"Watch it, you klutz!" shouted one man to his companion, his eyes wide with urgency. "Don't drop the parcel!" The second man steadied himself, responding, "I'm being careful!" But the first man, his heart racing, couldn't shake the feeling of impending disaster. "Just be careful! That package is essential; we're not likely to just go and make another one!" The second man nodded in agreement, and the tension crackled in the air as they navigated the narrow path, both men fully aware of the stakes at hand.
"We have to stop to water the horses," the second man said, attempting to ease the tension in the conversation. They exchanged knowing looks as they slowed the horses down to allow them to drink from a nearby spring. "You speak as if I don't understand how important our mission is," he continued. "I sense the great unrest stirring among the higher powers. The rivers whisper to me, the wind carries secrets, and the woods share warnings from the heavens! Each element of nature sings gossip with a different melody, hinting at the unseen forces of existence."
Watching the horse drink from the spring, the second man reeled his thoughts back in and asked, "What will we do if we are discovered?"
"We will not be discovered," the first man replied confidently, allowing a slight grin to mask any traces of dread that might have shown on his otherwise expressionless face.
"How can you be so sure?" the second man replied, his worry creating a furrow in his brow.
Seeing his concern, the first man explained that the place they were headed was shrouded from the mighty eyes of the ancient gods. With a slight grin, he added, "There is no threat of discovery. No one even knows that we have been assigned this task. The thousand-year war has taken its toll on both sides. No one will think that another player is in this game of power."
"Let's hope you're right," said the second man. "Everyone is counting on our success."
"The imbeciles have no idea that we are, and have been for the past millennia, secretly working to save all of humanity. For thousands of years, I have been a master; now I must serve," retorted the first man with disdain.
"What will you be master of? If all that is, is no more?" the second man said whimsically. "If you insist on speaking carelessly, choose another language. And not one of which the birds or the trees use," he added condescendingly.
The second man chuckled, his laughter laced with a hint of darkness. "Very well then," he said, "what will you be master of if all the realms are destroyed?"
"Master of all existence," the first man replied, his voice low and drowning in thought—his answering proving that he wasn't paying attention to the second man's query.
"You're right, I suppose," the second man mused, deep in his thoughts.
"Nevertheless," the first man said, "as always, carrying this burden falls on our shoulders. Humankind is oblivious to how long it has been saved from itself."
With determination sparkling in their eyes, they steeled themselves for the challenges ahead, knowing they were the unofficial heroes of an unseen battle that could determine the future of all creation.