Ryder awoke to the distant sound of wailing, sharp and raw in the morning stillness. He sat up abruptly, his pulse quickening. Eon’s bed was already made, the sheets neatly smoothed as if he’d been gone for hours. Sunlight streamed through the narrow cracks in the drapes, illuminating motes of dust that danced in the golden light.

Ryder slipped out of bed and padded toward the door, unease crawling beneath his skin as the sounds of despair continued.

Just as he reached for the handle, it swung open.

Eon stepped inside, his expression composed but tinged with urgency. “Oh, good—you’re up. Erys’s brothers arrived this morning. They just found out about Castor.”

Ryder’s heart sank.

“Her older brother is furious,” Eon continued, “and the younger one… well, that crying you hear? That’s him. Understandably distraught. We should give them space. Erys asked me to meet her at the docks in an hour. Her brother, Samael, is taking us to Felrose. Let’s pack.”

Ryder gave a quiet nod, his gaze falling to the floor as the weight of it all settled in. Castor—gone. To them, a brother. To Erys, a loss that cut deeper than words. He silently hoped the Grand Luminary truly had the power to bring him back.

They moved around the room in silence, gathering their few belongings and storing them away in their individual vaults. Ryder readied himself in a new outfit and neither spoke until they stepped out into the soft light of morning.

“How about we get some breakfast?” Eon suggested gently, guiding them toward the inn.

Ryder gave a small shrug. “Sure.”

He didn’t feel like eating, not really. But Eon always found a way to carry on. Despite looking like a teenager, he bore the calm resilience of someone much older; someone who had already seen the worst of the world and chosen hope anyway. Ryder figured he’d try to do the same.

They entered a small pub tucked between shopfronts and took a seat in the quietest corner they could find. A few murmurs floated in the air, but the space was otherwise hushed.

A barmaid approached a few moments later, wiping her hands on her apron. “What can I get for ya?” she asked, her accent thick and lilting.

Eon answered without missing a beat. “Two orders of Gypsy Toast, heavy on the nectria syrup. And nettle tea, please.”

She gave him a curious once-over, then glanced at Ryder. He offered her a polite smile, and she blinked before nodding and disappearing into the kitchen.

The silence between them stretched for several minutes, broken only by the occasional clink of a fork or distant voice from the bar. Finally, Eon exhaled slowly.

“I know this is hard,” he said. “But if anyone can help us bring Castor back, it’s the Grand Luminary. Try not to carry it too heavily right now. We’re doing everything we can.”

Ryder took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re right. We’ll help Erys bring him back—no matter what it takes.”

Eon smiled, his expression softening. “I’m proud of you for that. I can tell how much you care.”

Just then, the barmaid returned with two plates and two glowing pints of pale green tea. The food looked similar to French toast, golden and thick, drenched in a deep red syrup that smelled impossibly sweet. It was all served on shimmering blue crystal tableware, threads of faint aether flickering within the glass like trapped starlight.

Ryder’s eyes widened with delight as he took a bite, and a low hum of approval escaped him before he could stop it. “Mmm—gods, this is incredible.”

Eon chuckled. “I figured you’d like it. If it’s anything like the pancakes I made…”

“This is better,” Ryder said through a playful grin, already cutting into the next bite.

Eon gasped in mock offense. “Rude!” He took a bite of his own, and immediately his expression shifted. “Okay… yeah, fair. This is better.”

Laughter returned for a moment, light and real. For a little while, the weight of the day melted away, and the two shared their meal in quiet companionship. Time passed quicker than either of them realized.

It wasn’t until their plates were empty and their glasses drained that Eon glanced at the time.

“Oh, we should go,” he said. “She’ll be waiting.”

Ryder nodded, wiping his mouth with the edge of a napkin. “Let’s not keep them.”

Together, they rose and stepped back into the day, the lighthearted moments lingering behind them as they made their way toward the docks.

When they arrived, Ryder spotted Erys carrying a bundle of ropes toward a large sailboat moored at the end of the pier. She passed them off to a tall, broad-shouldered man standing near the helm who, Ryder guessed, could only be her older brother.

“Erys!” Eon called out as he and Ryder approached.

She turned quickly at the sound of his voice. A smile bloomed across her face. “You’re just in time. We’re nearly ready to set sail.”

Eon’s brow furrowed. “We?”

Erys’s smile faltered slightly. “Yes. We. What do you mean?”

“You’re not coming with us… are you?”

Erys blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Of course I am!”

