It had been five weeks since they departed from Lowden. During that time, Kaisel had gradually begun interacting with the others— even some of the passengers and mercenaries. He particularly spent a lot of time speaking with Merlin, listening to his stories and the strange twists of his life so far. Hans and Felix, meanwhile, were always running their mouths, an unstoppable chatter duo.
Sergi often nursed a headache because of Hans' endless rambling—most of which consisted of exaggerated solo adventures or made-up folklore about ghosts and evil spirits. But thanks to that, the journey was at least a little more entertaining.
By noon, they had stopped by a river to wash and rest for a while. Merlin and Kaisel were seated on a fallen trunk, talking. Merlin was in the middle of performing the story he had prepared for Kaisel.
"And then," Merlin continued dramatically, shifting his posture, "the woman at the masquerade party lifted her wine glass and asked the white-masked gentleman his name."
He straightened his back, changing his tone.
"The name is William. Mr. William," Merlin declared.
Before Merlin could continue, Felix barged into the scene.
"Oh come on, Merlin!" he groaned loudly. "I told you—just 'Mr. William' is boring for a mysterious tycoon. You need something stronger, something that makes people remember him."
Felix's face lit up as if he were announcing a grand revelation.
"Gold. William Gold."
Felix tilted his head, frowning at Merlin. "It sounds better, right?"
Merlin stared at him, unimpressed. "Felix… you literally just slapped the word 'Gold' at the end."
"There are actually tons of unique last names across the continent," Kaisel commented calmly. "I don't think having 'Gold' as a surname would ruin the mystery."
Felix snapped his fingers triumphantly. "See? Even Mark gets it!"
"Fine, fine. I'll change it to William Gold," Merlin conceded with a sigh.
"Why Gold?" Kaisel asked Felix.
"Because Gold is expensive!" Felix explained confidently. "Gold coins are the highest form of currency. Nobles and royals treasure it, right? It's one of the most valuable things. So for a mysterious tycoon, 'Gold' is the perfect last name."
Kaisel nodded thoughtfully.
At that moment, the peaceful atmosphere shifted.
The distant clatter of wheels and heavy boots echoed through the trees. A long row of carriages emerged from the forest trail, escorted by armored mercenaries who moved with the precision of trained predators. Their presence alone drew the attention of everyone by the river.
These mercenaries looked far more intimidating than the ones escorting Kaisel's group.
Hans, standing near Kaisel, sucked in a sharp breath.
"Holy shit…" he muttered.
"What?" Felix asked.
Hans gestured discreetly with his chin toward the new arrivals. Among them stood a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and a thick beard, a long scar running down the left side of his face.
"That's Riley Hunt," Hans whispered, as if saying the name too loudly might draw unwanted attention. "A famous bounty hunter. If someone hires him for escort duty, it means the people he's guarding are either nobles… or seriously rich."
Felix leaned forward, squinting.
"He's that famous?"
Hans nodded, lowering his voice even further.
"Famous doesn't even cover it. When he takes a bounty, no matter where the target runs—across borders, into mountains, underground—he always finds them. And he brings back their head every single time."
"'Hunt' isn't his real last name," Hans continued, lowering his voice. "People started calling him that because of what he does… and because of how many he's chased down."
As he spoke, Hans tapped the side of his neck with two fingers, then slid his hand across his throat in a cut-throat gesture—making the meaning painfully clear.
"People say he has some kind of blessing," Hans added, eyes still fixed on Riley Hunt. "Something that helps him track his prey—no matter where they hide."
Blessings—also known as innate abilities—were rare phenomena. Some people were born with them; others awakened them suddenly at a certain age, often after extreme stress or life-threatening moments. Not everyone could obtain one. In fact, it was rare to witness one. And most of them never reveal it.
Blessings were entirely different from magic. Magic required mana, training, and knowledge. Blessings required none of that.
Some people awakened overwhelming physical strength.
Some developed senses capable of detecting lies.
Others saw what humans were never meant to see—spirits, or the dead.
And many more.
