The Leviathan Helm was a sluice that cuts cleanly through two continents. Two cliffs faced each other. At their closest, the opposing sides were two long stone's throw away. At their furthest, you can't even see the land opposite. But either way, the line separated two completely different worlds. In the north, clean skies and open land stretched with drizzling rainfall in the distance. The clouds in the distant south were an odd thick brown, darkening over the mid of the Katoki continent with bright fire far behind and dark shadows on the land below.

Standing next to the edge, Josh picked up a small rock and threw it across the channel. The rock flew before stopping midair - as if hitting a wall - before being picked up by the violent wind, redirected, and sent smashing in the cliff opposite with the force of a bullet, shattering into pieces.

Almost nothing crossed the helm. A giant creature living in the water sensed magic, attacking all those who tried to build a bridge with them. The wind, roaring in eternal howls, were strong enough to topple buildings. The updrafts caught any gliders coming from Katoki in the south and sent them crashing. Across the Helm, the heat prevented Eltar's hot air balloons from working they nearer they got across the channel.

It had been 18 years since Josh was pushed off course in a storm and stranded in Katoki, and only 6 years since he got back. He and Luce were the only two people in history to ever successfully cross Leviathan's Helm, though it was not done without sacrifice.

He adjusted the collar of his old travelling coat - the only other piece of clothing he had kept from his time on the other side was the gas mask he had dangling from a clip on his belt. With a thick dark grey shirt underneath and sturdy black cargo pants, he was sure those clothings would last another arduous journey's wear and tear.

Behind him came Luce's voice. "Josh, we're ready."

Grass crunching under his fitting boots, he turned to face his travelling companions.

Luce had changed into a set of brown long sleeved shirt. A green khaki pleated short skirt overlaid long navy coloured pants tucked into dirt shaded trekking boots. Her red scarf, though faded from years, rested around her neck to protect against the wind. Dangling from a strap across her right shoulder was her gun, a station rifle. It was a scoped bolt action firearm, modified over the years to look closer to a hunting rifle, with the added function of an adjustable grenade launcher that could fire grappling lances.

Beside her, Adelle was in a green tunic with a loose, unbuttoned brown vest over it. Grey tights with brown boots made up the lower of her torso. Her quiver and bow were worn at the back of her waist, and she had replaced her two makeshift iron axe-picks with new steel ones which were loosely held right of her hip.

They stood next to a supply cache, a large stone box installed by the Titan Rangers to help with resupply on long travels. Before starting their five days trek to reach Leviathan's Helm, they had requested a supply drop prepared upon their arrival, along with a change of clothes. It was a necessary hindrance as the blimps and balloons could not make it that far. The ladies' old clothes were strewn around the ground.

Adelle complained, "Who picked these clothes? My pants are tight but my vest is too loose." She unceremoniously picked up her old clothes and threw them into the cache.

Luce answered snarkily, "Sorry my queen that we didn't measure your clothing first." The young human on the other hand neatly folded her clothes before storing them.

Adelle stuck her tongue out playfully. "It's kind of hot here, isn't it?"

Josh got around to help them pack supplies into their packs while clearing out any unneeded equipments for their trip back into the cache. Tents were the first to go, as they would not have the luxury of pitching up something as comfortable as a campsite in a war zone.

"We're near Katoki now," he answered. "The Twins are out for longer the further south we go, so it'll get hotter as we proceed, at least till we get to the Tainted lands."

Luce clarified, "The part with the rust clouds."

That was the strangest attribute of the south. The clouds of rust were poisonous, but were thick only in the middle of the Walking Path that separated the two warring countries. Nearer the equator, the Taint cleared, while closer to the south, they were buoyed by the great heat and were less dense the lower the altitude, pushed away by the hot winds. In the in-between, where everything else resided, the metal in the clouds reflected the twinlight back, causing pockets of humid warmth instead of dry heat.

He began, "One last time with the plan, in case we get separated."

Adelle whined, "Do we have to?"

"Yes."

She grumbled. "Teleport over and head to Ampyre. If we get split up, meet at a place called 'Rushtae Tavern'."

"Good," he affirmed, picking up his pack. "Shall we head off?"