“I just thought—” Eon began, but was interrupted by a new voice.

“I tried,” came the low voice of the man from before as he stepped down from the ship’s cabin onto the dock. “She refuses to listen to reason.”

Erys shot her brother a glare. “I’m not a child, Samael.”

She looked between them with a fire in her eyes.

“This is my little brother we’re talking about,” she said. “I’m not sitting around while others fight to bring him back. Pollux is more than capable of watching over Castor in the meantime. So yes—I’m coming with you to the Grand Luminary, and that’s final.”

Samael sighed but said nothing more, his silence heavy with reluctant acceptance.

He stepped forward and approached Ryder, extending a calloused hand. “You must be Ryder. I’m Samael.”

Ryder hesitated for a moment. Back home, his touch was dangerous—poisonous to most, even inducing hallucinations in those who made direct skin contact. He’d learned early on never to shake hands unless he was certain it was safe.

Still, he hadn’t had any issues here. So, after a quick wipe of his palm on his tunic, Ryder reached out and took the offered hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I only wish it were under better circumstances.”

“Agreed,” Samael said with a firm shake and a sigh. “Thank you for helping my brother. Erys and Eon told me everything you did. I never imagined coming back from the mist was even possible, but if there’s any chance the Grand Luminary can help… I’m grateful. And if getting you to Felrose is what it takes, then I’m honored to take you there.”

He gave Ryder a respectful nod before returning to his tasks aboard the vessel.

Erys gestured toward the deck with a raised brow. “Shall we?”

With a shared look between them, Ryder and Eon nodded. The three climbed aboard, and not long after, the sails unfurled. Wind caught the canvas, and the ship began to glide forward, leaving the harbor behind.

The sea opened before them—blue and endless—and the journey to Felrose began.

Ryder stood at the bow of the ship, the wind threading through his hair as the vessel glided across the open sea. The sun was high overhead, its light sparkling across the waves. A cool mist kissed his skin with every splash, refreshing and sharp. Beneath the surface, traces of aether glowed faintly. Subtle ribbons of magic swirling like threads through the water, reminding him of Vaelaris Lake. Not as bright, but just as alive.

He leaned over the railing, quietly admiring the glow when Erys appeared beside him.

“Thanks again, Ryder,” she said, bracing herself on the rail. “If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have made it out of the mist last night. I mean it. What you did was… incredible.” She hesitated. “Can I ask—where are you from?”

Ryder chuckled. “That’s… a bit of a loaded question.”

Over the next hour, Ryder told her everything: his life back home, stories about Bastian and Alice, his strange journey to Aetherealm, and how it had all started with a simple note; one that had pulled him into a world far beyond what he ever imagined.

Erys listened, her expressions shifting from awe to disbelief and back again. She was quick to recognize the rarity of Ryder’s magic, especially his command over rifting. And yet, he spoke with such humility, like he was still trying to make sense of it himself.

“Wow,” she said softly, once he finished. “You’ve lived a dozen lives already.”

Ryder glanced out over the water, growing quiet. “Have I?” he murmured. “Maybe.”

He paused, then frowned. “I haven’t seen Eon since we set sail. Where’d he go?”

“I think he’s in the cabin,” Erys said, pointing toward the ship’s starboard side.

As if summoned by the mention of his name, Eon emerged from around the mast, walking briskly toward them.

“There you are,” Ryder said.

“I’ve been thinking,” Eon began, adjusting his glasses. “You need to start learning defensive magic. This journey’s only going to get harder, and right now the sea’s calm. A perfect time to practice.”

Ryder blinked. “Uh—sure. Yeah, that sounds good.”

Erys raised an eyebrow. “Um, hello? I’m here too. Can I join?”

Eon gave her a dry look. “As long as you don’t distract Ryder.”

“I’m not a child, thank you,” she snapped, already squaring her stance beside them.

Eon rolled his eyes and refocused. “All right. First thing: clear your mind. I always close my eyes; it helps me concentrate.”

Ryder obeyed, closing his eyes and letting the wind fall away from his awareness.

“Now, visualize a wall of light in front of you. Warm. Protective. Let that light condense—not spread, but focus. Smaller shields are stronger. Visualize placing them at likely points of impact. That’s how you stop something before it breaks through.”

Ryder drew in a breath. As he imagined the light, his mind drifted to a memory. Cesc shielding him and Alice before their battle with Erryd, wrapping them in radiant magic. The memory ached, but also inspired him. He focused on that warmth, that safety, that strength.

