“Woah!”

A soft blue light radiates off a scroll I fold open, revealing it’s details to us,

“So, this is the requiem map,” Karina examines,

“The glow of that comes off the blank face of the scroll, projects itself into a screen, of sorts, depicting a map of our current location,

“Is that us?” Claude points to six white dots jumbled up together in one area,

“More importantly, isn’t this supposed to a map of the entire ring, not just this area,” Apollo comments

“It functions similarly to an ‘RPS’ than an actual map,” I mention

“What?

Whirlish please Kage?” Lyra rolls her eyes

“Whirlish?”

“The language you’re speaking right now?”

“……”

(Strange, this is the first time I’ve ever heard that word,

No,

What am I saying

Its always been called that,

Did I forget?)

“You really are a child sometimes Kage,” Karina taunts,

“Eh-hem, well anyways, an ‘RPS’, if I can recall correctly stands for ‘ringal positioning system’ it basically helps you find your own location anywhere on the ring,”

“I have never heard of that Kage,

Are you sure you didn’t make that up?”

(Not really.)

“Yes, I’m sure”

“Weird Kage names aside,” Claude interjects,

“How is this going to show us where exactly Bakufu is, when its only showing, the area surrounding us?”

“It’s more of a locator map than a guide,” I say peering at the ‘screen’

The image displays and overhead view of the lush greenery and rocky fields a good distance surrounding us,

Different colors and dots depict specific landmarks and towns,

(I thought it was an exaggeration, but this Takeroumu must have really seen everything there was to see)

……”Besides…” Apollo is talking,

“We don’t need that map right now, We already know the way to Gate,”

“Hhhhh,

I guess we’ll have time to examine this more later,” I sigh folding up the map, beginning to pick up the pace…...

…….

Squish squish squish

Our feet trudge along the damp, bushy plains, walking briskly as the town of finally Gate comes into our eyesight,

We’d been traveling for almost the entire day,

Not a single one of us suggested to even go near sweepstake, however

Was it out of fear?

No.

But because though no one said it,

We knew

We all knew

None of us was even the slightest bit strong or capable enough to do anything,

What could we do?........

…………

(Nothing,

Nothing Kage,

That is not what our goal is”

“Our? Is this?—"

“We are us Kage, we told us this before, now hurry up!

Neglect these people and go home”

“Home?

Where is my—our home?”

“……..?”)

“Where!—"

“You can’t even be normal in you sleep Kage?” Lyra’s faces peers over me

“Huh, where-” I start, but remember we arrived in Gate town already, stopping to rest in an inn,

(One room for the six of us might I add)

……..

“Apollo and Karina are trying to organize our passage,” Amelia tells noticing me spectating the little room we had no choice to take after leaving most of our funds back ‘there’

It was either separate rooms and no food or vice versa…

………

“What do Apollo and Karina plan to get us as far away from here as possible?” I ask Lyra, but my eyes are pinned on someone else…

“He’s probably going to try the whole ‘King of Soterra’ thing.”

Claude sits focused, in a corner, a bright white flame steady in his hands’

(Amazing, I can feel its heat from here,

Granted it isn’t that far away but still...)

Whap!

Lyra slaps me on the thigh,

“Were you even listening?”

“….”

Creeaak!

The door swings open to Apollo and Karina

(Saved by the door)

“I see you’re all up,” Apollo passes a quick glance

“Well, no sticking around, I am still hungry from yesterday,

Let’s leave right away,”

“Slowdown Apollo,” I stop him,

“Did you get us passage to Bakufu already?”

“No,

They don’t allow transportation to and from,”

“Then where are we going?”

“….” Apollo sighs bittersweetly,

“We are going back to Soterra,”