"Give me a moment," Luce quickly added.

She grabbed her bag and headed to the edge. She pulled out a small tin box and opened it, before slowly turning the contents over into the water. She began speaking into the wind, though her voice was soft and unworkable in the howl.

"Sand?" Adelle commented. "What's with that?"

Josh answered, "It's for Jacques."

"Her fiancee who died helping you two cross the Helm?"

He nodded. "Luce grabs bits of sand and dirt from new places she's travelled to. And whenever she comes by here, she drops them off. It's her way of letting Jacques experience the world she never got to reach."

"That's..." For a moment, he thought he saw tears welling in Adelle's eyes. "Stupid."

He laughed. "Just like you to say that. But you know, one day, you'll have to open up to people too. Not everything and everyone can be "stupid" in your eyes for long."

"I lived over a hundred years alone. I can make it through a hundred more."

"You had Nadier with you."

"He was barely there."

"But he was there, was he not?"

Adelle looked annoyed, turning her head away with a huff.

Josh laughed again. "Nobody can live alone. At least, not without going mad." He turned to look at Luce, still speaking to Jacques. "I think we all know that. It's just a matter of how well we process it. You and Luce are a lot alike in that regard."

She turned back quizzically. "How so?"

"She's headstrong and doesn't like to be told what to do. She thinks she has enough will to get her through the toughest times alone, when honestly, she's still a crybaby on the inside."

"Are you calling me a crybaby?"

"Hah! No. But you're softer than you look. And so is she."

They both looked on pensively. He wondered what separated Adelle's teenage innocence which they saw day-to-day; from the cold hearted killer hardened from years alone in the forest, fighting against the whole world.

Adelle asked, "Why do you think she let me become a Titan Ranger?"

"I don't really know. Maybe she saw something else in you besides all the blood. Or maybe you just reminded her of someone." He saw Adelle's quizzical look. "But whatever the case it, I'm happy you two met. I think both of you need each other in the end, to be the best of the worst of yourselves."

"And that's not something you can do? Help her be better?"

"For her, sure. But not for you. We don't have that kind of relationship."

Adelle clicked her tongue. "I don't need a babysitter."

He chuckled, "Sure you do. You're the one who needs it the most."

Before she could comment back, Luce turned around, keeping her tin box back into her bag. Adelle finally grabbed her pack as well and they headed to Luce.

He asked, "Are you good?"

Luce smiled thankfully. "Yes."

Adelle joked, "Done with your nostalgia, are you?"

While he knew it was a jest, Josh thought the timing was bad. He was prepared for Luce to snap but was instead pleasantly surprised at her maturity..

She calmly replied, "Nostalgia is nice. But if you want to get better, chance for change."

Luce wrapped her arm around one of Adelle's and the latter jumped at the close physical contact. "W-what are you doing?"

"Time to go," she gestured to the other side

Josh concurred, taking Adelle's other arm. The elf sighed, relenting to thme. And in the strangely unfamiliar familiar feeling of teleportation, the world seemed to stretch for a split frame of time. He blinked, and they now stood on the continent of Katoki, the Leviathan's Helm and Eltar behind them.

For a moment, he was stunned. Then, he let out a long laugh. Adelle looked at him as if he had gone mad. But Luce simply stared at the ground beneath her feet. He was sure she felt the same way did. He had spent over a decade trying to escape from the continent, and Luce had sacrificed her heart. Yet all it took from them to return was the literal blink of an eye. An entire decade of fighting, closed within a mere fraction of time.

As his laughter died to the heat, he coughed as the first taste of the Taint returned to his laugh.

"What's that smell?" Adelle asked, pulling her shirt up to cover her face.

Luce pulled up her scarf to cover her nose and mouth. "That's the rust in the Tainted air."

He instructed, "Just pull up your scarf, Adelle, it'll filter out the air."

Luce raised him a brow but Adelle missed the exchange of looks, merely following the instruction, taking out her green scarf from her bag and wrapping it around around her lower face. The casual joking look had gone out of the elf's face as it sunk in that the continent itself was actively trying to kill them.

"Alright then. Crossing the Helm was easy." He turned to face south. "Now the hard part."