His hand lifted instinctively, and when he opened his eyes, a brilliant wall of light exploded into existence. It blazed like the sun. Blinding him for a moment.

He flinched as the light flared too brightly, and the wall dropped.

Eon and Erys shielded their eyes instantly.

“By Arcaenion…” Eon murmured, stunned.

Suddenly, a heavy footfall echoed on the deck. “What the hell was that?” Samael appeared from the helm, his face grim. “Why would you cast that out here!?”

Eon straightened. “I—I’m sorry. That was my fault. We were just training and—”

“Do you know what you’ve done?” Samael snapped, eyes darting to the horizon.

Erys turned pale. “Oh no…”

A high-pitched cry cut through the air as a massive form burst from the waves. A gleaming, serpentine creature with blue-scaled wings and bright green fins. It spiraled high above them, shrieking.

“A Peisio Dovaa,” Eon whispered in awe. “It must’ve been drawn to the light…”

Samael cursed and dashed back to the wheel. “Hold on!”

The ship lurched hard to one side as he spun it around. Ryder and the others tumbled across the deck before catching themselves on the railing.

The Dovaa hovered high, silhouetted by the sun, then began its dive.

It took a deep breath mid-air, and a jet stream of pressurized water exploded from its mouth, barreling straight toward the ship.

Ryder acted on instinct. He thrust his arm up, channeling that same image of protective light. As he opened his eyes, a radiant shield snapped into place, doming the ship in golden warmth. The jet of water hit it and vanished, absorbed into the barrier like ink in sand.

Ryder gritted his teeth, feeling the strain ripple through his fingers. The magic bent with the impact but didn’t break.

He couldn’t let it.

I brought this on us. I have to protect them.

Eon, shielding his eyes, let out a joyful gasp. “You did it! You condensed it!”

The Dovaa roared overhead and dove once more, this time diving straight past the ship and slamming into the sea. The resulting wave towered high over the boat.

Ryder’s pulse spiked. He closed his eyes, reaching not outward but into the wave itself.

He found the aether inside the water, felt it twisting. And he pulled.

The wave split in half, shearing around the ship as the magic obeyed his will. Spray flew in every direction, but the boat remained untouched.

The sea calmed for but a moment.

Then, without warning, the Dovaa burst upward again. This time directly in front of them, rising from the deep like a god from myth. Water rained down from its wings as it reared back and roared, the sound shaking the air.

Ryder tensed, his heart pounding.

Beside him, Eon and Erys clung to each other, frozen in awe and fear.

Before anyone could react, Ryder noticed something cutting across the sea. A figure, gliding across the water’s surface at high speed, as if surfing, with large wings tucked in tightly to his person.

Just as the Dovaa began inhaling, readying another devastating blast, the figure threw up his arms. A geyser of seawater exploded upward, smashing into the Dovaa’s face with such force that it flinched backward, reeling and splashing down into the waves.

The man was approaching fast. Even from a distance, Ryder could tell—he was unlike any Aetherean he’d seen before. Large horns curved back from his forehead, and shimmering blue scales lined his arms and face. Not to mention his large wings The sheer force of his magic made the air around him vibrate with aether.

As the Dovaa reemerged behind the ship, the man veered alongside it, summoning more jets of water that pelted the creature’s face and body. When the Dovaa retaliated with a stream of pressurized water, the stranger conjured a towering wall of water to block it; completely shielding the ship.

Ryder watched, stunned, as the man produced a small, apple-sized orb of what looked like crystalline ice. He bit into it. The orb cracked like candy glass, releasing a swirl of aether that wrapped around him. His eyes flared bright, icy blue as he raised his hands, manipulating a stream of seawater upward and flash-freezing it mid-air, encasing the Dovaa’s head in a thick crust of ice. The Dovaa shrieked, flailing before plunging back into the depths.

Then, with practiced ease, the man caught a rolling wave and launched himself skyward before diving into the ocean like a spear.

Everyone on the boat rushed to the stern, eyes locked on the water.

For a long moment, nothing.

Then—bubbling. A surge of water burst upward about thirty yards from the ship. The man surfaced, laughing, flicking water from his hair and beard as he rose onto a manta-shaped platform of water. The construct glided beneath him, bringing him swiftly back toward the boat. He unfurled his wings, showing the immense size and scale of them.

As he neared, he extended a hand. Within it, another orb the size of an apple, this one deep blue. Upon closer inspection, it resembled a dragon’s claw cradling a glass sphere swirling with a maelstrom of aether.

