Carriage

Dionisus kept walking through the frozen landscape, his new armor insulating him from the slicing cold of the Umbra region. He left the comfort of the enormous trees in hopes of getting closer to the great kingdom. In his bag, he carried some dry sticks and two medium sized slabs of meat wrapped up in humidless leaves.

Dionisus' sharp purple eyes burning with hope and desire to survive. He had to reach the Erebos kingdom before the temperature began to drop, the task would be impossible if not for the boons granted to him by Malphas.

By now, he had already noticed meaningful changes all around his body, most notably his increased speed and quieter foot steps. Even if he stepped on a crunchy leaf, the sound emitted would be slightly muffled for some odd reason. Even though the boy didnt notice, his footsteps would disappear much faster than normal.

Dionisus could accelerate faster, reaching higher speeds in less time. His endurance accompanied his increase in speed, allowing him to maintain high speeds for good amounts of time. Of course, it was still proportional, the faster he would go, the quicker he would become tired and run out of breath.

In the distance, a tiny, dim light was glowing. Currently, Dionisus was making his way towards the source, predicting the light's movement and accompanying it. The frozen blades of grass crunched under his foot steps, his movements werent weightless despite the weak sounds they produced. To carry a human body at such speeds demanded a great amount of force.

His muscles exerted a force someone with his age and size would not be able to normally. His body was aged to the level of a teenager after puberty. In an universe where the same part of Earth always faced the sun, as if Earth was being held still by invisible chains, time wasnt measured by the day to night cycle, instead time was dictated through the alignment of celestial bodies. The passage of time was marked by specific celestial events, such as a certain star appearing in a set point in the sky.

As the stars, planets, and other cosmic bodies move across the sky, they affect the aging process of individuals. Each celestial event, like a planet aligning or a comet appearing, leaves a subtle impact on those who witness it. In simple terms, aging in this world is guided by the movements of the stars and planets. It is a reminder of the transient nature of life and a testament to the beauty and depth found in the relationship between people and the cosmos.

The passing of a year was marked by a unique stage of the moon, the Lunar Crown, as it was named by the Umbrians. Where it appeared at its fullest and brightly lit by a blue glow, and by now Dionisus had already experienced sixteen of those moon cycles.

On the other side of the world, the passing of time was marked by the movement of the moon, which still rotated around the earth, and also through the annual event called Radiance, where the sun would be at its highest point in the sky while exerting its maximum heat down towards the earth.

***

Dionisus continued running forward at full speed, his legs were aching with pain, but none the less he needed to find out what the moving light was. Dionisus pushed through the pain in his legs, determination fueling his every step.

The moving light in the distance beckoned to him, its elusive glow drawing him closer with each passing moment. His heart pounded in his chest as he raced forward, his breath coming in ragged gasps, but he refused to yield.

With every stride, the distance between him and the light closed. It flickered and danced, like a distant star calling out to him in the endless darkness. The anticipation grew within him, mingling with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

As Dionisus drew closer to the moving light, he realized that it was a carriage, gleaming under the potent glow of two lanterns hanging on each side. The exterior was made out of dark, solid wood, boasting ornaments made of gold and silver in every single corner and edge of the mysterious carriage.

The wheels of the carriage were crafted out of extraordinarily sturdy wood, capable of traveling at high speeds while deflecting any pebbles or other obstacles sprinkled on the ground. The carriage was led by two heavily clothed horses, their fur was white and extremely thick, which from a distance looked like armor. They withstood the cold without facing any major problems.

The residents of the carriage were still unknown to Dionisus and likely wouldnt reveal themselves to the freezing environment outside. The young boy was tired, but he had to at least find out who was inside the carriage. In the dark, he was invisible to them, but they were completely visible to him.

Dionisus sent out every single bit of his remaining strength towards his legs and leaped at the carriage. He reached his arms out to the maximum and, with the middle finger, index finger, and thumb of his right hand, held a decorated gold ornament firmly.

He hastily grabbed another ornament with his second hand and pulled himself towards the carriage. He stood atop a wooden plank on the backside of the carriage and took a deep breath, calming himself down before he made any rash decisions.

The carriage's door was pounded heavily by Dionisus, who wanted to get inside as fast as possible. Movement could be heard from the inside, the sound of a weapon being unsheated and a high pitched scream.

Suddenly the door flung open, and a man holding himself to the inside of the carriage with one arm appeared. In his hand, a sword was equipped, it was nothing special, but it boasted intricate markings carved in the wooden handle.

"Wait!" Dionisus said. The man looked at the direction of the sound but could only discern a human-like figure in the vast darkness of the land of Umbra. By the deep voice filled with unrestrained emotional baggage, the man understood that he was dealing with a human and not a demonic Abyssal.

"Come inside where I can see you, keep your hands up and away from any weapon of yours, show me that I can trust you, and I will." The man commanded in a tone of calmness, which hid a layer of capability for violence.