“Let’s be real, Macaw.” Verreaux sighed as they trudged through the woods. “We’re never going to get enough money in this line of work to cultivate our way to immortality. When this is all over, let’s buy a house in the city and enjoy the rest of our lives instead of dying in these pointless battles like Fischer, Audubon, and everyone else.”

“I was never good at saving money for cultivation.” Macaw laughed self-deprecatingly. “Too busy enjoying life with the ladies. This kind of lifestyle is good enough for me.”

Verreaux pursed his lips. It was clear that he did not approve of Macaw’s words.

“Well, actually, I kinda feel Verreaux.” Chianti said as she led them in a wide arc towards the border. “After all this time, I still haven’t found myself a proper husband. The whole time we were fighting that battle, I had an absolutely miserable feeling in my heart. How can I die to some kid when I’m still a virgin?”

“If that’s really an issue, then protecting you all those times was a complete waste of time.” Macaw shook his head in amusement. “There’s still a thousand young, handsome, and maybe even rich men at camp who would love to solve all your problems.”

“Well, none of them are the one for me.” Chianti sniffed, then turned around to prod Solera, who was still atop Guinness’s back. “You still need food?”

“I’m not that hungry right now.” Solera smiled.

Several hours had passed, and the pain had dulled to the point where it was nearly imperceptible. But what had replaced it, strangely enough, were hunger pangs that would return every half hour. Already, Solera had devoured all the salted meat in his own bag, as well as a sandwich Chianti had packed and some crackers in Guinness’s bag.

Although he still could not walk, Solera could feel his bones mending at an astonishing rate. It was unlikely that he would have any permanent or long-lasting injury from the Vigor’s strike.

“Hey, look at the Halo.” Verreaux pointed upwards, mild interest on his face. “There’s an aurora right now.”

Solera looked up at the gleaming blue Halo suspended above the north pole. Flashes of glittering light danced around it like fish swimming around in a small pond. At a glance, he could see blue dots, the same color as the Halo, as well as swirling red ribbons and drifting black clouds. Solera found himself entranced by the light show.

“I’m no astrologist like those Halo cult wackjobs, but there really is something mystical about it.” Verreaux remarked as he stared upwards. “It’s no wonder to me that more spiritual-minded people revere the Halo.”

Macaw just laughed. “What were the theories, again? The Siehntient choosing whether to Bless a very special person, or Curse us all with calamity, or nothing at all? Or long-gone Ancients doing battle with long-dead Primordials? Come on, now. It’s just a chemical process innate to siehnti.”

“Well, like you, I’m no scientist.” Verreaux grumbled. “I’m just saying that it’s thought-provoking.”

Solera found himself in agreement with Verreaux. Of all the heavenly bodies, the Halo was the only one that never changed its position in the night sky. It was not the glittering stars, nor the shapeshifting moon, nor the blazing sun. Solera never knew what exactly to believe about the Halo, but it was generally agreed upon that the Halo was above the moon and below the Sky.

It was the Firmament which separated Land from Sky, a relic left behind by the Ancients, the Halo that stood at the peak of Land.

No, it was a being called the Siehntient, created by the Ancients, to guard Land against the primordial demons. No, the Siehntient was not a guard of Land, but an angel of the Ancients, which would Bless chosen humans to rule over the lands, and Curse the lands that had sunken too deeply into depravity. No, the Siehntient was all of the Ancients themselves, merged into one being that watched over its creations.

No, it was a ring made completely out of siehnti, one of the most mystical substances in the world, even more durable than Sky artifacts. All those flashing lights were the result of energy passing from the sun into the Halo.

Like many other things pertaining to the Ancients, the theories regarding the Halo were endless. Which were right? Which were wrong? To Solera, their intricacies were impossible to comprehend. But when he looked at the rich lights flashing around the luminous Halo, only an incredible feeling of awe emerged. All the theories agreed that the Halo was created by the Ancients. How else could something be so subtly beautiful and ethereal?

“The Halo is something that unites us all. Anyone at anytime in any place in Land can look up and see it. Under the Halo, aren’t we all one people? All our wars must be pointless squabbles in its eyes.” Verreaux sighed again.