“The soul,” the man said, voice deep and resonant, offering it to Ryder.

Ryder hesitated, then took the orb. It was heavier than it looked, and though it felt damp, his hands remained dry. The energy inside pulsed; strange, hypnotic. “Th-thank you?” he said uncertainly.

“It’s safe now,” the man replied calmly, gliding alongside the boat.

“What in the realm are you?” Erys blurted before immediately covering her mouth. “I mean—sorry, that was rude…”

The man laughed, warm and unbothered. “My name is Azumar. I’m what you Aethereans call a Dovaari.”

Samael’s eyes widened. “You’re a Dovaari? But… I thought they were just a myth.”

Ryder looked between them. “What’s a Dovaari?”

“May I?” Azumar gestured to the ship.

Still stunned, Samael gave a shaky nod. Erys quickly added, “Y-yes, of course.”

Azumar rose from the sea atop a pedestal of water and stepped gracefully aboard. His scaled limbs glistened in the sunlight as he flapped the water from his wings and tucked them tightly to his back.

He turned to Ryder. “That was a mighty fine use of solamancy. May I ask your name?”

“R-Ryder,” he answered, still trying to process what just happened.

“Well, Ryder, it’s a pleasure. Surprised you’ve never heard of the Dovaari.” He smiled. “To answer your question—we are protectors. Dovaa hunters. Mages who have consumed more than a few souls and tears from them. Their magic strengthens us.”

Eon jumped in. “A-and they’re extremely powerful mages. Aether poisoning doesn’t affect them.”

“Barely is a better word,” Azumar corrected with a small chuckle. “We have resistance, yes, but we’re not invincible. Still, the tears and souls of Dovaa let us call upon powerful elemental magic. I specialize in hydromancy; a Peisio Dovaari. Most of us master one or two elements. But we are masters of elemental manipulation. I keep a few tears or souls on me just in case.”

He tapped the orb in Ryder’s hand. “Like that one.”

“You’re incredible,” Erys said, scanning him with her aura-sense. “Your magic is… overwhelming.”

Azumar nodded appreciatively. Then his gaze shifted. “However, Ryder’s aura is stronger than any I’ve encountered. More than any Dovaari. You’re… something else entirely.”

Ryder flushed, unsure how to respond. “Thanks… I think.” He looked down at the orb again. “This is really the Dovaa’s soul?”

Azumar nodded. “A Peisio soul. It will strengthen your water magic. I assume you’re familiar with hydromancy?”

“A bit. Nothing like that,” Ryder admitted.

“You’ll get there,” Azumar said, giving him an incredulous look. “Souls like these let you tap into deeper currents of power. But be careful; use too many, and it starts to change you. That’s how Dovaari are made.”

Eon spoke up, frowning. “It’s unfair how the world treats you. The Dovaari should be honored as heroes, not feared.”

Azumar gave a knowing smile. “I appreciate that sentiment. And you are?”

“Eon,” he said simply.

Azumar tilted his head. “Eon… Interesting. That sounds familiar.”

“We should really get moving,” Eon said, glancing toward the horizon. “We have to reach Felrose. We need to get to the Grand Luminary.”

“Ah, of course,” Azumar said, stepping to the ship’s edge. With a wave of his hand, the water beneath the boat shifted. The entire ship lifted on a platform of sea, turning smoothly in place until they faced their destination.

“If you’d like, I’ll accompany you. Better safe than sorry, especially after that encounter.”

“Yes—please,” Samael said quickly, still shaken. “That was… amazing,” he concluded as he slowly made his way back towards the wheel.

“Do you live out here?” Erys asked.

Azumar chuckled. “No. I was patrolling. That flash of light you summoned—it drew attention. Dovaa aren’t the only things attracted to power. I came to make sure no one got hurt. When I saw your shield, I knew you were someone special.”

Ryder nodded. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to put everyone in danger…”

“Intent matters little to creatures like Dovaa,” Azumar said. “But you handled it well.”

He leapt off the boat and landed gracefully on his water-formed manta ray, riding beside them. “Now, let’s get you to Felrose.”

The boat surged forward as the waters propelled it along, gliding effortlessly across the sea. Azumar kept watch, his eyes glowing a deep, dark blue, scanning the horizon for whatever else the sea might hold.

As the sea calmed and their course toward Felrose grew steady, Eon finally broke the silence.

“Well, after that display,” he said with a smirk, “I don’t think you need much more practice with warding.”

