Going through the deserted city brought nothing of interest. Everything of value was gone, probably taken by people who had themselves died centuries ago. All furniture and clothes were elegant, but simple. The only thing that remained were the depictions of the Star’s glory, along with a few praying altars. If there was anything related to the Moons, it had been erased millennia ago.

Despite Dark’s reluctance, it was decided that the group spend the night in the city. The roof of the tallest tower was chosen. Even so, the group took turns keeping watch. The serenity and beauty of the area didn’t make it any less dangerous. As everyone had seen, the skies were also filled with predators.

You’ll get out of this, Nil said as Dallion closed his eyes. Prisons only keep those who aren’t strong enough from escaping. You and Eury are strong.

I’m sure others have said that as well.

That was one of the things the former village chief had said before Dallion sealed away his powers. The old man claimed to have been imprisoned for centuries. The thought sent shivers down Dallion’s spine. At least here he wasn’t alone.

How do you escape? Dallion asked.

Each prison is different, the echo replied. The most common method is to defeat the guardian, although that might be a brit tricky under the present circumstances. Finding a temple should work just as well, I think.

What if someone’s in an item without guardians? Dallion wondered.

Things are a bit more difficult there. Still, there are ways. I can’t explain them, and in some cases you won’t understand, but there always are ways. Just remember that.

Thanks, Nil.

The night passed slowly. Dallion woke up several times, each time having a nightmare. The stress of the current situation had built up to the point that his subconscious had to deal with it again. Thankfully, nothing in his realm seemed out of order.

Morning came without any attacks. Dark was the first to wake up, leaping into the sky for a quick look at the surrounding area. Eury, meanwhile, took considerably longer. Normally, she didn’t sleep so much when in the wilderness. Maybe being trapped in a realm had an effect on her as well.

“Managed to sleep?” Dallion asked.

“A bit. I’ll sleep better once I’m out of here.”

She went through her backpack for something to eat. The food that the dryads had offered them wasn’t terrible, but Eury, and Dallion for that matter, preferred meat to fruit.

“Does Dark eat?” Eury asked.

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I’ve seen him go without eating for days. He’s made of magic, so maybe he doesn’t?”

“We’ll need to get more food, even if he doesn’t.” She didn’t say the silent part out loud, but Dallion sensed she thought they’d be staying in this realm longer than expected.

“No.” Dallion stood up. “We won’t be staying here that long.”

The snakes on the gorgon’s head swirled in surprise. However, she said nothing. Ten minutes later, the group was on their way again.

The lands beneath them were full of vegetation, and the occasional animal, almost unchanged since the day the map was made. It was the dryad structures that were missing. Anytime they passed over a spot that had been marked as a settlement, there was nothing there.

By noon, only a quarter of the realm remained. This was the point at which Dallion’s view of things switched. So far, he had hoped that he’ll get to the end of the realm quickly. Now, he felt as if he didn’t want it to end, as if having more would increase the chances of him finding something in it. Sadly, that didn’t happen.

As nightfall approached, only a small sliver of realm remained—the hilt section.

“You two’ve been quiet,” Dark remarked. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” Dallion lied. “We’re just thinking about what we might face.”

“Does it matter? Everything we’ve fought so far was weak.”

That wasn’t precisely true, but Dallion decided not to argue. If, for whatever reason, they decided to go back, they’d have a tough time crossing the desert sea.

“The strongest are always waiting at the end,” Eury said. “Have you noticed that there aren’t any predators lately?”

“That’s because they don’t have anything to eat?” Dark suggested, even if it was obvious that couldn’t be the reason. There was just as much vegetation in this part of the realm as any. “So, you think I should train a bit?”

“Better get some sleep. We’ll need you to be at your full strength.”

With a sound between a grumble and a whimper, the dragon moved away, then curled up on the ground.

The moment it did, Dallion drew his harpsisword, holding it like a mandolin. Taking a deep breath, he then started playing.

“It’s been a while since you just played,” Eury said. “I miss that.”

“Since I left Hannah, there haven’t been many opportunities. Guess that’s the problem with music. I keep thinking of it as a weapon.”

The gorgon smiled.

Minutes stretched to hours. The dragon had fallen sound asleep, leaving Eury and Dallion to keep watch during the night. Unlike the large creature, none of them felt remotely tired. Knowing that tomorrow would mark the end of their journey had made them anxious. Whether they found a temple or not didn’t particularly matter. Either way, their options would end: either they’d find a way to leave this prison, or they’d be trapped here for eternity.

“The Night Auction,” Eury said at one point. “Why did you have to be there? Someone told you about it. There’s no other way you’d have known.”

“I had a debt to pay,” Dallion replied, still playing. “I was hoping I’d get something from the auction, but it wasn’t much.”

“Was it worth it?”

“It might be in the long run. Not now, though.”

The gorgon’s snakes stirred.

“You still want to face the Star,” she whispered. “Don’t you?”

“Yes.” Dallion admitted. There were no more lies, no pretenses. It was no longer a matter of being ready to face him sooner or later. Rather, Dallion wanted to be the one who initiated the final battle. In order to do that, though, he had to become stronger, as well as use anything that would give him an advantage, even if it was making another deal with the general.

