Her name was Iria, and according to the map, she would die tomorrow.
Erynd didn't tell her.
The second companion joined them at dusk: Kael, a swordsman whose shadow lagged half a second behind his body.
"I'm out of sync," Kael explained casually. "Happens when you survive something you weren't meant to."
The third was not a person at all, but a Compass-Beast—a creature that pointed not north, but toward meaning. It refused to move unless the journey mattered.
Erynd hated that it followed him eagerly.
Together, they sailed toward the blank continent.
Behind them, empires sharpened their quills.