Ryder chuckled, still turning the deep blue orb over in his hands before finally dispelling it into his vault. “Yeah… I guess not.” He glanced toward the water where Azumar glided smoothly over the waves, about thirty yards from the ship. “What did you mean earlier when you said the Dovaari were heroes?”

Eon followed his gaze, then nodded slightly, as if preparing himself for a story he’d told in pieces before.

“They were the earliest protectors,” he began. “Back when Aetherealm was still young, when the first villages were forming, Dovaa were far more aggressive. They’d attack without warning, razing settlements to the ground. The early mages had no choice but to fight back.”

Eon’s voice dropped a bit, becoming more reverent. “Some Aethereans, those brave or desperate enough, stood their ground. They fought and killed the Dovaa… and in doing so, discovered something. The creatures left behind magical remnants; tears, small traces of aether, and souls, potent and volatile. Over time, those who used these remnants found their magic enhanced… but it came at a cost. Their bodies began to change. Scales, horns, even wings in more extreme cases, signs of the Dovaa’s deep magical influence.”

Ryder glanced at Azumar again, now better understanding the man’s transformed features.

“But those changes,” Eon continued, “they were necessary then. Those mages who would eventually become the Dovaari were the only thing standing between civilization and destruction. Their power kept the cities safe enough to thrive.”

He paused, his expression tightening. “But over time, something changed. The Dovaa began seeking them out; drawn to the overwhelming aether signature they carried. It’s said that the presence of a Dovaari within a city would act like a beacon. Eventually, it became easier to exile them than to continue fighting off the Dovaa they attracted.”

Ryder’s brows drew together. “So they were cast out…?”

Eon nodded. “Banned from entering cities. Forced to live in the wilds with the very creatures they used to fight. And sure enough, without their presence, the Dovaa attacks slowed. Over time, the cities thrived in peace. The Dovaari faded from public view, becoming more myth than memory.”

He looked to Ryder, his voice softer. “Some still sneak into cities using disguises. But other mages can sense their aura immediately. It’s… overpowering. Hard to hide what you are when the magic radiates off you like a bonfire.”

Ryder said nothing, taking it all in. He saw both sides now—how the Dovaari began as protectors, ordinary people who had stepped up when no one else could… and how that gift, that power, eventually made them outcasts. Feared. Hated. All for bearing the very magic that once saved their world.

It was heavy history, layered and complicated, and Ryder knew he didn’t fully grasp it all. But one thing he was sure of: without Azumar’s help today, they wouldn’t have survived the Dovaa attack.

He looked down at the sea, his thoughts churning like the waves beneath them.

As the group continued their journey to Felrose, the voyage remained uneventful, almost peaceful. The open sea stretched endlessly in every direction, glimmering beneath the setting sun. Azumar glided beside them, surfing across the waves one moment, then vanishing into the sea the next, only to reappear again in a dance with the tide. His command over the ocean not only kept them safe but drastically shortened the trip. What should have taken several days was condensed into mere hours with his steady control of the tides.

But as the sun hung low in the sky, a distant landmass began to emerge and with it, a new threat appeared.

A ship, larger and more menacing than their own, was cutting swiftly through the waves, heading straight for them. Its sails were tattered, its hull covered in sea-stained glyphs, and its deck was crowded with shadowy figures.

“They’re not friendly,” Ryder said sharply, eyes narrowing as he noticed the magical aether being pulled in order to ready the first attack. “We need to move—now!”

Eon rushed to the bow, already gathering aether. “I’ll shield, you fight!” he called back, throwing up a shimmering barrier just as a blast of dark energy surged from the pirate vessel.

Samael tried to steer them around the larger ship, relying on the speed and agility of their smaller sailboat. Erys leaned over the side, launching fireballs at the enemy’s hull in an effort to set it ablaze.

But Ryder’s eyes were darting across the waters. Where was Azumar? Had he abandoned them? Or worse, led these pirates here?

His pulse quickened. Reaching into his vault, Ryder pulled the Peisio soul into existence once more, glowing like a captured storm. He hesitated only a second before biting into it. The moment it cracked, a surge of energy flooded his body. Water pulsed in his veins. His irises deepened into a stormy blue, and suddenly, he felt the ocean; its current, its shape, its will.

As two pirates leapt onto the deck, Erys met one with a fire blast to the face, sending him flying into the sea. Eon intercepted the other, erecting a quick ward before blasting him with raw aether, knocking him overboard.

More descended.