“You can’t win against the Star,” Eury said softly. Dallion could almost see the sadness in her words. “People have tried for generations. Most end up becoming cultists. He’s lasted millennia. What do you have that everyone else didn’t?”

“I don’t know. I still want to put an end to it.”

“The rulers of three races tried. All of them ended up getting banished along with their entire race. You aren’t even a noble.” She hesitated. “You aren’t even a full hunter.”

“It doesn’t have to be tomorrow.” Dallion tried to make light of the situation. “The only thing now is to get out of here and face the rogue mage. After that… after that, we’ll see what happens.”

“You always were reckless.”

The night went on, filled with the sounds of Dallion’s harpsisword. Melody after melody, he kept ongoing, clearing his mind of past regrets, until finally he had nothing left to play. Done, he put the weapon away and waited. Once he did, Eury sat next to him, joining him in silence.

The crack of dawn came with the yawn of a dragon. Stretching his wings, Dark split into a dozen instances, so he could yawn leisurely in each, then walked slowly to the pair who were waiting for him. Even he could tell this was going to be a fundamental day, so he avoided making jokes or asking questions. The creature let the Dallion and Eury climb onto its back, then rose up into the air.

No one bothered to look at the map during the last leg of the trip—there was no point. All everyone was hoping for was a temple to become visible down below. And to Dallion’s relief and surprise, they soon came across it. The single structure stood calmly in the middle of a meadow atop a small hill. Much larger than the temples, in the other words, it resembled a large cathedral created by a combination of wood and stone. Yet, that wasn’t the only thing Dallion was able to see. Dots of intense emotion were scattered all about.

“Stop!” Dallion ordered, causing the dragon to circle back.

“Why? Did you sense anything?”

“Yes,” Dallion replied. “A lot of fear.”

Eury put on her combat gauntlets. As any hunter she knew that fear was the most dangerous thing to come across—out of all emotions it killed the most.

Get ready to cocoon me if needed, Dallion told his armadil shield. You be on guard as well, Gleam.

“Better stay behind, Dark,” Eury said. “Things might get a bit rough.”

“I can help,” the dragon protested. “I’m strong.”

“You aren’t strong enough,” the gorgon said.

Try not to overreact, dear boy, Nil said, as Dallion drew his harpsisword.

Dallion promptly ignored him. A hundred feet from the temple, his suspicions came true. Over a dozen dryads emerged from within the structure. All of them were armed with wooden sickles and makeshift wooden armor. It was obvious that they hadn’t fought a day in their lives, but even if they had, it wouldn’t matter. All the dryads, to the last one, were non-awakened.

Roots burst up from the ground, creating a fence between the dryads and Dallion. It was a clear indication that the guardian was near, although it seemed he was more interested in stopping the dryads wandering off than anything else.

“They’re just kids,” Eury noted.

“It’s been a while since otherworlders came to visit,” a deep voice said. Dallion could tell it was the guardian, but looking around, he could see no trace of him. “Have you come to make an offer as well?”

“No offer,” Dallion replied. “We want to leave the realm. All we need is to enter your temple. After that—”

“No,” the guardian interrupted. “You won’t set foot inside.”

“We don’t want to fight you,” Eury said. “Or your dryads.”

Dallion steadied his breathing. It would be so easy for him to do a line attack. The guardian no doubt had the strength to stop it, but it would allow Eury to go on the offensive. Was that the right strategy, though? They were supposed to be far stronger than the guardian. Surely, it could see that. And yet, it behaved as if it held the advantage. There was something else at play here, and Dallion had no idea what.

“If you won’t let us in, at least come out and talk to us.” Dallion decided to take that approach. “We can discuss things, at least,” he added agreement into his words.

Whether or not his music skills had an effect remained unclear, but the result was obvious. A short dryad, three quarters the height of the rest, made its way past the small crowd. The fence of roots broke up, giving way for it to pass. There was no doubt about it. This was the guardian of the temple. Despite his small stature, there was an increasing strength emanating from him. If Dallion had expected to face someone in the mid-forties, he was very much mistaken. This guardian was his level at the very least.

“Human, gorgon, and dragon,” the guardian said with a mocking smirk. “You must have done quite a mess to end up banished here. Did the Star cast you in?”

“Not exactly,” Dallion replied. “A rogue mage serving him.”

“What do you want?”

“I told you. All we want is—”

“To get out of here. I know that’s what you said. I’m not asking you that. You must want something from me, otherwise you wouldn't be here. So I’m asking again. What exactly do you want?”

“We want access to your temple’s altar,” Dallion said. “I’m hoping that would be enough to create a link to the real world and let us escape. Also, I want to see the twi-crown.”

“The twi-crown?” The guardian froze for a moment. Several seconds later, though, he burst out laughing. “After all this time, someone has decided to show interest in the twi-crown? That’s definitely a first. How do you know it’s here?”

“We’ve been in a few other world swords. We know about the crowns and the marshals.”

“A good story, but not enough to let me take you inside.”

“What else do you want?” Eury asked.

“You got it all wrong. It’s not what I want, it’s what you’re willing to offer. You can have the crown. At this point, it’s useless. To get past me, though, you have to offer something I’d be interested in. If you don’t, this is as far as you go.”