the car for adventurers seeking to complete the ruins, with magical protection against theft. It's also a place to rest once they leave the ruins, as they'll no doubt be quite exhausted."

"Ah," she said. "Do you mind if we stop to eat first? It's lunchtime, and I'm hungry."

"Sure," Cyrus led her over to an empty campsite and they sat at a picnic table.

He pulled out some sandwiches and tea for them, and once they finished eating, led her back down the path. They left the campgrounds and continued deeper into the forest, eventually reaching a stone archway set into the ruins of a building which rested against the face of a cliff.

"Here we are," Cyrus told Lyda. "Once we step through that archway, we're in the ruins."

"Really?" Lyda looked over a wall. "It's an old church, right?"

"Perhaps," he said. "Or perhaps that's what Rynovar modeled it to look like."

"There's not really anything in there," she said. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Space is bent, and magic can mean it's connected to many other places," he told her. "So, Lyda. Are you ready to enter a Forest Ruin?"