Macaw looked at Verreaux for a few seconds, then laughed. “Our lives must be one very long shitshow to you, then. Fight to live and live to enjoy. Don’t sweat the details, brother. If you think about it deeply enough, all life is pointless.”

“Fair enough.” Verreaux looked down. “Let’s hurry up and get over the border. With this light show, all the UD guys will be looking upwards instead of around.”

Ten minutes later, a turquoise line shot away from the Halo, creating a blue-red line as it burned its way across the sky. Verreaux stopped jogging again to spectate.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” He scratched his head. “That’s the first Blessing in a decade. I wonder which country will obtain that siehnti deposit.”

“Probably the ocean.” Chianti laughed. “There’s another one.”

One shooting star after another began to fall from the Halo towards Land. Some were red, some were black, and some were blue. The black streaks would burn away within seconds, while the red ones would disappear just before landing. The blue ones were the only lights that did not burn up, but rather fell all the way to Land.

The blue comets, called Blessings, were siehnti deposits! When they landed, they would be at one of the hottest temperatures siehnti could ever be. Master smiths the world over would jump at the chance to create siehnti weapons and armor, but too often the siehnti would lose its heat before they reached it, rendering it completely useless for the purposes of forging.

As for the red ribbons and the black clouds, or the purple lines that were not present today, nobody knew what they were. Any time they would fall, they would disappear without leaving behind any trace of what they were.

Actually, it was said that a Curse would befall the continent upon which anything but a blue comet fell. The Floods of the eastern continent had occurred when a purple line descended, and the Calamity of the northern continent occurred at around the same time two red ribbons had fallen to Land. It was a good thing, then, that they would disappear before landing.

Two intertwined lights, one blue, one red, shot towards their direction, causing them all to perk up and pay attention.

“Don’t get too excited, everyone.” Chianti squinted up at the lights. “They’re still over a hundred kilometers away from us. It could land anywhere in the Warring States or the Verdant Empire.”

The two shot closer and closer, whirling around each other like a set of meridian balls. The red ribbon was burning away, sending blazing light shooting across the afternoon skies. After another thirty second, it had disappeared altogether, whereas the blue light curved away towards the United Duchies, falling several hundred kilometers away from their position.

The faces of Chianti, Verreaux, and Macaw had all turned very ugly.

“That Blessing definitely landed near one of the Kubeh Duchy’s major cities.” Chianti said, gritting her teeth. “Their top experts are going to get siehnti weapons within the next year.”

“This is some bullshit.” Verreaux shook his head in disgust. “Fuck it, let’s get going.”

“Wait.” Chip spoke up suddenly. Puzzled, Solera rotated his head to look at Chip. He seemed to be concentrating with all his effort on something in the distance.

Chianti frowned. “What is it, Chip?”

Chip turned away, an agitated expression on his face. “Can you guys… trust me this one time?”

Solera tilted his head to look curiously at Chip. This was a side he had never seen before. Just what had happened to make him lose his cool?

“Uh, depends on what you want, man.” Macaw spoke up. “You’ll have to tell us first.”

Chip looked down at the ground, in deep thought. “I want…”

“I want you guys to follow me over there, where the Curse landed.” Chip said, his calm demeanor returning to him. “It’s around twenty kilometers away, only a small detour.”

“All Curses disappear.” Chianti protested. “You won’t find anything.”

“Maybe I won’t.” Chip nodded. “But maybe I will.”

“This is still UD territory. Even if it’s a Curse, some UD soldiers will go to check it out. You’re treading on thin ice here.” Macaw warned.

“Yes, that’s why I need you guys with me. Come with me, please.” Chip begged. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I need to take it.”

Solera looked at Chip in utter confusion. It was widely agreed that nothing came from a Curse. Yet from what Solera had seen, Chip seemed to know everything, from creating to advanced mathematics and herblore. Could it be that he also knew a secret about these Curses?

Chianti sighed, shaking her head. “You are a strange, strange guy, Chip. You should tell us your background sometime.”

“If this goes through, I will do so.” Chip said without hesitation.

Chianti laughed. “Then let’s go!”