As the sun slowly descended, the couple returned to the inn. The common room had begun filling with travelers arriving before nightfall. They secured a quiet table near the fireplace while the little fox curled up comfortably beneath Atheline’s chair.
After ordering dinner, they spread the map across the table. Several candles illuminated the growing collection of notes. Neither spoke for several minutes; finally, Atheline broke the silence.
"We have five locations."
Lilith nodded.
"The northern marsh, the abandoned canyon, the old trade road, the mountain ridge, and the eastern forest."
She studied each mark.
"If we visited all of them, it would take weeks, maybe even longer." He leaned back thoughtfully. "The Goddess only showed us vague coordinates, and that frustrates me. It seems we were lucky with the blood ocean incident, having found it that quickly."
Lilith traced a finger across the map.
"Perhaps it’s intentional."
He looked at her.
"You think she wanted us to search?"
"I think..." She considered her words carefully. "...if the answer could have been reached by simply following a map...someone else would have found it long ago."
Silence settled between them. She was right. Ancient civilizations had risen and fallen, and countless explorers had crossed the Demonic Continent. If the destination were obvious, it would no longer be hidden.
Atheline smiled faintly.
"So we’re expected to think."
Lilith returned the smile.
"When have we ever complained about that?"
He chuckled.
"Usually when it involves climbing mountains and having to deal with unnecessary things."
She laughed quietly.
"Fair point."
Their meals arrived shortly afterward. As they ate, they continued comparing everything they had learned. Eventually, a pattern began to emerge.
The marsh was avoided because of corruption. The canyon because of unstable cliffs. The trade road because commerce had shifted elsewhere. Each had practical explanations, but the eastern forest... No one ever gave a reason, except, just... Don’t go too far or stay after sunset. The reasons had long since been forgotten.
Atheline looked toward the map one last time.
"The eastern forest."
Lilith nodded.
"It isn’t proof, but it’s our strongest lead."
He carefully rolled the map closed.
"Then we’ll begin there."
She looked out the nearby window. Darkness had already settled over the frontier town.
"No."
Atheline raised an eyebrow.
"We leave tomorrow morning."
He understood immediately. Traveling unfamiliar wilderness at night offered no advantage. They had enough information for one day. Tomorrow would begin the real investigation.
The little fox let out a sleepy chirp beneath the table as though approving the decision. Lilith smiled faintly before gently scratching behind its ears.
"One final night."
Then she looked toward the dark silhouette of the eastern mountains beyond the town walls.
"Tomorrow... We’ll see whether generations of whispers have been hiding nothing... or something no one was ever meant to find."
.
.
.
The following morning arrived beneath a pale gray sky. Thin clouds drifted lazily across the heavens, softening the rising sun into a gentle glow that spread over the frontier settlement. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
The innkeeper noticed them as they approached the counter.
"So." He smiled knowingly. "You found something worth following."
Atheline returned the smile.
"A few possibilities."
The old man chuckled.
"That’s usually how these things begin."
He reached beneath the counter before placing two small packets wrapped in cloth on the table.
"Travel rations."
Lilith looked slightly surprised.
"We can pay."
"I know." He waved dismissively. "But I insist, you’ve been respectful guests, and..." he hesitated before smiling faintly, "...something tells me your journey will be longer than you expect."
Lilith accepted the gift with a slight bow.
"Thank you."
The old man nodded once.
"If you return... I’ll be interested in hearing what you found."
Atheline carefully tucked the food into his pack.
"If we return."
The innkeeper laughed.
"A sensible correction."
Shortly afterward, the three travelers left the settlement through the eastern gate. Unlike the previous day, there was no need to hide their destination. No one from the town had any reason to care where ordinary travelers chose to walk.
The guards merely glanced at their packs before opening the gate.
"Safe travels and watch yourselves. The eastern forests have been quiet lately."
"Lately?"
The older guard shrugged.
"They’re forests; they’re never truly quiet."
With that, the gates closed behind them. Ahead stretched a worn dirt road leading into rolling grasslands.
For the first hour, their pace remained steady. The road was well maintained, suggesting that hunters and herbalists still used it regularly.
Small birds flitted between the branches overhead while insects buzzed through fields of wildflowers lining the roadside.
The little fox darted happily between patches of grass before racing back to Atheline whenever she found something particularly interesting. Once she proudly returned carrying an enormous feather nearly twice its own length.
Atheline laughed.
"I think that’s too big for you."
The fox looked unconvinced. Lilith smiled.
"She certainly disagrees."
Eventually the feather was abandoned in favor of chasing butterflies.
As the morning wore on, signs of civilization gradually disappeared. The road narrowed, and wheel tracks became less frequent. Old milestones stood half-buried beneath moss; several had toppled over completely.
Atheline knelt beside one weathered stone. Most of the inscription had eroded away. Only a single character remained visible.
"This road used to be maintained."
Lilith examined the surrounding vegetation.
"It seems it was officially abandoned; the forest is slowly reclaiming it."
Indeed, roots had already begun breaking apart sections of the old stone path hidden beneath layers of soil. Nature had been slowly erasing evidence that travelers had ever passed this way.
Around midday, they reached a fork. One path continued northeast toward another frontier settlement. The second curved eastward before disappearing beneath dense forest.
A faded wooden sign leaned crookedly beside the junction. The writing had nearly vanished. Atheline brushed away several decades of dirt and moss.
"’Timber Route.’"
He frowned. Lilith looked toward the eastern path.
"No recent wagon tracks, only footprints and very few of those."
The little fox sniffed both roads before wandering confidently toward the eastern trail.
Atheline chuckled.
"I suppose our guide has chosen."
Lilith smiled.
"She agrees with us."
Together they left the main road behind.
The forest welcomed them with cool shade. Trees towered high above, their branches weaving together into a vast canopy that muted the sunlight. The air immediately became cooler and quieter; still, birdsong echoed overhead.
Small woodland creatures darted through undergrowth, yet compared to the open plains behind them... Everything felt subdued. The trail itself remained surprisingly clear despite its age. It was clear that someone still used it often enough to prevent complete overgrowth.
Atheline quietly observed the trees.
"People haven’t abandoned this forest."
"No."
Lilith crouched beside several footprints impressed into damp soil.
"These are less than two days old."
"Hunters?"
"Probably."
She stood once more.
"Let’s continue."