Sergi approached Hans and the group,
"They said to pack up," he announced. "We're moving."
Hans gave a curt nod.
"Why?" Felix asked, already irritated. "We just sat down."
Hans sighed, lowering his voice.
"For our own safety. If something happens… if a fight breaks out… we wouldn't stand a chance against those guys. So it's better to move before trouble even thinks about starting."
Felix's expression tightened as he glanced again at the intimidating newcomers.
For once, he didn't argue.
As Kaisel's group gathered their belongings and began to depart, Riley Hunt and his mercenaries silently watched them from the riverbank. Their posture was rigid, alert—eyes sharp, weapons within immediate reach. Not a single person from the carriages stepped outside, which only confirmed how valuable, or vulnerable, the passengers inside must have been.
The air felt heavier as they passed.
Kaisel walked a few steps before instinct made him turn his head.
Riley Hunt glanced back at the same moment.
For a brief instant, less than ten seconds, their eyes met.
A cold, assessing stare.
A silent measurement of danger.
Neither changed their expression.
Then both turned away at the same time, as if the moment had never happened.
.....
After leaving the riverbank behind, the caravan and mercenaries traveled until dusk before finding a flat patch of land to set up camp. The sky was sinking into darkness, and several campfires crackled to life, casting warm orange light across tired faces. People sat around the flames in small circles, talking in low voices while waiting for dinner to finish cooking.
Felix shifted closer to Hans and nudged him with his elbow.
"What are realms?" Felix asked. He had heard Hans mention the word earlier and had latched onto it, as usual.
Hans scratched his cheek. "Well, realms are… actually, I don't know much about them." He sighed and shrugged helplessly.
Felix slumped in disappointment. For days he had been asking Hans about every strange thing he encountered, and Hans always had an answer—or made one up. But this time, even Hans had nothing.
Before Felix could complain again, Kaisel's calm voice broke in from the other side of the fire.
"Realms are separate planes or dimensions," Kaisel said, his tone steady. "Each one functions as its own world, with distinct laws, energies, and inhabitants that are completely different from the mortal realm."
All eyes shifted to him.
Kaisel rarely spoke unless necessary, so hearing him explain something so directly caught everyone off guard. Hans raised his brows in surprise.
Felix leaned forward eagerly. "What kind of dimensions?" Even though he had no idea what "dimensions" meant, the word sounded cool.
Kaisel continued, unbothered.
"There's this world, the one we live in—what people call the Mortal Realm. Then there is the Demon Realm, which appeared during the Era of Wars. Demons came from there, enslaved humans, and tried to seize the continent. That was how demon worshippers first emerged."
A few people around the fire shifted
uncomfortably.
"There is also the Spirit Realm," Kaisel said. "A world filled with elemental spirits and other spiritual beings. I don't know much about that one."
Felix nodded, eyes wide with interest.
"And the Nether Realm," Kaisel went on. "Known as the land of souls—the dead. It's said to be ruled by the Goddess of Death."
"And?" Felix prompted immediately.
Kaisel hesitated for a moment.
"Then there's the Abyss."
Hans tilted his head. "What's the Abyss?"
Kaisel's expression didn't change, but the firelight reflected strangely in his eyes.
"The Abyss is a realm that is a vast, endless void of nothingness. Nothing exists in that realm."
Hans blinked. "Nothingness…? Well, I'd like to see what that looks like."
"Not unless you want to be corrupted and die an unimaginable death," Kaisel replied sharply.
Hans froze. "What?"
"It's said that if you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back at you. The mages who attempted to study it all died painful deaths—every single one of them. They were powerful, experienced, and well-prepared… and still they perished. After that, no one dared continue the research."
A shiver crawled down Hans's spine. Even Felix's excitement dimmed a little.
Hans looked at Kaisel carefully. "You… seem to know a lot about it."
Kaisel didn't answer.
He simply stared into the fire, flames reflecting in his eyes like distant memories.
In truth, Kaisel knew far more about the Abyss than he let on. The so-called curse of the Cursed Child of Ravengard was tied directly to that realm.
To be continued.