To verify the theory, they deliberately abandoned the trail; instead of walking east, they headed north.
After half an hour, they turned west, then south, and then east again. Atheline even climbed into the upper canopy, leaping effortlessly between branches while searching for any landmark.
Everything appeared normal. Endless forest stretched in every direction, yet somehow... every path eventually brought them back.
Night slowly settled over the forest. Moonlight filtered weakly through the dense canopy. The attacks never ceased.
A herd of massive Stonehorn Elk charged without warning. Atheline drew two arrows, Earth Aether flowing through them.
The projectiles struck the ground before the charging beasts. Massive pillars of stone erupted upward, throwing the entire herd into the air. Before they landed, Lightning Aether surged into his next volley. Brilliant arcs leapt between every beast simultaneously.
The forest flashed purple white. Moments later, the clearing fell silent once more.
Lilith calmly retrieved one of her daggers after finishing the last surviving beast with a blade formed entirely from condensed shadow.
Neither seemed remotely tired. Physically... These battles demanded almost nothing from them, but mentally... They were becoming exhausting.
Atheline leaned against the ancient marker.
"I don’t understand. I’ve used wind to navigate entire mountain ranges. I’ve hunted through magical fog. This..." He looked around the clearing. "...shouldn’t be possible, even for an illusionary beast; there has to be something."
Lilith quietly examined the surrounding darkness.
"It isn’t an ordinary illusion. If it were merely altering what we see... We’d have found inconsistencies." She looked toward the forest. "But everything behaves naturally. The beasts, the wind, the terrain and the sun; Everything."
She paused.
"Except... our destination."
Atheline slowly nodded.
"We’re moving but never arriving."
The little fox suddenly whimpered. She stared into the darkness beyond the clearing, its ears flattening completely. Atheline followed its gaze but saw nothing.
Then... A distant roar echoed through the night. Unlike the beasts they had fought throughout the day, this sound was different. The very forest seemed to vibrate. Neither ruler moved.
Lilith’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Did you feel that?"
"Yes."
"The Aether, it changed."
For the briefest moment... The forest had felt alive with something singular. Then the sensation vanished.
Lilith slowly looked back toward the ancient marker. Her voice remained calm.
"We crossed the boundary."
Atheline tightened his grip on his bow.
"So everything before this... was only the outer layer."
She nodded once.
"I believe so."
He looked into the endless darkness beyond the trees.
"And whatever lies ahead..."
He could no longer see the path they had been following. It had disappeared into the night.
"...doesn’t want anyone reaching it."
Neither of them suggested retreating. The thought never even crossed their minds; instead, they silently began preparing a temporary camp within the clearing. Blindly wandering through an ancient spatial illusion at night would accomplish nothing.
The little fox curled up close beside Lilith, though she remained awake, constantly watching the darkness beyond the circle of firelight.
.
.
.
Morning sunlight poured through the towering windows of the Demonic Royal Palace, illuminating the black stone halls with a warm golden glow.
Unlike the previous day, when the palace had hosted honored guests from the Dark Elven Kingdom, today’s atmosphere had returned to its usual rhythm.
Officials hurried between ministries carrying stacks of reports. Military officers discussed patrol rotations along the frontier. Merchants waited in audience chambers to negotiate trade permits.
Everything appeared perfectly ordinary, until a palace guard burst into the council chamber.
"Your Majesty!"
The doors swung open with enough force to echo throughout the room. Every minister turned toward the young guard, who immediately dropped to one knee.
King Seragus, seated comfortably upon the throne, raised an eyebrow.
"Judging by your expression, this isn’t about taxes."
The guard swallowed.
"No, Your Majesty. The intelligence division has submitted an urgent report."
Seragus lazily rested his chin upon one hand.
"Go on."
"Their Majesties of the Dark Elven Kingdom..." The guard hesitated. "...have disappeared."
Silence filled the council chamber. Several ministers froze, and one elderly noble nearly dropped the documents in his hands.
The Head of Internal Affairs frowned deeply.
"...Explain."
The guard bowed lower.
"Our agents maintained discreet observation after Queen Lilith and King Atheline departed the capital as instructed. They traveled to the western city of Blackforge and spent the night at an inn. They were seen entering their rooms, but they were..." He paused. "...never seen leaving."
Murmurs erupted throughout the chamber.
"What do you mean they weren’t seen leaving?"
"Did they escape through a window?"
"Were they attacked?"
"What about the inn staff?"
The guard waited for the questions to subside.
"The room was empty the following morning. There were no signs of forced entry, signs of battle, or witnesses. They simply... vanished."
The council chamber descended into uneasy silence once again. The Minister of Foreign Affairs slowly stood.
"This is disastrous. If anything has happened to the Queen and King while traveling within our borders... We could trigger an intercontinental incident."
Another minister nodded grimly.
"The Dark Elven Kingdom has only recently strengthened diplomatic ties with us. The moon crystal trade has benefited both nations immensely. If rumors spread that their rulers disappeared inside the Demonic Kingdom... Our enemies would seize the opportunity."
Others quickly voiced their agreement.
"We should dispatch the Royal Army immediately. Seal every major road, question every traveler and search every frontier settlement. The intelligence network should be doubled. No... It should be tripled."
Within moments, the chamber had erupted into organized panic. Only one person remained completely relaxed.
King Seragus.
He listened patiently as ministers proposed increasingly elaborate search operations. Finally... he began laughing, a deep, hearty laugh that echoed throughout the entire chamber.
"Hahaha!"
The ministers fell silent. Several stared at their king in complete disbelief; even the guard looked confused. Seragus laughed until tears nearly formed at the corners of his eyes. When he finally managed to compose himself, he wiped one eye with his thumb.
"Oh... I needed that."
The Minister of Foreign Affairs blinked.
"Your Majesty... this is hardly amusing."
Seragus looked at him with a grin.
"Isn’t it?"
"No!"
The minister sounded genuinely horrified.
"Two foreign monarchs have disappeared inside our kingdom. Our reputation..."
"Our reputation is perfectly fine." Seragus interrupted casually. "They’re alive."
The chamber became quiet once more. The Head of Intelligence cautiously spoke.
"Your Majesty... Our agents truly lost them. We’ve searched the entire city, but they are nowhere to be found."
Seragus leaned comfortably against the throne.
"Exactly."
The minister frowned.
"...Exactly?"
The Demon King nodded.
"They lost them, as expected."
Several ministers exchanged bewildered glances. Seragus sighed dramatically.
"Tell me."
He looked around the room.
"Did any of you honestly believe Queen Lilith announced her true destination yesterday?"
Silence answered them because no one volunteered to break it. Seragus smiled knowingly.
"I certainly didn’t."