Ryder raised his arms. Water curled up from the sea like a serpent, blasting the attackers mid-air. Then he turned, visualizing a towering wall between them and the pirate ship. As if summoned by his will, the ocean obeyed; rising, forming a liquid barrier, and with a final thrust of his hands, Ryder sent the massive wave crashing forward.

The pirate ship tilted and flipped, swallowed by the sea.

Gripping the flow beneath their own sailboat, Ryder commanded the current forward. The ship surged, cutting through the water like an arrow toward land.

But the power came at a cost.

Ryder stumbled, his vision swimming. The blue drained from his eyes as a sharp pain bloomed in his chest and head. He collapsed onto the deck, gasping. “Aether… poisoning,” he choked out, writhing.

“Ryder!” Eon called as he and Erys dropped to his side, trying to steady him.

Moments later, Azumar burst from the sea, landing beside them in a spray of water.“Move!” he ordered, voice thunderous.

The others scrambled back as he knelt beside Ryder, pressing a hand encased in glowing water against his chest. A soft light pulsed through Ryder’s body as the water around Azumar’s hand darkened, drawing the poison out like ink in clean water.

Relief swept over Ryder instantly. He gasped as the pain lifted. “Azumar…”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” Azumar said gently. “There was another Peisio Dovaa beneath the waves. I had to intercept it. I should’ve warned you that using a soul like that without preparation can trigger intense aether poisoning.”

He stood, the inky water dripping from his hand. “Now you know.”

Helping Ryder sit up, he reached into the air and summoned another soul, glowing, glassy, and blue, before offering it to him.

“For next time,” Azumar said. “You handled that incredibly well. I’ve used many Peisio souls before… and even I would’ve struggled to pull off what you did. You’re not just gifted, Ryder—you’re something else entirely.”

Ryder took the soul reverently, turning it over in his hand. It felt like holding the sea itself. Powerful. Strange. Alive. Just as before. He dispelled it into his vault. “Thank you… I feel much better.”

Azumar smiled. “Good.”

He helped Ryder to his feet as Eon stepped forward, eyes wide. “That was incredible. I was terrified, but… thank the realm we have you with us.”

Samael called from the helm, panting. “I am never… taking strangers anywhere… ever again.”

Ryder, Eon, and Erys laughed, the tension dissolving into shared relief.

The rest of the ride was smooth. As they neared the port, Ryder sat quietly, reflecting on everything he’d learned; the Dovaa, the Dovaari, the power sealed within their souls. Aetherealm was full of mysteries, danger, and wonder. And Ryder, more than ever, knew this was a journey that would change his life forever.

As they finally reached the shore, Samael moved with practiced ease, securing the ropes to the dock while Erys lent a hand. The sailboat rocked gently with the tide, its journey complete.

The sun cast golden light across the pure white sands of Luminaris. The air felt different here, lush and warm. Beyond the shore, the dense greenery of Glimmerglade Forest stretched toward the sky. In the distance, the stone walls of Felrose erected from the earth like a fortress of history and promise.

One by one, they disembarked.

Ryder paused at the end of the dock, his legs unsteady as he stepped onto the sand. He wasn’t alone; Eon stumbled beside him, still adjusting.

“You’ve got to find your land legs,” Azumar said with a hearty laugh.

He turned toward the forest. “If you ever want to see the Dovaari way of life, you’re welcome in our village. We live deep in Glimmerglade Forest, near Revaeris Lake.”

“Thanks again, Azumar,” Ryder said sincerely. “It was an honor.”

Azumar gave a warm smile and dipped his head. “The honor was mine. May Aeiaris guide your path.” With that, he turned and disappeared into the wilds, the foliage quickly swallowing his figure.

Erys rejoined them with a couple bags; one of food and another stuffed with her clothing. “Alright, I’m ready when you two are!”

Eon glanced toward Samael, who was muttering to himself while wiping down the ship’s deck. With a sigh, Eon turned back. “Fine. I guess we’re babysitting now.”

Erys smacked him lightly on the back of the head. “Shut up. You look younger than me.”

“Ow!”

Ryder laughed at the exchange. “She’s not wrong.”

Eon rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses. “Let’s just go. And for the record, I was going to offer to carry your bags—but not anymore.”

Erys smirked. “That’s fine. Ryder will. Right, Ryder?”

Ryder nodded and took the bags with a grin, dispelling them into his vault. “Got it.”

”You guys ought to teach me how to do that,” Erys said.

”Maybe one day,” Eon chuckled with a smirk of his own.

As the three of them began the trek toward the glowing gates of Felrose, the last light of the sun slipped below the horizon behind them.