Akuji fiercely underestimated the destructive storms that hover halfway up the mountain. Her group managed to see the top of the mountain through a tunnel Aegeus found during the beginning of their trip. It completely passed the narrow and dangerous ledges they would have to track early in their quest. Unfortunately, the moment they reached the exit, Aegeus became ill and a strong storm prevented them from pushing forward.

Rehna checked to see if the storm subsided slightly. The harsh winds battered the side of the mountain and a chunk of hail stuck her head. The nomad stumbled back, nursing her bleeding open wound. She looked at Akuji who was cradling Aegeus in her arms; the child's face was covered in sweat and their skin was pale.

Rehna patted the demi-god’s shoulder then said. “I believe this is a good time to retreat. Your little guardian won't last through the storm and we have been hiding here for days. Consider your child, Akuji.”

Akuji ignored her, staring into the angry swirling clouds covering the only way up the mountain. Their angry roars filled her mind and the endless whirling gray hues made her tremble. The endless storm reminded her of the everlasting suffocating darkness she laid after the drinking that potion.

Rehna dodged another hurling rock by ducking behind a chip in the walls. She screamed at Akuji, “Leave for Aegeus, please!”

Her words didn't reach her as the demi-god caught a stone close to harming her child. She stared at the rock, her green eyes examining the offending stone as if it were an insignificant insect. Her irises bled into the whites of her eyes and slowly they turned into the void she resigned in for thousands of years. The swirling void began to spread from her eyes to the rest of the body, consuming any light reaching her.

She stood up with Aegeus in arms and walked out into the storm. The raging story was appalled a mortal strolled into its domain and sent a bolt of lighting to strike her down. It reached her head, brightening the surrounding area then disappeared. She paused for a moment then continued walking up the narrow path. Rehna stared at the demi-god for a second, feeling more like a lifetime, then scrambled to follow her.

The storm was infuriated and began to rain lighting, hail and harsh winds on the trio but was all absorbed by the void. She was ever-present and ever-changing but no outside influence could touch her or her wards. Each step was sturdy as the mountains and he seemed to fade in and out of existence. For Rehna, the constant stress and fear made her feel like she was in a storm for days.

They stood up the road, the storm tried its best to remove them but nothing could shake them from the road. Once they reached the summit, the void waved her hand and the storm dissipated, seeming to never exist. She laid Argues on a patch of soft, bright green grass and poured a strange purple aura into the child. She gave them a kiss on the forehead and laid next to them and fell asleep.

Rehan looked around for a resting area but could only find an endless field of green grass with a few trees. She scratched her neck raw then sit next to the sleeping mother-child duo, confused and worried.

She patted Akuji’s head, “I guess I owe you.”